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Waterfall along Hash course |
Dana and I have now been in Grenada for over three weeks and
we’re really getting to know the place. We’ve anchored in several different
bays and berthed in three marinas. We get around! Later today we’ll move to
another bay to get a different taste of the island and the boaters who call
that bay their temporary home.
So what have we been up to over these past several weeks?
Rarely a day goes by when we’re just sitting on the boat. We’re always occupied
with various boat chores (like scrubbing Eventyr’s water line or scraping
barnacles off her propeller). We hang out at some of the cruisers’ haunts,
typically marina bars or rum shops. We go for swims off the boat when it gets
too hot. Most importantly, we listen to the cruiser’s net on the VHF radio
every morning to hear what’s going on for cruisers around the island. The net
is run by rotating cruisers’ boats and every morning the announcer welcomes new
boats to Grenada, says goodbye to those who are leaving, and allows other
boaters and businesses to announce any upcoming social activities. It’s like
being at camp, or on a cruise ship.
Through the cruiser’s net, and by talking to other cruisers,
we’ve found lots of cool activities. My personal favorite is the weekly Hash
House Harriers run/hike. Every Saturday, between 100 and 200 people (locals,
cruisers, college students, etc.) meet up in a designated location and follow
trails of shredded paper out through lush and mountainous countryside. The runs
are four to five miles, while the hike is about two-and-a-half miles. I run and
Dana hikes. The routes are ridiculously difficult, with impossibly steep
ascents and descents, river crossings, and extremely technical terrain. You go
from jungle to small towns to secluded beaches. It’s great! But even more fun
is all the rituals and traditions that go along with this crazy activity. There
are Hash House Harrier groups around the world and they originated in England
in the 1930s. Some of the crazy traditions include having to drink warm beer
out of your shoe and getting sprayed with warm beer for any number of reasons.
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Getting ready to head out on the Hash course |
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Hash course heading along beach |
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Local kids enjoying the passing Hashers |
Dana and I participated in the Hash twice and both times
were awesome. In our first Hash, we met a couple who sailed to Grenada from Austria,
and Florian, the husband, is a competitive runner who blew past me on both
runs. Yesterday, we brought our friends Bob and Jeanne from Walkabout for their
first Hash. They’re from Vermont and we first met them back in the Bahamas. Dana
and I have run into them at various anchorages all the way down the Caribbean,
and now we’re anchored a few hundred feet from them in Prickly Bay. During the
Hash, they hiked with Dana and ended up getting the pleasure of being doused
with warm beer afterward. Despite the soaking, they loved the experience. After
the hike and during the various rituals, we even got to sample Grenada’s
national dish, Oil Down. This thick stew is made with callaloo leaves,
breadfruit, plantains, and various meats or fishes. Delicious!
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Dana and I unsuspectingly posing for a picture |
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Getting sprayed down by warm Carib |
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Jeanne leading the hike up another hill |
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Passing a banana plantation |
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Bob and Jeanne's turn |
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Bob enjoying the soaking |
Hashing only happens once a week, so last Friday we
travelled by local bus to a fish fry in one of the towns along the coast. The
ride itself was an event. The local buses are small “minibuses” slightly larger
than a family’s minivan in the states. However, they manage to fit 20 people
into these minibuses! And once we’re all in, the driver speeds down the windy,
narrow roads like a Nascar driver. Tires screeched around every turn, we passed
cars on blind corners, and the driver accelerated to 60 miles per hour the
second he passed any of the countless speed bumps before having to slam on the
breaks for the next speed bump. With loud, fast tempo soca music blaring, it
was an exciting adventure. The locals aboard seem totally accustomed to the
trip.
The fish fry, by comparison to the ride there, was pretty
tame. We ate fish prepared in ways I couldn’t even imagine! In addition to the
standard grilled, baked or fried fish, they had fish cakes, fish stews and even
tiny fish fried whole that you ate with ketchup like French fries. We took in a
little drum circle music before hopping back on a minibus for a crazy ride
home.
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Drum circle at Fish Fry |
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Sure, I'll try that crazy french fry-style fried fish |
Another activity we won’t soon forget involved taking an
hour-long van ride (not nearly as crazy as the public minibus) at night to a
beach on the north side of the island. Upon arrival, an escort took our group
to a spot where a leatherback turtle was in the process of lumbering out of the
waves and up the beach. This critically endangered, ancient species lives in
the open ocean, but comes to shore once a year to lay eggs. It just so happens
that we’re now in the middle of egg-laying season. I was surprised by the size
of the animal. The one we saw was estimated to be about 800 pounds but they
grow to well over 1000 pounds. We watched as the turtle dug a hole and lay
hundreds of eggs. Researches crowded around the leatherback taking various measurements
and tagging her for future study. Her nest was deemed too close to the high
tide line, so the researchers dug a new hole further up the beach and moved the
eggs to increase the probability of the hatchlings surviving.
While the giant leatherback was laying her eggs, she went
into a trance and seemed totally unaware of the world around her. At that
point, the researchers indicated that it was alright for us visitors, one at a
time, to touch the turtle. Flash photography was not permitted, so the pictures
did not turn out great. It was an incredible experience. It’s not often you get
to be part of such a rare and fantastic natural event. I’ve seen footage of
these turtles on the discovery channel, but never thought we would experience
it in person!
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Dana touching the giant leatherback turtle |
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Eggs ready to be buried |
We have another several days in Grenada before we catch a
window of nice weather to sail down to Tobago. Tobago is well east and south of
Grenada and over 80 miles away. That means another overnight sail pounding into
wind and waves. I think it will be worth it. Not only is Tobago supposed to be
an unspoiled gem of an island, but our friends Jon, Otis, and Beth will be
flying in to meet us. We’re excited to share the adventure with my long-time
friends from growing up!