​Oh my, the heat.  The temperature in Grenada has been dancing between 27° to 32° Celsius for the last month and we are expecting even more heat as we go into September, typically the hottest month here in the Caribbean.  But wait a second.  Summer in Kingston, Ontario often hits these same temperatures, right?  I mean, we should feel right at home.  Hmmm, not so.  You see, the temperature only tells part of the story.  The real story lies in a nasty mixture of humidity, the wind speed (or lack thereof) and another more subjective factor I like to call “whatcha-used-to”. 

This last factor is really the difference maker.

For us in Canada, “whatcha-used-to” was air conditioning. House, car, place of work, stores.  Generally all air-conditioned.  Yes, one had to make multiple brave steps in the non-air conditioned humidity from house to car, and then from car to store (and then, I shudder, do it all again in reverse) but you only got hit by the heat for minutes, not hours and certainly not days.  There, in Canada, “sweat” was something we did once in awhile.

For us in Grenada, “whatcha-used-to” is heat and humidity.  That tolerable 27° to 32° Celsius is actually a suffocating 34° to 39° Celsius with the humidity. And we aren’t jumping from air conditioning to air conditioning.  Some stores are air conditioned but you are walking at least 20 minutes in the heat to get there.  Yeesh.  On the boat, our air conditioning only works if we are plugged into shore power.  Some boaters have a proper generator on board but not us.  Our little Honda 2000 generator isn’t strong enough to run air conditioning.  Here, in the Caribbean, “sweat” is a full-on Olympic event from sun up to sun down.
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But a funny thing has happened on our increasingly warm trip down to the Caribbean.  We started to get acclimatized to the temperature.  Don’t get me wrong, we still sweat buckets on hot days, but we can tolerate more and more heat.  Staying too long in air conditioning set too low is almost torture for us now.  And along with our increased tolerance, we have an arsenal of ways to stay cool when that temperature really spikes.

​On the boat, all hatches and our full enclosure stay wide open.  The breeze coming through our cockpit is incredibly cooling.  Inside the boat, we have fans.  Oh, those glorious fans.  We have six on the boat, strategically placed and permanently set to MAX.  With this one-two punch of breeze + fans, we have yet to have a poor night’s sleep due to heat.  We have also traded our hot morning coffee for delicious iced brew so we can delay the onset of “sweat”. It is still weird for me when I have to tell Mike “Drink up. Your coffee is going to get hot” 😉.

How else do we stay cool?  Swimming, shade and siestas! 
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We are lucky to have a very nice anchorage where the water is clean and clear.  Ocean usually swims most days so she is cooling off while also getting some much needed exercise.  For us, we prefer the fresh water pool at Le Phare Bleu, a little resort just a dinghy ride away.  There we can lounge about the shaded pool area, swimming and enjoying great conversations with our fellow cruisers.  The shade anywhere makes a big difference, usually by 3° to 4° degrees.  I’ll take it!

​Oh and siestas. Some days, those really hot and windless days, the only way to avoid dripping in sweat is to sit still during the hottest part of the day, late afternoon.  A siesta.  Don’t go for a walk, don’t do errands, don’t clean/build/fix anything.  Sit still in whatever shade you can find, drink something cold and read a good book, chat with friends, whatever keeps you sitting still.  

Today, actually, is one of those really, really hot days.  It is 39° with the humidity and there isn’t a stitch of wind. But today we are lucky.  We are at a dock getting some work done on our alternator (it was running hot, just like us 😉) so you better believe that our air conditioner is ON. But it isn’t on to make things cold.  It is set to 29° Celsius.  Just low enough to take the humidity out of the air and let us sleep comfortably.  Decadent, but not messing with that acclimatization we have earned.
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Tomorrow, though, we will move Wild Horses back into the anchorage.  Our boat work is done (new, bigger cables for the alternator, new fuse in one of our lithium batteries, and the batteries finally on bus bars) so we no longer have a need to be at dock.  And, thankfully, the wind is supposed to pick up again.  Back to breezy, comfortable sunsets in the cockpit of Wild Horses. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Click the links below to see where we are today and where we plan to be next!

Grenada’s Carnival is a HUGE annual celebration here.  The Carnival, also called “Spicemas” (a nod to its world-renowned spice production), is a big ball full of energy fueled by music, dance, colour and, of course, a bit of drinking.  Ummm, maybe A LOT of drinking 😉.  The centre of the action is near Port Louis, a 20-minute car ride from our anchorage.
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Every year, the main Spicemas events start officially late on the Sunday and go until the wee hours of the following Wednesday.  People can choose to participate in just a few events but the very brave do them all.

