Nice Cruising October 2009

November 16, 2009 Grenada

So, what happened to October's posts? Well, there weren't any. And for no good reason except I have been a bit lazy and the internet sucks here.

Christine went home, and I am alone but with many friends on other boats here. The Grenadines were hard to leave as they were so beautiful. Since the last post, yes, there were the typical beach days, sunsets, and evenings , where you just forget about the day of the week, the economy, "paloticks", back "home" or the "real world". And, well, it can't get any better than this, right? Well, how about, well...I know, have a professional masseuse from St. Bart's come over to Gypsy Cat and give us massages on deck at a deserted island? Nothing is impossible on Gypsy Cat. Thank you Veronique (from Shambala).

The lobsters, octopus , and squid kept us going and Christine was FINALLY happy. We explored most of the islands along the way with Shambala, learning survival skills and, just having a great time sailing south . Along the way we bumped into Irie, our friends from Dominican Republic and St. Martin. They hailed us on the radio, as they saw us sailing by, so we stopped in for the night and had a nice snorkel and bonfire. Then, when we reached Grenada, we met up with a lot more friends from islands north. So, the parties began. Christine was set to fly home so we did a quick Grenada tour, going around the island , snorkeling , and diving at an underwater sculpture garden Here is a nice octopus. Do you see him hiding between the rocks? .

Well, my good friend Sean flew in from California for a visit (he visited last year too), and a few days later Christine flew home (she will be back in January, I think). So, as soon as she left I took Sean and Andy (ha ha ha) on a sail back north to the Grenadines. Andy has a website now, by the way, it is http://serialfishkiller.com Sean had only a few days so we did a 24 hour sail straight there fighting a headwind and were tacking close-hauled most of the way. Did we catch any fish? Ohhhh, yes - Barracuda , Mahi Mahi, and Tuna which was eaten as sashimi, of course, as well as cooked over a campfire with roasted coconuts, on a deserted island . Rather proper, eh? Here is Sean playing with a fresh caught Octopus: . On the way back to Grenada we were treated to a huge pod of dolphins that played and swam just off the bows, frolicking, jumping, and playing . They stayed with us for a long time, maybe a half hour or so. It was the first time since California that I have seen a pod of dolphins.

Since then, I have been doing way too many happy hours with friends, growing lazier, and just hanging out and having fun waiting for the hurricane season to end so I can sail back north. I have been doing night time snorkels along the reef here and can now catch lobsters with no tools - just quick hands (but most get away). I hand-caught a nice big crab one day, but he reached around and pinched my glove so I let him go (and then he let me go - so were even). And the things you see underwater at night - wow. Well, about a week ago, I started getting productive again and on track doing all of the necessary things like going up the mast for an adjustment and checking things out, as well as engine maintenance, rigging, bottom cleaning, etc. Yesterday 15 of us from Irie, Shambala, Cirque du Solei, Renata, Shackles, Island, and other friends had a picnic bbq on the beach saying our goodbyes as we are all leaving soon, some going in different directions. Today, I took a break from hard work and caught a little baby octopus. It was so cute. After showing it around, I put him back.