What can I say? I had just returned to our boat in Grenada from my annual two month visit to see family and friends in the Midwest and the Captain and I were desperate for a get away.
You must be thinking. OH. COME. ON.
Yes, it is true that we spend a lot of time in a tropical paradise. Yes, we live a life in which a portion of most days is spent doing absolutely nothing short of relaxing with a good book or walking the beach. But you must understand, dear reader, that lengthy stays in some anchorages around large populations can bring out the beast in even the most mild mannered chap.
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| Dan refers to this grey rock near Ile de Ronde as "MICHIGAN". |
So, off we sailed a short distance north of Grenada’s mainland to Ile de Ronde (snagging two barracudas along the way which we readily released). A few miles out from Man ‘O War Bay, we counted five masts and were a little disappointed. Word must have gotten out that this little island was worth a stop for some peace and quiet. Ile de Ronde is inhabited by about twenty fishermen. Man ‘O War Bay is the kind of place where one can fish off your boat and lure small grouper types into your fry pan. By the time we arrived one vessel had departed, so we became the fifth. We spent four days there and watched boats come and go daily, but five was always the limit.
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| Beach near fishermen's settlement |
One morning we decided to dinghy around the northern point to check out a seemingly deserted beach we had noticed on a previous trip. The dark variations of water color just off the beach indicated that the bay was filled with coral. We passed carefully over the top and found a safe passage to the sandy shore. And that was where we met Patrick.
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| Patrick said that the French placed cannons along the ridge of Man 'O War Bay to scare off pirates. |
Patrick had walked across the island from the fishermen’s settlement to climb to the highest point to see if the fish were “running” yet. He explained that four days after the full moon is when the big fish come in from the deep waters of the Atlantic. When one of their men spot the smaller fish running into the cut they sound a horn for everyone to man their fishing boats because larger fish are chasing the smaller ones in. He shared a couple of jelly coconuts with us and said he was out of groceries. We took him back to our boat by dinghy and prepared a bag of basic foods from our excess stores. To show his appreciation, Patrick invited us to the settlement which was located around the southern point of our anchorage and relayed the history of the island beginning with possession by the French along the way. We hiked to his house to unpack the groceries, then continued up toward the ridge where he gifted us with a homegrown watermelon and mangos from one of their gardens.
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| Patrick's place |
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| His garden mainly has pigeon peas, corn, and herbs (seasoning type). |
Our trip to Ile de Ronde was lovely and our chance meeting with Patrick made it a very memorable sojourn.
PS to CRUISERS: We also learned that one of the younger fishermen in his twenties on Ile de Ronde is an avid reader, so we passed on a collections of novels for him to explore and encourage you to do the same.
