Limin' in Tobago with New Haven friends

Limin' on Eventyr with the New Haven crew in Tobago

Limin’ (pronounced like priming but without the g) is a term used by locals in Trinidad and Tobago to describe the act of relaxing and hanging out with friends. Dana, Beth, Jon, Otis, and I did a lot of limin’ over the past week. Beth, Otis, and Jon are my longest held friends, having limed together since nursery school. Although they now live in Brooklyn, Long Beach, CA, and New Haven, they made the long trip to Tobago to lime with Dana and I down here. In addition to limin,’ we hiked through rainforest, swam by a waterfall, snorkeled, surfed, sailed, swam at beautiful beaches, stood in a sandy patch of waist-deep water  within a reef about a mile from shore, toured the entire island via minivan driven by Dana, fished, mountain biked, and swam from Eventyr. We fit a lot into the past week.

But before I get to our tales of adventure in Tobago, I have to tell you about the miserable trip Dana and I endured getting here from Grenada. Few cruising sailors come to Tobago because it's pretty far east, meaning you have to beat into the wind and waves to get here from basically any starting point. Dana and I were aware of our potentially horrible sail and tried to pick a decent weather window. No luck. Winds were predicted to be 20-25 knots every day and night for the 10 days prior to our friends’ arrival.

We left Le Phare Bleu marina in Grenada on a Saturday afternoon at 4 pm. The close to 80 mile trip was too far to make it in one daylight stretch, so we decided to go overnight and get to Tobago in the morning. The seas were so rough even within the first mile of our departure that I could hardly raise the mainsail without being thrown overboard. With the assistance of the motor we blasted out into the dusk, smashing into wave after wave. As night fell we were averaging less than 4 knots (mph), which is basically equivalent to a leisurely walk. Our speed never improved and the supposed 15 hour trip ended up taking 20 hours. Overnight, Dana became seasick for the first time, repeatedly tossing her ginger cookies over the rail into the ocean and was unable to take her full shifts at the helm. I was so exhausted from the hours of white knuckle gripping to stay in one place despite the violent rolling and pitching that I could hardly keep my eyes open by sunrise.

Dana already miserable at the helm in heavy seas at sunset with no land in sight

To add insult to injury, once the sun rose, rain squalls moved in. Downpours soaked us while intense winds pushed us over and slowed our progress even more. Seeing land was a welcomed sight but did not seem to come soon enough. Once the rains mostly passed, we got what I considered a good omen. A pigeon, blown several miles out to sea by the strong winds, landed on our foredeck. We gave the little guy a ride all the way to within a couple hundred yards from shore. We watched him battle the wind the last little bit and disappear into the palm trees.

A stowaway

Our reward for the beating we voluntarily endured was arriving at the gem of an island, Tobago. Our first anchorage was off the white sand, palm tree lined Pigeon Point beach. No complaints here! We needed a whole day to recover from our traumatic overnight voyage. Although Eventyr held up famously, her crew were spent.

Pigeon Point

Pigeon Point dock

Otis arrived first out of the group and spent Monday night aboard Eventyr. We immediately commenced swimming, fishing, and having a cocktail or two. Otis slid into boat life easily. He works for California Fish and Wildlife and dives and fishes as part of his job. We were happy to have him aboard and we were all excited for Beth and Jon to arrive on their flight from NYC the next day.

A nice float off Eventyr right off the airplane

Otis enjoying a boat ride to his villa

After a night with Otis aboard, we sailed over to Grafton Bay, a bit up the coast, where the three reserved a villa at Black Rock Dreams. We dropped anchor right off the beach from the villa and dinghied to shore. Jon and Beth were a little late. Everything happens late here in the Caribbean, which we chock up to "island time." When Jon and Beth arrived, we celebrated a bit before Dana and I retired to Eventyr for a rolly night of sleep. We were the only sailboat anchored in the bay, likely because it is known to be quite exposed to the swells resulting in rocking back and forth wildly all day and night. Oh well, it was worth it to be so close to the newly arrived trio!

Eventyr off the beach. Picture taken from the balcony at Black Rock Dreams

Sunset from the Balcony at Black Rock Dreams

New Haven crew limin' at the villa

Walking the beach at Grafton Bay by the Villa. Go Queen B!

After a day at the beach to relax and get into the holiday vibe, we scheduled an island tour. Eamon, our tour guide, quickly became our good friend, and we ended up hanging out with him the next several days and nights. The tour included a long hike through the rainforest where we saw mot mot birds (the national bird), hummingbirds, butterflies, a black racer snake and numerous species of flowering plants and trees. It was beautiful and Eamon was genuinely excited by the natural world. His excitement peaked when he spotted a tree boa. He promptly climbed up the tree and grabbed the snake to get a better look. Jon assisted in the capture and the snake seemed quite perturbed, showing his fangs toward both Jon and Eamon. We were enthralled to see a wild boa so close. Beth kept her distance. We ended the day with a nice sunset swim in a pool under a small waterfall.

