5/23/2026 Spice Island Marine, Grenada
Up early to take advantage of the calm breeze for taking
down the jib. We quickly discovered that the jib halyard had gotten wrapped in yesterday’s
attempt to remove the jib. This precipitated a bosuns chair ride to the top of
the mast. The problem was easily solved, and I was back on deck in no time. The
Jib came down easily and we folded it and stowed it, our biggest job now behind
us. Next, I worked on stowing lines and blocks.
For a change of pace we took a dinghy ride to the fuel dock
to check the depth and the hours, 8-noon. We toured the bay, lots of beautiful
homes and resorts on shore and lots of boats on moorings preparing for haul
out. Back on the boat we discovered that the water pressure had returned and
Suzette set about cleaning cushions. The off-white cushions have held up
amazingly well and they clean up easily.
We hung out down below in the AC for the hottest part of the
day, dug out the suitcases and did some packing. Dinner was a creative cabbage
salad, cabbage, carrots, radishes, sesame crunches, wasabi peas and a multi oil
and vinegar dressing. Overnight we had some much needed rain.
5/24/2026 Spice Island Marine, Grenada
Up early to the sound of more rain hoping it will cool
things down a little. It rained on and off all day making any outdoor activity
impossible and making it very humid. We stayed below and did what we could do
inside. We discovered that the relief valve on the water heater was dripping,
not a good way to leave the boat. I should have replaced it when I changed the
heating element. I had the valve in my inventory; the hardest part of the
change out was draining the water heater. In an hour the replacement was
complete, no more leak.
In the late afternoon we headed to the open-air restaurant.
The evening came with a light breeze and the rain stopped. We met an
interesting couple and talked about boating adventures over cocktails in the
very comfortable lounge chairs. This guy, Mark, had survived a heart attack at
40 and, more recently, throat cancer. With that he decided that buying a boat
and sailing was his bucket list. He bought a 38’ Cat and with 3 days of lessons
he and his wife sailed from Sint Maarten south to Grenada! They love their
sailing life.
We had a pizza, from the giant pizza oven, for dinner. It was a Naples style cooked to perfection and delicious. We lingered for a while longer back in the lounge then back to the boat for dessert, Amaro and chocolate.
5/25/2026 Spice Island
A very quiet night with no apparent rain. Another overcast
day with light wind. It was Whit Monday, a holiday here, the yard was very
quiet. On the boat next to us there is a gentleman on board who literally sits
in the cockpit all day, in his underwear on his smart phone smoking. We have
engaged him, but he does not seem to be interested in talking much. Hhhhmm?
The various lines on the boat are pretty salty; I worked to
soak them and dry them out for storage out of the sun. The big job today was to
service the generator. This job is particularly difficult as the generator
lives in a sound dampening box in a small compartment at the back of the boat.
Most of the work is by touch and feel since you cannot look at what you are
doing at the same time as you are doing this. Add to this the jerking motion
from the surge that we are getting and the desire not to get any oil on my teak
decks and you have a very unenviable chore. I managed to get the oil changed
without incident; it just takes time. Next was changing the fuel filter. This
is located outside of the generator compartment in the starboard aft lazarette.
I can fit completely in this lazarette, but it does not leave much room to
move. Mission accomplished it was time to clean up and head to One Love for
Happy Hour.
Our conversation turned to what we want to do for the next
leg of our journey in the fall. Since we have not been that jazzed about
sailing the Caribbean the discussion quickly went to getting Raffaellesco back
to California. There are two choices, sail north about 1500 miles to Palm Beach
and put her on a ship or sail west through the Panama Canal and up to Long
Beach, a 4000-mile journey. I was pleasantly surprised that Suzette was willing
to consider the 4000-mile trip. There will be several long passages so we will
be looking for crew. The big hops are; Grenada to Bonaire 400 miles, Aruba to
the San Blas Islands 600 miles, Costa Rica to Mexico 600 miles. The remaining
2400 miles can be done in bite size pieces. Lots to think about for that trip.
Any volunteers?
5/26/2026 Spice Island Marine, Grenada
A little overcast that cleared making a hot and muggy day.
The big job scheduled for the day was putting away the dinghy and outboard
motor. I needed some things for the motor at the chandlery, that was our first
stop. We met a couple there, Micheal and Gloria, who had been cruising since
2009. We talked for a long time as they had been nearly around the world and
planned to sail through the canal in the fall. Perhaps we might buddy boat?!
Next stop was the office where they graciously printed and
scanned some paperwork for our insurance renewal. They have been very helpful
here. Back to the boat and back to work lifting the dinghy motor and doing the
service in preparation for storage. Next the dinghy was brought onboard and
thoroughly cleaned. We let it dry on the foredeck and then rolled it up and put
it in the storage room just in time to miss a short rain sprinkle. So many
people here have ribs, but they must either secure them to the davits or on the
foredeck, I am happy to have mine out of the weather.
A few more odd jobs before cleaning up and heading to One
Love for happy hour, our daily ritual. They made a great Mojito, and the Poke
was uniquely prepared and delicious. We sat with Mark and Cindy, who we had met
a couple days ago. The marina is a community especially this time of year.
