We returned to the Charlotte D “on the hard” in Grenada on November 26, 2010 and began the chores of recommissioning and launching her for another winter season cruising the windward and leeward islands. This year, thanks to our friend Derek, we had the advantage of a place to stay ashore during the recommissioning instead of sleeping aboard in a hot, mosquito infested boatyard.
The recommissioning list was long and our thin cruising budget required that we do all the work ourselves. There were three through-hulls to remove because we are abandoning our rarely used and now non-functional R-12 air conditioners, plus our heavily used and now worn out Onan generator. So, there are now three more fibreglass patches on our hull.
Because we do not tie up at docks during the winter months we must be self-sufficient in production of electricity. We have been pleased with the performance of our recently installed KISS wind generator and our solar panel. These two alternate energy devices cover 80% of our battery charging needs at nil operating cost. The remainder of our energy requirements are taken care of by a small (2KW) Honda generator (operated about 50 hours per winter) and the two alternators on the propulsion engine (also operated about 50 hours per season).
Our 10 year old Furuno GPS, working fine when we left the boat in March, lost its LCD display during summer storage and was replaced with a new Garmin unit.
Most of the remaining pre-launch work was routine and expected. Peter serviced and started the Perkins propulsion engine, the Yamaha outboard and the Honda generator. Fortunately, no surprises with any of those.
We repaired our wood/epoxy sailing dinghy. Peter had bashed a hole into her bottom manoeuvring to haul out in the spring. Catherine decided to paint the entire dinghy, inside and out. “She lookin' spanky now!”
The recommissioning list was long and our thin cruising budget required that we do all the work ourselves. There were three through-hulls to remove because we are abandoning our rarely used and now non-functional R-12 air conditioners, plus our heavily used and now worn out Onan generator. So, there are now three more fibreglass patches on our hull.
Because we do not tie up at docks during the winter months we must be self-sufficient in production of electricity. We have been pleased with the performance of our recently installed KISS wind generator and our solar panel. These two alternate energy devices cover 80% of our battery charging needs at nil operating cost. The remainder of our energy requirements are taken care of by a small (2KW) Honda generator (operated about 50 hours per winter) and the two alternators on the propulsion engine (also operated about 50 hours per season).
Our 10 year old Furuno GPS, working fine when we left the boat in March, lost its LCD display during summer storage and was replaced with a new Garmin unit.
Most of the remaining pre-launch work was routine and expected. Peter serviced and started the Perkins propulsion engine, the Yamaha outboard and the Honda generator. Fortunately, no surprises with any of those.
We repaired our wood/epoxy sailing dinghy. Peter had bashed a hole into her bottom manoeuvring to haul out in the spring. Catherine decided to paint the entire dinghy, inside and out. “She lookin' spanky now!”
Applying hull anti fouling paint and replacing zincs went as well as expected in the scorching heat of the boat yard.
No problems replacing filters of domestic water system, but the fresh water pump was leaking and so had to be rebuilt.
We were pleased that the canvas cover which we sewed last spring held together all summer. This cover afforded much protection to our exterior varnish, but of course, there was more than enough varnish for Catherine to repair. She was having so much fun with varnish that she decided to refresh two interior bulkheads as well!
Finally, on December 14, we launched! So glad to be on the water again! Much cooler in the breeze and we can swim in the ocean every day!
Much recommissioning is left for after launch. The sails, stored inside the boat for the summer, were returned to spars and furlers. The fouled float switch of the bilge pump was cleaned. On commissioning the watermaker we discovered that the high pressure pump, supposedly fixed in the spring, was still leaking furiously. Therefore, we removed this pump and shipped it back to California for warranty repair since the local dealer had failed twice to fix it.
As the recommissioning list got shorter, we returned to our winter schedule of socializing with fellow cruisers. There were many shared times with cruising friends from Denmark, Isle of Man, and Texas (via Ireland and Germany). After 10 years we again crossed paths with cruising friends from Kingston, Ontario. In 2000 we bartered our spinnaker pole and genoa for their propane stove. We used the stove and they used the genoa until last year.
It was once again demonstrated that the Danish Vikings are truely prepared for every eventuality!
We enjoyed the local music scene with the New Dimensions steel pan group, Doc Adams Blues Band, and Madison Velvet of Cape Breton.
We enjoyed our time at anchor in two of the beautiful bays on the south coast of Grenada; Prickly Bay and Clarke's Court Bay. Check them out on Google Earth at 12 deg 00 N 061deg 45 W. Perfect locations for Catherine to practice her fiddle and to cook on the BBQ.
On Christmas day it was still 30 deg C (86 deg F) and we had a lovely mid afternoon dinner at a local restaurant with a group of like-minded cruisers, all as pleased as we that the event was devoid of the commercial/religious hoopla so usual in North America at this time of year.
Early on New Year's Day with clear heads we swam in the ocean as usual, and a few days later joined many at Roger's Beach Bar for a typical Sunday afternoon in early January.
Early on New Year's Day with clear heads we swam in the ocean as usual, and a few days later joined many at Roger's Beach Bar for a typical Sunday afternoon in early January.
We continue to enjoy the culinary delights of the Caribbean such as callaloo, shadow benny, passion fruit, jelly coconut, nutmeg, plantains, and pumpkin; all fresh. One of our favourites is Catherine's pumpkin-ginger-coconut soup.
A perfect weather window for sailing north appeared on January 7 and we jumped through it for the 50 NM sail from Grenada to the Grenadines from where we post this blog.
"Prayer is like a rocking chair. It will give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere."
Gypsy Rose Lee