Hiking though the palms and bamboo forest

The whole crew in front of a waterfall

Eamon in rapture holding a tree boa, giddy as can be

"Cannon ball!"

The next couple days were spent surfing, snorkeling, and hanging out at the beach and pool. Dana and I moved Eventyr to different bays on almost a daily basis in search of a calmer anchorage. No luck. However, Beth got to come for a boat ride, which despite the rough conditions, she seemed to enjoy. Our evenings were spent limin' at various locales with the different friendly Tobagans we met.

Paddling out toward the break 

Otis trying out Dad's board

Limin' like a boss with Eamon and George

When Sunday arrived, we were prepared for the party of a lifetime. Every Sunday, locals and tourists alike converge on Buccoo Bay for "Sunday School." Sunday School is an all night party with local food, soca music, steel drum orchestras, and copious amounts of rum. We ate flying fish, drank our fill of Carib and Stag beers, and danced to soca and reggae music. The next day we were slow to get started, but we bid a fond farewell to Beth, who had to leave that afternoon.

New Haven crew enjoying Sunday School

Jon and Otis moved aboard Eventyr for their final two nights in Tobago. We did some fishing, both day and night in addition to our normal routine of snorkeling and swimming off the boat. We caught a couple fish including a kingfish. I even speared a parrot fish during a snorkel trip, which we promptly ate. Our fishing did not quite provide enough sustenance for the group so we stopped at a fish market and got some of the freshest and most reasonably priced mahi mahi Jon and Otis ever had. We had a delicious grilled dinner aboard Eventyr that night.

Sea Robin?

Kingfish Otis caught yesterday. Dana and my dinner tonight!

The last full day with Jon and Otis we sailed to our current anchorage and had a fun and frisky two-hour, downwind sail through relatively large seas. Otis reeled in a nice kingfish along the way. After anchoring, Dana headed to the beach and the boys met up with Eamon for an intense 4-hour mountain bike trip. It's not a bike trip we'll soon forget. Eamon was a professional mountain biker at one point and is incredibly skilled. Two of his hard core friends joined us and Jon, Otis, and I felt pretty mediocre. None of us have done any serious mountain biking in years, although we used to ride together quite a bit back in the day. The ride with Eamon went through residential neighborhoods, backyards, golf courses, jungles, roads, and beaches. At one point we were flying through dense ferns, palm trees and then mangroves on a single track trail. It felt like mountain biking through Jurassic park! We were all exhausted by the end.

Exhausted post mountain bike trip

Dana and I said goodbye to Jon and Otis this morning. We hope they had fun. I know we did! 

So what's next? Who knows? We'll eventually head to Trinidad and then back to Grenada before visiting Dana's dad in Costa Rica and then returning to Philly, but we don't have much of a schedule. I think we'll definitely spend some more time enjoying the beauty of Tobago before rushing off.

Chilling out in Grenada

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.

Getting ready to head out on the Hash course

Hash course heading along beach 

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!

Dana and I unsuspectingly posing for a picture

Getting sprayed down by warm Carib

Jeanne leading the hike up another hill

Passing a banana plantation

Bob and Jeanne's turn

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.

Drum circle at Fish Fry 

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!

Dana touching the giant leatherback turtle

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!

Mom visits Eventyr in Grenada

Sunset at Grand Anse Beach, Grenada

Last week we said goodbye to Hanna. After two months on Eventyr, she travelled back to the states to resume normal life. We had a great last day together in Prickly Bay, Granada and she flew back to Miami on the same flight with Glen and Pam, another couple who sail an Island Packet (Blue Pearl) whom we met back up in St. Lucia. Hanna complained upon her return to Texas that she unconsciously attempted to chuck an apple core out the window, but aside from that, was adjusting normally to life on land. We miss her greatly, although we keep finding fun notes she stashed thanking us and wishing us well.

Saying goodbye to Hanna, Glen, and Pam

Dana and I took a couple days to clean Eventyr and move to the beautiful boutique marina Le Phare Bleu. I even found a surf break in Prickly Bay to bust out my sorely underused surfboard. After I got in a fair surf session and Eventyr was looking squeaky clean, Mom arrived. She’s been looking for the right opportunity to join us, and Grenada seemed like the perfect spot. Dana and I had a whole itinerary planned for the week she was aboard, and everything went smoothly (for a change). Our first day was spent snorkeling, hiking, and relaxing at the tranquil marina. Dana and I wanted Mom to ease into her week on the adventure.

