FIRST TIME IN 11 YEARS CRUISING

With the wind and the squalls I did not feel comfortable taking the boat to the dock so for the first time

I jerry canned some water from the dock to the big boat by dinghy. Thanks to Shadofax for the loan of the jerry cans.

I am out at Calivigny island enjoying the view that people pay 1/2 a million a week for. Scraped half the bottom today and will do the other half when I feel like it. No pressure aboard Elephants Child except when Missy Underfoot wants fed.

Shuffling my feet and singing in the rain.

Well it blew hard all last Friday night, 28 to 32 knots with a couple of 40 knot squalls with heavy rain to liven things up a little. I did not see or hear of anyone dragging. The holding here in Clarks Court Bay is pretty good.

But I did not get much sleep with the boat moving the rain blatting down and the big awnng on the next door boat doing a machine gun impression at regular intervals.

Dizzy Sox has a new name,

she is now Missy Underfoot. I have had to learn to do the old geezer shuffle to avoid standing on her as I move around the boat.

Iris and Luanna from Shaitan fly out tomorrow, Luanna is a boat kid who has been home schooled on board but desperately wants to go to a regular school on land.

The boat kids have had a great time as there are quite a number here this year and there has been a couple of weeks of activities organized for them culminating in a coconut boat regatta.

Caught a nice tuna on the short sail around the dolphin rocks, the line had only been out 5 minutes when it hit. Missy Underfoot was not impressed by the whole sailing fishing thing until she got a piece of tuna. No more dry cat food for this prima donna.

SUMMER TIME IN GRENADA

After the airways being full of panic and poor preparation as the first storm of the year blew by well to the North things have slowed down again and the skies are blue with small trade wind clouds drifting by.

Breakfast with the cruisers net on channel 66 is a good start to the day, do I want to play cricket [ no ] , join the Hash House Harriers for an aggressive walk through mud and streams [ no ] , Tai Chi on the beach [ yes ] , water aerobics bring your own noodle [ no ] I will get my water exercise cleaning my waterline and a jazz night at the museum [ yes ].

OK that is the day sorted. Must attack my email backlog, but time to play with Dizzy Sox. If you have ever bought up a kitten you will know that if she wants to play it is somewhat difficult to do anything else without resorting to the weapon of mass destruction the water pistol. I have a few toys set up for her but sometimes she just wants to play with me well attack me.

However I must remember that August is coming and the great Capes Verdes hurricane factory is likely to get into mass production firing big whirly things across the Atlantic.

Still it is quiet here and my coffee is tasting extra good.

FIRST SCARE OF THE YEAR INVEST 95L

The Flying Buzzard has returned to Clarks Court Bay with Uisge Beatha

still tied alongside. The holes have been patched with ply in preparation for the tow down to Trinidad where the hull which all that is left of the boat cost 3.8m will be cut up for scrap and the lead in the keel recovered. Better than just sinking it! The Flying buzzar had also recovered the deck of another boat and I went to sleep wondering if mad Mike was going to attempt to make something from the two halves

but a glance at the starboard side of Uisge Beatha soon shows that to be unlikely.

I was ashore this morning scrounging some net from the local fishermen and came across them preparing the communal pot of fish broth

that will get shared out after todays local boat races. No tuna or mahi mahi here just lots of parrot fish and picasso triggers, the pretty reef fish which they catch in fish pots.

The kick off for the races was supposed to be 10. am but as usual there is slippage and it is coming up for midday and no boats have been launched so far. It is island time!

Well the race started and these guys look like they are the boys to beat.

Well ahead of the next two.

Blue sail gave me a scare but by pinching a little he scraped past.

I am off to Rodgers beach bar on Hog island for the Sunday barbeque and cruisers gam.

Everybody is going to be talking about invest 95L which is likely to turn in to named storm Chandelle. Forecast models put Chandelle as going well North of Grenada probably hitting Dominica in the Northern Antilles.

FIRST SCARE OF THE YEAR INVEST 95L

The Flying Buzzard has returned to Clarks Court Bay with Uisge Beatha

still tied alongside. The holes have been patched with ply in preparation for the tow down to Trinidad where the hull which all that is left of the boat cost 3.8m will be cut up for scrap and the lead in the keel recovered. Better than just sinking it! The Flying buzzar had also recovered the deck of another boat and I went to sleep wondering if mad Mike was going to attempt to make something from the two halves

but a glance at the starboard side of Uisge Beatha soon shows that to be unlikely.

I was ashore this morning scrounging some net from the local fishermen and came across them preparing the communal pot of fish broth

that will get shared out after todays local boat races. No tuna or mahi mahi here just lots of parrot fish and picasso triggers, the pretty reef fish which they catch in fish pots.

