King of the SVG’s

Every boat needs a person that knows the engine, electrics and mechanics back-to-front and inside out.   Often this is the owner and, of course, this is the preferred and best scenario but it is rare to find someone who is a jack of all trades and can fix almost anything that breaks or needs attention.   We don’t have those skills, but we know someone that does……!    While we were in Cornwall getting work done in 2020/21 we were lucky enough to meet Richard who we initially employed to do some electrical work but soon discovered he had so many other valuable skills.    Since then he has worked with us to resolve countless problems or answer questions which have arisen in the last 12 months of cruising.   Richard is most definitely the third member of our crew, so when we were given an eyewatering quote to replace the worn out aquadrive thrust bearing, we checked on the cost of flights from the UK and asked Richard if he fancied an all expenses paid holiday to the Caribbean!    He accepted and we were delighted.

I collected Richard from the airport on a warm muggy evening and we celebrated his arrival with drinks on the deck as Richard slowly acclimatised himself to the heat and surroundings, losing no time to point out a few jobs that needed fixing!   Next morning work started on removing the worn out part and replacing it with a brand new, 30yr old one that Richard had collected for us from an auction we had won on eBay!    Steve and Richard worked tirelessly for three days – pulling, cutting, levering and pushing until, suddenly and amazingly, the shaft moved into place and the new bracket was installed.  A quick test showed the whole procedure had been a huge success and the engine was now purring again with the propeller shaft sounding quieter than we have ever heard it.  

Leatherback turtles nest on the northern beaches of Grenada.  The only time they come to shore is when the 15yr old female comes to shore, scrambles up the beach, digs a big hole, lays a batch of eggs and then buries them carefully in the sand before heading back to sea.   I was given the opportunity to join a small team of other sailors and marine biologists, to watch these magnificent creatures lay their eggs.   Once the large female had found her way up the beach, we were quietly ushered a short distance from this large creature as she used her back flippers to dig a deep hole.  Sand flew all around us as she put an enormous amount of effort into digging deeper and deeper.   When she was satisfied the hole was sufficiently deep enough, she started laying eggs.   She began by laying small unfertilised eggs which lined the bottom of the hole and provided a soft cushion for the fertilised eggs to fall on.    She then laid 115 fertilised eggs, mixed with unfertilised ones which will protect the turtles as they grow in the sand.   As she laid the eggs, the turtle goes into a trance and the scientists took this opportunity to measure the female and we were given the chance to touch her leathery shell.   It was an amazing experience to be so close to this magnificent creature as she put so much effort into laying her eggs, her eyes were full of tears as she groaned and gently moved her head side to side.   The egg laying process took about 20 minutes and then the great effort started in covering the eggs to protect them from predators and compacting the sand which she took a huge effort to ensure her tracks were covered and there were no visible signs of a nest.   The baby turtles will hatch in 6-8 weeks and I hope to be able to watch them as they emerge from the sand and make their dangerous run to the sea.   We watched her while she slowly edged towards the sea and allowed the waters to flood over her and a wave carry her back out to sea.

With the engine fixed, we set out on a sea trial by motor sailing 40 miles to Carriacou and checked out of Grenada after catching up with Zen Again for a quick meal ashore as our paths crossed again with us heading north and Mike & Nicki heading south to Grenada. 

We had sailed past and through St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) a couple of times, and now it was time to explore these much anticipated islands with Richard.   We had a lovely sail to Bequia, a small island only 5 miles long and one of only three places in the SVG’s you are able to check-in/out of the country.   Bequia was the only place we could check in and provide our own RAT’s kit, saving us US$50 each so we felt it was worth the journey to save that much!   We had completed all the on-line check-in requirements and had heard that a friend had managed to check-in without using an agent recently, so decided to attempt that too.   We made our way to the hospital with our test kits and a lovely nurse pushed the long testing stick up each of our noses.   We then waited outside, nervously anticipating the results.   While we waited a man came to see us and told us we would need to go to the agents office to complete our check-in procedure.   We tried to establish why we would need to do this, when we had done the testing and would still need to go to immigration and customs to complete the process.   The nurse re-appeared and gave us some good news, followed by bad…..we were all negative but the results with the required piece of paper, had been sent to the agents office.   We asked if we could have the record showing we had tested negative without going through the costly agent and were told this was not possible.   She was genuinely surprised when we told her that the agent wanted to charge us EC120 to issue the paper we needed to complete check-in.   Seeing no other way around it, we made our way to the agents, paid the fee and returned to immigration and customs to get the necessary stamps in our passports and cruising permits.  

Our friends on Puff had arrived in the same anchorage a few hours after us.   Keen to see some of the island, I joined Kris and Ingrid for a walk from Port Elizabeth, where we were anchored, across the island to Friendship Bay in the south.  It was a lovely walk/scramble at times losing the track and retracing our steps as we pushed back branches and thorny plants!    Our walk started and finished on the lovely white sands of Princess Margaret Bay, named to honour the Princess who visited Bequia in the 1950’s during one of her regular stays at her island home on neighbouring Mustique.   Bequia (pronounced Bec-way) is a beautiful island with a lovely Caribbean charm to it, gorgeous beaches, lovely homes and clear, blue seas.    We hope to return there before leaving Grenada and explore a little more.