Paddling out from dinghy to surf break in Prickly Bay 

Hot hike! Notice my new (via Mom) UConn tee

Snorkeling from Eventyr

Relaxing at Le Phare Bleu pool

Our second day was spent with Cutty, the taxi/tour driver, touring the whole island of Grenada. At 11 by 21 miles, it is small, but with a wide diversity of landscapes. Grenada is called the spice island, because so many fragrant fruits and spices grow here. Cutty stopped the van on the side of the road numerous times to pick us mangoes, cocoa, coffee, cashews, lemon grass, nutmeg, cinnamon, bananas, and a wide variety of fruits I never heard of. We were in awe of the flowering trees and bushes everywhere! We went into the rainforest and did a short hike to a crater lake. We posed with Mona Monkeys, who came out of the jungle when Cutty offered up fresh bananas. We toured a nutmeg processing plant and a small organic chocolate factory. Lunch was served at a rum distillery where they still make rum with the same equipment from the late 1800s. A large archaic water wheel turned a conveyor belt and crushed the juice out of fresh sugar cane. The dried sugar cane fired several bubbling pots that condensed the juice before it was fermented and distilled. The product was a 150 plus proof white rum that nearly knocked our socks off! We spent the rest of the day winding through hilly roads back to our marina.

Flowers abound!

Mona Monkeys

Acres of nutmeg

Boiling cauldrons of cane juice destined for rum

Beautiful setting of Rivers Antoine Rum Distillery

After a couple pleasant days at the marina, it was time for mom to get a taste of the “real” adventure. We left the safe and secluded marina and took off into the open ocean for our next anchorage. Ok, so we took it easy on mom that first sail and just motored 4 miles around a point to the next bay. We spent two nights anchored in a calm bay behind Hog Island, where many sailors call home. Mom, Dana, and I cruised around the bays on our dinghy and spent a bit of time on a palm tree-lined beach before attending the weekly barbeque at the generator-powered Rogers Bar. This beach bar, on Hog Island, is accessible by dinghy and cruisers and locals alike hang out, listen to reggae, and enjoy local seafood grilled to perfection. Like I said, many sailors call this bay home because they anchor here year-round. One of the live aboards invited mom to their daily water noodle aerobics session the next morning. Upon listening to the cruiser’s net (a daily broadcast from and by sailors in the vicitnity), Mom was called out by name. After announcing that day’s water noodle aerobics time and place, the friendly woman reminded, “Pat from Connecticut, we have your noodle ready.” When we were done laughing we hauled up the anchor and headed on to our next anchorage. No time for noodling.

Exploring the bay by dinghy

Seeking the shade of a palm tree on Calvigny Island beach

Leisure time activities aboard

Having eased into the adventure, Mom got a taste of some true sailing. After getting out into the rambunctious open ocean, Dana and I raised the main and jib, cut the engine and sailed 11 miles to our next stop. Although the seas were relatively lively, we were on a comfortable down wind point of sail, so we moved quickly and smoothly through the water. I caught mom gripping the rail tightly at one point, but she assured me she wasn’t too scared. After an hour, she seemed very at ease and we chatted all the way around the island to our next anchorage. I think she could get used to this cruising life!

Our final two days were spent in the bustling main town of St. George's. We visited an old fort, walked the streets in the blazing midday sun, and fended off hawkers at the spice market. Mom got a taste of the quiet secluded cruising life, along with our sometimes busy, hectic shopping trips. We had one last relaxing sunset drink on Grand Anse beach for our last night at anchor. Last night, we stayed at another lovely marina in St. George and Mom treated Dana and I to a nice dinner out. We prepared most our meals on board during the week, to give Mom a feel for how we’ve lived the past six-and-a-half months. I think she enjoyed all of Dana’s delicious concoctions (including the pain killers and dark and stormies).

View from Fort George in St. George's

St. George's

Final dark and stormy on Eventyr with Mom

Dinner with Mom

This morning we bid Mom an early morning farewell. We’ll see her again in a little over a month in San Francisco for my cousin Derek’s wedding (Dana and I will fly back and forth to the states for the event).  It was great having Mom on board and I hope she enjoyed her little taste of the adventure. Dana and I are alone on Eventyr for a while. We almost don’t know what to do with ourselves. Our next deadline is Tobago in late May for a visit from my friends since elementary school, Otis, Jon, and Beth. Between now and then, Dana and I will have to find a way to keep ourselves occupied and wait for a weather window to make the 82-mile trip further south.