BUMP! in the Night

Dan spies something for his dinner plate...

Dave of s/v Vivace I  quickly got the hang of cleaning conch.

Captain Dan and I were sitting below playing a friendly competitive game of 500 Rummy as we do after supper on many evenings.  I had just taken the lead after an extremely bad start that tallied my score into negative numbers.  Our morning had been spent lobstering with our Canadian friends, Lesley and Dave, of s/v Vivace I which yielded a beautiful catch…of conch.  We met them on the beach mid afternoon with their dog Sadie- the cutest little critter you've ever seen. Dan taught Dave how to clean conch while we girls relaxed in the warm surf.  Later we sipped sundowners and enjoyed a huge pot of conch chowder on board Exit Strategy.

The bump is part of White Island near Carriacou.

 
Then B U M P !  We instantly dropped our hands on the table and scrambled up on to the deck. Oddly enough, we found s/v Vivace I ever so slowly passing along our starboard side!  The BUMP! jolted  Lesley and Dave from their sleep and they jumped out from below onto their deck. 

Exit Strategy and Vivace I had been anchored at Saline Island just off the cut between it and the reef.  During the past two days and nights, we had observed Vivace I dosadoing about her anchor and come within 20 feet of Exit Strategy more than once, but we felt like we were a safe distance apart. Obviously, we were WRONG.

The current in the cut controlled Vivace I's every movement.

The four of us stood stunned until the current slowly spun Vivace I around again pushing her straight toward us.  We hurriedly hung fenders along our starboard side as she threatened to kiss our hull a few more times.  We diverted her bowsprit by hand while Lesley and Dave used their boat hook to push Vivace I away from Exit Strategy. Then Dave- who is a happy-go-lucky sort of guy- faced us in the dark and politely asked, “What do you think I should do?”

It was decided that the best plan of action would be for them to re-anchor Vivace I although no one relishes the thought of doing that at night.  In the moonlight I could see the W shape on the bottom of the bay where the sand and weeds met.  I knew our anchor lay there and I pointed it out to Dave.  We shortened our anchor rode to give them more space to pass freely.  They pulled up anchor and motored well forward of us and re-anchored in a spot somewhat more protected from the strong current that flows through the cut.

In the morning, Dave & Lesley dinghied over to see if they had done any damage and thankfully none was found.

Lesley, Dave, and their pooch Sadie have been our sailing
buddies since we met in Antigua last April.

   
PS: Captain Dan won the card game after all. 
l

The Waterfalls of Grenada

Two of the nine Seven Sisters Falls

       Grenada is an island of lush vegetation and many natural rivers, lakes, and streams. Its interior is sprinkled with many of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Caribbean. The adventurous can independently access some of the falls by taking a local bus route to the beginning of a trail that may be worn, yet unmarked.  Recently we took a trip to see a few of Grenada’s falls with a dozen other cruisers with Patrick, aka “SHADEMAN” as our knowledgeable driver and commentator.
 

      Our first stop was at the Seven Sisters Falls which is located mid-island along a main road that winds up and down extreme curves through part of the rain forest.  Our guide there called himself “Super Butterfly” and we were soon to discover why after he lead us safely through the forest, pointing out flora and fauna along the way. We passed stands of bamboo along the muddy path and Super Butterfly pointed out that it grows six inches/day.  Captain Dan said, “You must have some really good ganja to watch it.”

Walking sticks were handy

 

Our guide, Super Butterfly

 After a half hour or so we caught our first glimpse of two of the nine falls that comprise the Seven Sisters.  Fly told us that the falls are owned by seven sisters and there are actually nine falls.  The sisters currently live in the USA. “No Jumping” signs were posted at the entrance of the trail AND the man who collected our fees also verbalized “No Jumping!”  However- Super Butterfly encouraged us to jump and/or dive shallow in exactly the right DEEP spot.  He was the only one to climb the wall and dive- BACKWARDS, no less- landing feet first.  I was tempted to jump from a boulder into a lower fall’s pool, but chickened out.  Dan and a couple of other men jumped/dove and surfaced unscathed.
    

Our next stop was brief because many in our group had visited Annandale Waterfall previously. It is another lovely fall hidden from the road and frequented by many because it is doesn’t require a lengthy trek through rugged terrain. Annandale Falls is touristy in that it offers photo opportunities for a fee, such as that of an island lady balancing a huge fruit basket on her head and young men who risk life and limb to dive into the pool at the bottom of the fall.



Red blur near center is diver

Another blurry diver

                                      
      SHADEMAN suggested we take a shortcut down through the town of New Hampshire on our way to our last stop at Concord Falls.  The road appeared to be little more than a paved goat path, that twisted and turned often, snaking its way down through the valley.  We arrived in time to enjoy a bountiful lunch of curried chicken complete with dessert.  Then a short stairway down deposited us at the falls.

Our tour group buddies

Concord Falls