I was able to get the bilge pump working with a new switch, I had to buy one but that means I still have a spare. Cori finished up repairing the sails and brought them back to the owners. This being Thursday we took the bus to the Brewery for cruisers music jam again. It is interesting, there is a bus that will come to the marina to pick you up and will provide a ride back later. The cost is $10 EC, when you pay the driver you get a voucher for a free beer. The beer costs $10 EC. I haven't figured out if I am getting a free ride or a free beer but we are enjoying it. Wednesday Cori worked on polishing the stainless steel and the electrician came by to get us hooked to 110 volts. It still doesn't work and he can't figure out why. He has made several more trips with assistants but has not gotten it to work so we finally gave up. If we need to charge batteries we are running the generator. Not everything is easy here in paradise.
Thursday Cori took a bus to True Blue Resort for a free cooking class. She ended up the only one there but says it was enjoyable. She learned how to make fish lasagna with white sauce. On the boat I Googled how to replace the pull rope on the generator and decided I could do that. What a mess. While dismantling it I had a group of wires come out of their holder and I did not catch the order they were in. The holder was slightly damaged and the wires would not clip-in securely. At this point the generator would not start. I had them in the wrong sequence. I downloaded the service manual (thank goodness we are in a marina with wi-fi), verified the order they should be in , tried again with no luck. One more try, making sure that the wires stayed in the connector when I plugged them in but still no luck. I made a trip up to the shop that was repairing the pump to talk to them and was able to get a replacement cable off of an old generator they had for parts. This color combination did not match what the service manual showed but what the heck. Oh, I didn't mention that when I tried to get access to the other end of the wire there was a small spring that popped off. Luckily I found it but while putting it back together it popped off several times. I was able to find it each time. Eventually it all went back together, I connected the cable, reassembled the generator and it started and ran. I did't mention that everytime I tried something I had to reassemble the whole thing to try and start it. I am now capable of tearing a Honda EU2000i generator apart and getting it back together again.
Friday the parts for the pump arrived. I made the assumption that I would get it back and be able to reassemble everything and leave the marina on Sunday so I went to the office and payed up. When I went to check on the pump I was informed that the service kit had evidently been put together wrong. There were two of one part where there was only one needed and no seal. We had the right number of parts but not the right ones. Another kit was ordered and we were promised it would be here on Wednesday. Everything was being Fed EXed from outside the country.
Saturday the highlight was free banana bread at the marine store. In the afternoon a group of us caught the bus to partake in what is called a Hash. I had never heard of a Hash but it is very popular here and when I Googled it found out it is a big thing all over the world and is done here every Saturday. A Hash is a form of a hike. A hashmaster sets up a course or several courses for people to follow. They will vary in how hard of a hike it is. This week there were two courses: a short walkers, a long walkers mixed with the runners course. The trail is marked by clumps of shredded paper and there may be some false trails to lead you astray. Parts of the trails are not on established trails so there is some boon-docking involved. We chose the short walkers trail and it was still intense. We had to cross several rivers (streams) there were a couple of areas of steep climbs and descents, some nice open paths and some spots of "where the heck is that trail?" The Hash starts and ends at a location with beer and food concessions set up along with pounding music on a sound system. The food was either grilled chicken and fixings or oil down. According to a Google search: Although many things in Grenada have been influenced by the Europeans over the years, oil down remains something purely Grenadian. No imported spices or seasonings, no choice cuts of meat here. This one-pot meal is made up of local veggies, “provisions” (the local term for starchy roots, tubers, and bananas that fill you up), salted meat, and aromatic seasoning — all easily accessible, affordable ingredients in Grenada. All these components are combined in a large pot and cooked down in coconut milk over an open fire. In fact, the name of the dish comes from the coconut oils released from the coconut milk as it simmers and is absorbed by the other ingredients. While sitting and resting we were approached by a couple that picked up on our accents and figured we were from the Midwest. Jonathan and Susan have bought a house on the island they have been fixing up and will be moving here full time next year. Johnathan was from Sioux Falls SD so he picked up on our "accent." After the Hash we rode the bus back to the marina with only one stop at a bar along the way. It was about 9:00 pm and showers felt good getting the mud, dirt and sweat off of us. I should mention that the beer and food cost $10 EC each which translates to about $3.75 US, pretty cheap beer and food.
Oil down.
Sunday we were told is the day to go to Hog Island Beach to hang out with the other cruisers. We were also told not to bother getting there until about 4:00 when the music starts. It is a nice beach with very fine sand, a "bar" which is just a run down shack and several people with grills that are selling grilled lobster, chicken and a few other items. There is a small group of cruisers that provide the music and a there are a number of picnic tables. It was well after dark when we got back to he boat. Cori was able to sell some of the sea glass she has been collecting to one of the cruisers that makes jewelry so we almost drank for free. Again the beer was $10 EC.
Monday we joined up with Mike and Hilda from More Mischief and Tom and Jake from Epiphany for a tour of the island. We got picked up at 8:30 and dropped off at 5:30. It was a long but interesting day. We rode around hearing of the history of the island, seeing a variety of the fruits that are grown, one of the waterfalls, toured a nutmeg factory, a chocolate factory and a rum distillery that is still producing rum using techniques and equipment from the 1700's, and saw monkeys. I did not get a photo of one of the monkeys sitting on Cori's shoulder, he moved off too fast. Here are some photos:
Sorting nutmeg.
Drying nutmeg. Granada produces 60% of the worlds nutmeg.
Cocoa sorted for processing.
Nutmeg. The red and brown shell is Mace and the nutmeg seed is inside of that.
Sugar cane fields used for the making of rum.
Water wheel that turns the cane crusher.
The cane crusher.
Rum distilling.
The final product.
Planes at the old airport from the US invasion in 1983.
Jake and his new friend, until the banana was gone.
Cocoa beans.
Cocoa bean.
Wednesday was a big day. Cori had made an appointment with a local dentist to have our teeth cleaned. It had been several years since we are spending all of our time traveling. The price is right, under $100 US for both of us and there is no difference between here and the States in technique and equipment. Once back to the marina we checked and the pump was done. I spent the rest of the afternoon reinstalling the pump and everything else I took apart to get at it and did a test run. The pump was pumping water and not leaking. Success! However the alternator was no longer charging. I tracked sown a connection that had broken. Once that was fixed everything is as it should be. We are ready to move on.
Today, Thursday, we were going to check out but decided to stay one more day. Cori is off with Speery fishing for conch and urchins again and I am charging batteries and updating the blog.
We plan on leaving the marina tomorrow, checking out with immigration and making our way to Trinidad over the weekend. Once in Trinidad we will be getting the boat hauled out for the summer.
Just a note on our preparations for this trip. Today I had my last diet coke and yesterday I opened my last bag of breakfast cereal. We are running low on things just as we had hoped for but still have too many provisions to finish off before we leave. We may have to give some away.
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