After a few days, it was time to move on as we wanted to make sure we had sufficient time to explore other islands.   The wind was perfect for a good sail to Tobago Cays, a group of uninhabited islands in a National Park.   We wove our way through the reefs that border the main island and were guided into the bay by a local “boat man” where we carefully dropped our anchor into sand, avoiding the sea grass that provides food for the many turtles that breed in the waters.    We lost no time jumping into the dinghy and heading to a spot slightly out of the fast current that flows through the anchorage.   We soon saw a turtle lazily grazing of the seabed, occasionally coming to the surface before taking a breath and swimming back down to continue eating.   It is so wonderful to watch these creatures swimming underwater – something I can never tire of.

Over the next few days we snorkelled every day, exploring the many reefs that surround the Cays.   The coral was beautiful – there was some bleaching but certainly the best coral we have seen yet in the Caribbean.   The fish life was spectacular and we saw eels, squid, eagle rays and so many colourful fish it felt like we were in an aquarium.   In addition the number of turtles we saw was wonderful, often with three or four swimming close to us at one time.   On one day we were heading back to the dinghy having returned from a short walk when we noticed a couple of Lemon shark in the shallow waters just off the beach.   It was fascinating to explore these rich waters which are full of life and beautiful blue, clear waters.

We were due to be hauled out in less than a week, so it was time to return to Grenada after enjoying a couple of weeks creating happy memories with King Richard in the tropical surrounds of the SVG’s.   We felt we didn’t do the islands justice and hope to be able to return to them in a few months, if the weather allows us.

We had a very short sail to Union Island so we could check out of The Grenadines, sailing in the company of our friends, Kim and Ann on Ilanda.   Checking out was quick and easy, completing the process within 30 minutes so we could return to the boat and continue our sail south to Carriacou where we checked back into Grenada.    That night we had a lovely evening with Kim and Ann and Mark, the owner of a lovely Rustler yacht anchored next to us, and we watched the most wonderful sunset with the evening colours slowly intensifying until the grand finale was on display before us.

The next morning we set sail with Ilanda and headed south.  Once again we had a great sail between Carriacou and the top of Grenada but once we started heading more west the seas became sloppy and the sails starting flogging and our pace slowed considerably.   Ilanda turned into Woburn and we continued to Prickly Bay where we would prepare for our haul out.   Over the next few days we made use of Richards expertise and fixed a number of niggling issues on the boat as well as prepared for the major work we were doing once we were hauled out.    Each day we once again marvelled at Richards knowledge and our good fortune at meeting him and now having him as a friend. 

We were due to be hauled out on the Tuesday morning and moved to Woburn the night before we were lifted, anchoring close to the boat yard.   At 8am I called the yard to get instructions and they told us we were supposed to be there now as we were booked for haul out at 8am!    We quickly raised the anchor and motored to the slipway, just as a large squall and heavy rainfall arrived.   After a brief delay waiting for the rain and wind to pass, we were very professionally guided into the slipway and gently lifted, washed, placed into a cradle and secured for the next three months.   We were due to fly out for NZ in five days and in that time needed to dismantle the saloon and remove the old leaking water tank.  Again, under Richards guidance, we set about moving the furniture and exposing the stainless steel water tank.  We could now see more of the tank than we had ever seen before which looked in good condition.   We started to question whether we had imagined the leak, until we filled the tank and water soon came pouring into the bilge.   When the tank was removed we could see it had blown out, causing some weak points to leak and there were several areas at the back of the tank where the water was escaping.   Our decision to replace the tank was a good one, but expensive!  

The boat was now prepared for our one month away and ready for us to continue working on her when we return.   The weather was hot but noticeably wetter and we had moved off the boat into an apartment which had a pool and pontoon with beautiful garden.   We had a large mango tree beside our deck which dropped fruit on our neighbours roof each night.   Tiny tree frogs started calling as the sun went down until the noise was quite deafening. 

And now it’s time to leave for NZ.   We will leave Richard to enjoy the apartment on his own for a few days while we head to Florida and then LA.    He is finding things to repair in the apartment, now he’s completed so many of the jobs we had lined up for him on our boat.   He is also being invited on board a new friend’s boat to give advice on some of their issues – his fun never stops!  

On our last night we met up with a group of old and new friends before we all go our separate ways, not knowing when/if we will sail in the same waters again – Walkabout, Zen Again, Ilanda, Ari and Favorita.   As my mum used to quote – “Parting is such sweet sorrow” and, sadly, with the lifestyle we have, we get used to goodbyes but it certainly doesn’t make them any easier.   The boat is a mess, with everything piled up in the main saloon, ready for when we return and can complete the rest of the jobs that remain un-Richard-ed but with clear instructions on how we can complete them!     We will miss having King Richard around, both for his slightly whacky sense of humour, but also for his incredible expertise….. in everything!    Our hearts are now being pulled home into the arms of our families who we are so excited to see again after 27 months apart