On the boat we enjoyed a vegetable pesto that Suzette made
the day before using grilled vegies. We are out of wine and there is no bread
to be had but dinner was delicious and filling. We are doing a great job of
creatively eating everything.
5/27/2026 Spice Island Marine, Grenada
With the higher wind yesterday, we were getting a bit of
swell sneaking up the bay and really creating a surge against the solid face of
the quay. I added my big stainless-steel springs and lines the day before to
dampen the jerking motion, but it was getting excessive. I will be happy when
we get off the boat tomorrow and she gets pulled. On Friday.
My chore for the morning was to get our vote in for the
California elections on Tuesday. We had done our homework and completed the ballot,
but we needed to scan them in and fax them to the registrar. Once again, the office
was accommodating and scanned our documents for us. I could then fax them from
my computer, which is very convenient.
Next was a brief meeting with the yard manager to discuss
having some work done on the boat over the summer, fix some dings in the gel
coat and paint the bottom ahead of splashing the boat in the fall. Another stop
at the rigging shop to have them look at our jib furler while the boat was laid
up.
In the afternoon we took a taxi into town for one last doctor
visit for Suzette’s ear. The prognosis was good, but she did want her to
continue the antibiotic drops. That precipitated a stop at the pharmacy. As we
were leaving the pharmacy the public bus, more van than bus, was stopped at the
curb. We inquired as to going to our marina and they said hop in. What a wild
ride, about 15 people crammed in this van, music blaring on the sound system
and Mario Abdretti at the wheel. We were back at the marina in no time. The
Taxi was 60 EC, the bus was 5 EC. We spent the savings at happy hour at One
Love.
For dinner Suzette made a medley of Bread Fruit, Potatoes and Yams. I had never had bread Fruit; turns out it is delicious and pairs well with potatoes. Another noisy night as the boat strained against her lines in the surge of the bay.
5/28/2026 Spice Island Marine, Grenada
Up and ready for a busy day, final preparation of the boat
for hauling out. Hot and sunny We headed out from the dock at about 0800 to
make it to the 3-mile line, blow out the turbo, top up the water tank and get
fuel. It was a wild ride, 27 knots of wind and 4-6’ seas. With no destination
we could at least choose the most comfortable course out and back. We completed
our mission and we were tied up to the dock by 1030. I worked the outdoor
projects while it was still bearable outside. Heading below mid-day I serviced
the engine.
5/29/2026 Spice Island Marine, Grenada
Haul out day, sunny and hot with a lite breeze. We were on
the boat early after a good night’s sleep at the hotel. We were scheduled for
0900 but they were ready early and we were out and on the hard by 0930. The
equipment for moving the boats about the yard is amazing. We met with Allen,
head of projects department, to see what work we needed done. We discovered
that the cutlass baring needed replacement, otherwise I had a short list of gel
coat repairs and bottom paint.
On the hard we had no AC on the boat; we worked as long as we could in the heat before tossing in the towel and heading back to our room at the hotel to wait out the hottest part of the day. The room was cool, Suzette napped while I took care of some business online. Then back to the boat to meet with the maintenance manager. Kenny will be the one to check the boat for loose lines, water intrusion, mold, battery level and general care of the boat on a monthly basis. By 1600 we were feeling like we were ready to leave the boat.
We met up with our new friends Gloria and Micheal for happy
hour. Lots of great conversation, we may buddy boat with them to Panama in the
fall. It was a long day, but we were feeling good about the condition of the
boat for its 5 months of rest in the heat and humidity of the Caribbean summer.
5/30/2026 Spice Island Marine, Grenada
An overcast morning after a descent night’s sleep. Suzette
and I both had a short list of things we decided we wanted to do on the boat
and early morning was the best time. By 0630 we were back on the boat and by
0800 we were done. At the hotel we packed our bags for a final weigh in,
slightly overweight but close enough. We checked out and wheeled our luggage
back to the boat yard and enjoyed breakfast at One Love, pancakes with nutmeg
syrup and sausage.
Our ride arrived early, but we were ready to begin the odyssey. Our driver is Short Boss, his T shirt says so, we had a chuckle because is about the same height as Suzette. Now she wants one of his Tee shirts so she can be Short Boss. She does need a tee shirt; we know who is in charge. It was a 10-minute ride to the airport, a beautiful facility that was well run. Check in and security were easy and we were in the waiting area in no time. The flight left on time heading to Miami. Our flight to Michigan was also on time arriving in Detroit about midnight. Best of all our luggage made it as well.
Suzette’s brother Bob picked us up at the airport and with
no traffic we were home in no time. Bob lent us his pickup and we moved into
our Airbnb in town. It was a very quaint old home in Mt Clemens, just a few
miles from Suzette’s family home.
For the first time I was ambivalent about leaving the boat, 9 months of sailing, the last 6 in the Caribbean, had warn us out. We did some great sailing here, but the heat, high winds and unpredictable rain made it less than pleasant. We are looking forward to being home for the summer and enjoying our perfect weather and beautiful sailing grounds.
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