I hear voices in the morning far earlier than I would have expected – John’s internal clock is out – but as Mike is already up and using the good internet that we have here in Phare Bleu, I know he can look after breakfast, and I snuggle back down, cool and cosy in the air conditioning and wait for my tea to be delivered, which of course, it is.
We discover the mini market’s fantastic cheese bread – actually it’s swirls of hot bread wrapped around cheese and herbs then topped with more of the same – and order 12 to be baked for us for tomorrow and have a wander around the small marina.
A few years ago, the marina owners bought and refurbished a Swedish lighthouse ship, the Vastra Banken, bringing her from Sweden to the Caribbean to use as their office, toilet block and restaurant. Unfortunately for us, the restaurant is closed until some time in October but we use the rest of its facilities which are immaculately clean.
The lounge on this boat is where the previous owner used to store his two cars (he used it as a houseboat) and the huge garage-like doors are left open to let the air through. The room is like a museum, with the ship’s history explained on large suspended charts and artefacts stored in lit under-floor exhibition boxes. It really is rather splendid (not a word I use very often) and different. There’s also a good book swap and DVD library and the lounge has huge leather sofas to flop around on.
After some lunch (and after ordering 12 more beautiful cheese breads for tomorrow) we are ready for our half day island day tour of Grenada with Rock.
The weather is somewhat cloudy but we head on up for a long drive around the south and east of the island to Grenville, the second largest town, getting a very detailed history of Grenada from Rock, and Rock LOVES his history. You get the feeling that when he’s finished he’ll give you a test on what you’ve remembered. We all listen attentively, well apart from Allison who feels that because she is sitting next to him he won’t notice is she closes her eyes as he keeps a watch in his rearview mirror.
We stop near the crater lake of Grand Etang (the name showing some of Grenada’s French heritage) and visit the Forest Centre. There are no monkeys in evidence as there were when we visited with the World ARC.
There are trails all through the forest and we take what we hope will be an easy one – we are all wearing flip flops. The rain forest suffered huge damage from Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and is still recovering but it echoes with strange animal and bird noises. We have been told that there are no dangerous critters on the island but those noises do make you feel a little nervous!
We decline to take any tours of rum distilleries, chocolate factories or shopping malls so Rock takes us to Annandale Falls where the members of the ‘Grenada Jumpers’ Association’ wait in the pool at the bottom of the falls for tourists to pay them to jump in from a great height. Naturally, we don’t disappoint and because both Mike and John are able to palm money over to them so surreptitiously, neither of them notice that the other one has done it so the jumpers get two ‘donations’. Still, the jump is a long one into a relatively small rock pool so I think they earn it. They stand at the top, yelling down to catch our attention to make sure that we have our cameras at the ready, then leap out into the air.
The huge splash at the end marks the end of the performance and after handshakes all round, we leave the falls where it is now absolutely pelting down with rain.
The rain continues all the way back to St Georges and we abandon all hope of getting a good view from Fort George. Instead we entertain ourselves watching cars with bald tyres slipping backwards as they fail to get a grip on the near vertical roads behind the Carenage.
Rock takes us to the supermarket at the end of our tour and we provision pretty much for the whole of the visit. Luckily by the time we get back to Phare Bleu the rain has eased and we are able to get the stuff aboard.
Deciding to go along to the Pool Bar for happy hour is a bit of a mistake though. Not only do we misinterpret their reductions on drinks (to our disadvantage of course, although the boys are happy with their bucket of beer) but when we leave, it is a real tropical downpour which shows no signs of abating. It’s a good job we decide not to wait it out as it lasts all evening. By the time we are back on board we are all completely soaked through. My thin white linen shirt leaves nothing to the imagination and I look like a contestant for a wet t-shirt competition.
During the evening it rains so hard that the cover for the storm drain just outside the restaurant floats away leaving what looks like a puddle to the unsuspecting but is in fact 6 feet deep. It’s a good job Kevin, the marina manager, came down to warn us about it.
The next morning it is much brighter although still cloudy. After the howling storm last night, Allison looks worriedly out to sea – is it calm? From inside the reef it looks it so we decide to leave. Mike checks us out of Grenada at the Customs and Immigration office at the marina, the process much simpler than having to go into St Georges or stopping at Carriacou. We pick up our cheese bread wondering how long we can keep from eating it as it is still hot and eventually leave the marina in the early afternoon.
Of course, once outside the reef, and heading into the wind, the motor round to the west of the island is rough and uncomfortable, not what was ordered for our guests. Still as we turn the corner at the end of the runway, the sea becomes much calmer and by teatime the water is like the proverbial millpond. We anchor in our usual spot outside of St Georges and stay on board for the night.
John and I begin our week-long competition of who can get the best picture of the sunset. Of course, with the amount of practise I have had over the last couple of years, it really is no contest although the following is not one of the best, just the best of the night.
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