Grenada

 

At 5 p.m, we finally arrive in the lagoon of St Georges (main city of Grenada). Cephee doesn´t move anymore and we´ll have a great long night.

We like Grenada, named the spice island : its colours, its people, kind and helpful, its vegetation, its atmosphere. Ivan didn´t spare anybody, it´s time for rebuilding.

During the week, we decorate Cephee, buy christmas presents, even if it is difficult to feel like in christmas time, as temperature is 30 °C... And yet, we hear christmas songs everywhere, we are in December, there´s no mistake ! What a difference with our last winter in Hamburg or working in Cephee´s hull in Toulouse.

We feel a strong anglo-saxon influence on the island : christmas preparation, language, gastronomy (sorry for that !), music, the way people behave, the driving (left side)... And yet, a lot of names are french (sauteurs, grand Anse, petite Martinique,....) as the island was discovered by Christophe Colomb in 1498, settled by the french in 1650 and left to Great-Britain in 1783, finally became independant in 1956, without changes in local names.

Jean et Annie arrive on the 24th at 5 pm, after 12 hours flight across the Atlantic (36 times faster than us !). Warmly dressed, they rapidly take pullovers and coats off and we go back to the lagoon under sunset beautiful lights. Out of the 40 kg luggages they took, at least 20 kg are for us ! We are lucky ! Small cares, presents, letters from family and friends, we are touched...

We spend a quiet week in Grenada. St Georges shows us many different faces : sometimes invaded by tourists (up to 5 cruising ships of 3000 passengers each can moor simutaneously in the bay), sometimes desert the days after festivities, or crowded and authentic with its reggae rythm.

We discover waterfalls, a charmfull fisher village : Gouyave, the secrets of nutmeg culture (devastated by Ivan, it will take 15 years to recover the losts), and the southern coast devoted to a luxurious tourism where each coconut tree reminds you that the beach is private.

Time flies and on the 31st, parents already fly back to France while the new year approaches.

We greet the new year in a small restaurant on carribbean songs and dances. Happy new year !

2 days later, we go back to the airport to pick up François, a french friend from Hamburg. Together we go to visit Carriacou, a Grenada island famous for its dreamy beaches. François´first navigation is quite rough; we didn´t have such conditions since the golfe of Biscay : on the wind, showers and choppy seas. Carriacou is hidden by the clouds, we have the feeling we´ll never arrive. When we finally anchor, the sky is so dark and low that we hardly see the coconut trees.

The day after, on Salines island, we enjoy sun apparitions, wonderful underwater sights and a very pleasant anchorage. The landscape reminds postcards... when the sun shines.

For Sandy island, we only have cloudy weather but the place´s still very beautiful. Finally, out of 5 days, we only had 1 sunny day, what probably never happens in the carribbean at this season... Bad luck for François (see film). However, water and air temperatures are nearly 25 °C which is not so bad !

François is motivated to come back visit us in Tahiti. At least, there´ll be sun !

He takes his flight to Cuba where he´s ging to continue his holidays and we leave Grenada, towards Venezuela.

The crossing takes 24 hours instead of the 36 estimted as wind is stronger than expected. We arrive in Porlamar, the main city of Margarita´s island, at night. The region is known for sailors unsecurity (because of the famous carribbean pirats), we don´t know the place, don´t have detailled map and none of the light houses are working)... Happily, hotels of the coast (Margarita is a very touristic area) ensure lighting and we finally find the anchorage.

Hi Venezuela !

A local recipie :

The pumpkin and nutmeg soup :

1 kg pumpkin, 1 oinion, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 liter water, 1 tea spoon powdered nutmeg (speciality of Grenada), oil or butter, salt and pepper.

Peel and cut pumpkin in cubes. Put all ingredients in a "cocotte minute" and cover with water. Close and cook 15 minutes under pressure. Pass the soup and serve with garlic bread and gratted cheese according to your taste.

Personnally we like a rather thick soup, that´s why we add 1/2 l of water only. The classical recipie makes it with 1 l.