The kick off for the races was supposed to be 10. am but as usual there is slippage and it is coming up for midday and no boats have been launched so far. It is island time!

Well the race started and these guys look like they are the boys to beat.

Well ahead of the next two.

Blue sail gave me a scare but by pinching a little he scraped past.

I am off to Rodgers beach bar on Hog island for the Sunday barbeque and cruisers gam.

Everybody is going to be talking about invest 95L which is likely to turn in to named storm Chandelle. Forecast models put Chandelle as going well North of Grenada probably hitting Dominica in the Northern Antilles.

FIRST SCARE OF THE YEAR INVEST 95L

The Flying Buzzard has returned to Clarks Court Bay with Uisge Beatha

still tied alongside. The holes have been patched with ply in preparation for the tow down to Trinidad where the hull which all that is left of the boat cost 3.8m will be cut up for scrap and the lead in the keel recovered. Better than just sinking it! The Flying buzzar had also recovered the deck of another boat and I went to sleep wondering if mad Mike was going to attempt to make something from the two halves

but a glance at the starboard side of Uisge Beatha soon shows that to be unlikely.

I was ashore this morning scrounging some net from the local fishermen and came across them preparing the communal pot of fish broth

that will get shared out after todays local boat races. No tuna or mahi mahi here just lots of parrot fish and picasso triggers, the pretty reef fish which they catch in fish pots.

The kick off for the races was supposed to be 10. am but as usual there is slippage and it is coming up for midday and no boats have been launched so far. It is island time!

Well the race started and these guys look like they are the boys to beat.

Well ahead of the next two.

Blue sail gave me a scare but by pinching a little he scraped past.

I am off to Rodgers beach bar on Hog island for the Sunday barbeque and cruisers gam.

Everybody is going to be talking about invest 95L which is likely to turn in to named storm Chandelle. Forecast models put Chandelle as going well North of Grenada probably hitting Dominica in the Northern Antilles.

FIRST SCARE OF THE YEAR INVEST 95L

The Flying Buzzard has returned to Clarks Court Bay with Uisge Beatha

still tied alongside. The holes have been patched with ply in preparation for the tow down to Trinidad where the hull which all that is left of the boat cost 3.8m will be cut up for scrap and the lead in the keel recovered. Better than just sinking it! The Flying buzzar had also recovered the deck of another boat and I went to sleep wondering if mad Mike was going to attempt to make something from the two halves

but a glance at the starboard side of Uisge Beatha soon shows that to be unlikely.

I was ashore this morning scrounging some net from the local fishermen and came across them preparing the communal pot of fish broth

that will get shared out after todays local boat races. No tuna or mahi mahi here just lots of parrot fish and picasso triggers, the pretty reef fish which they catch in fish pots.

The kick off for the races was supposed to be 10. am but as usual there is slippage and it is coming up for midday and no boats have been launched so far. It is island time!

Well the race started and these guys look like they are the boys to beat.

Well ahead of the next two.

Blue sail gave me a scare but by pinching a little he scraped past.

I am off to Rodgers beach bar on Hog island for the Sunday barbeque and cruisers gam.

Everybody is going to be talking about invest 95L which is likely to turn in to named storm Chandelle. Forecast models put Chandelle as going well North of Grenada probably hitting Dominica in the Northern Antilles.

FIRST SCARE OF THE YEAR INVEST 95L

The Flying Buzzard has returned to Clarks Court Bay with Uisge Beatha

still tied alongside. The holes have been patched with ply in preparation for the tow down to Trinidad where the hull which all that is left of the boat cost 3.8m will be cut up for scrap and the lead in the keel recovered. Better than just sinking it! The Flying buzzar had also recovered the deck of another boat and I went to sleep wondering if mad Mike was going to attempt to make something from the two halves

but a glance at the starboard side of Uisge Beatha soon shows that to be unlikely.

I was ashore this morning scrounging some net from the local fishermen and came across them preparing the communal pot of fish broth

that will get shared out after todays local boat races. No tuna or mahi mahi here just lots of parrot fish and picasso triggers, the pretty reef fish which they catch in fish pots.

The kick off for the races was supposed to be 10. am but as usual there is slippage and it is coming up for midday and no boats have been launched so far. It is island time!

Well the race started and these guys look like they are the boys to beat.

Well ahead of the next two.

Blue sail gave me a scare but by pinching a little he scraped past.

I am off to Rodgers beach bar on Hog island for the Sunday barbeque and cruisers gam.

Everybody is going to be talking about invest 95L which is likely to turn in to named storm Chandelle. Forecast models put Chandelle as going well North of Grenada probably hitting Dominica in the Northern Antilles.