Brave?

Yup!  Spicemas is pure craziness.  I cannot emphasize this enough. The main event of J’ouvert begins at 4am and ends at 9am.  In addition to extremely mind-altering loud music and brightly costumed dancers, oil drenched Jab Jab (people dressed to represent the devil) are a key part of it.  Oil?  Yes, oil.  Any kind of oil but mostly motor oil.  There is lots of it to go around and throwing it on each other and anyone else in attendance is, well, how its done.  But it starts at 4am, I mean, surely this is the most sober event?  Nope.  Just the opposite.  Yikes!

So, let’s say you survive J’ouvert.  Next up is Traditional Mas.  Hmmm, sounds like a low-key event.  In the words of one of our fellow cruisers who attended J’ouvert and then Traditional mas (the main Sunday to Monday events) “Hard to believe this is the same day!...I’ve passed out, woke back up, taken 3 showers, went to a parade with the loudest music ever, and now about to hike to the beginning of the night parade that we are in.” 

Most of us older cruisers choose to attend the Tuesday afternoon event called Fancy Mas (also known as Pretty Mas).  This is a parade down the street with beautifully costumed dancers and other performers.  And, once again, it is loud.  We were strongly advised, because of the noise, that it is not a place for a dog. And leaving Ocean on Wild Horses for 8 hours by herself was not an option.  We had to decline attending.  Our friends who participated said that it was an incredibly unique experience and unlike any other parade they have ever been to.  Oh, and it was truly loud.  Like, the loudest thing they have ever heard. 
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And there you have it.  We had made the right decision.  Not good for Ocean.  Not good for us.  

In hindsight, it was an incredibly right decision.  Mid-day on Tuesday (when our friends, including Caretta, were attending Fancy Mas), an intense squall blew through our anchorage.  50+ knot winds, 5-foot seas, pelting sheets of rain.

Wild Horses’ anchor held. 

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for Caretta.  The boat belonging to our boat buddies extraordinaire, Andrea and Barry, dragged towards the lee shore and, remember, they were not on board.  Thankfully, their anchor re-caught just in time.

Once it was safe to climb into dinghies, all hands were on deck.  The captains from four nearby boats got into their dinghies (including Mike) and they were able to confirm that Caretta had not only NOT hit the nearby shoal but also that the depth around the boat was sufficient.  Just in case another squall passed through before Barry and Andrea could return, the guys deployed Caretta’s second anchor which was already set up and waiting on the stern pulpit (brilliant move by Caretta).  Whew!

​What else have we been up to?  Well, we took part in our second Hash hike.  This one was closer to our anchorage but way more difficult.  Hearts were pumping!  It was straight up a muddy mountain and then straight back down, albeit with a side trip through some of the captivating streets of Grand Mal.  An awesome but challenging hash that left us wanting more.

​Now that Carnival is over, things are getting back to normal. We are looking forward to getting some needed boat work done and to maybe visiting another waterfall or taking in yet another Hash. Whatever we decide to do, it will likely involve our very merry group of boat buddies!

Check out where we are today, and where we are going this winter, by clicking the links below.

Before leaving Lake Ontario last year, I had expectations.

I have wanted to live on a sailboat for as long as I can remember and the idea of sailing off to foreign lands, exploring the world, captivated me.  Plus, I wanted to live an easy, stress-free sailing lifestyle, meeting interesting people, enjoying diverse foods and drinking in the beauty of far-off lands.

Victoria, Ocean and I are almost a year into living on our boat and, to be honest, I had the dream a little wrong.
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Certainly, we accomplished what we set off to do (i.e. meeting interesting people, enjoying diverse foods and drinking in the beauty of far-off lands) but having an easy and stress-free lifestyle, well, not really.  In small pockets, for sure, but the whole of what we have gone through this past year was more challenging than I imagined.  

You see, actually “sailing” Wild Horses hasn’t really happened all that much. I knew with navigating canals, the ICW and travelling east into the trade winds, I would have to motor but it surprised me how much the wind was directly on our nose even when we started south.  And the challenge of Wild Horses, for me, is when she is a motor boat, rather than when she is a sailboat.
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The engine, now 21 years old, is the bane of my existence.  I am always listening for odd sounds, bad sounds, mechanical failure sounds.  In this trip alone, we have had two engine failures, the muffler sprung a leak twice (two different spots), the alternator blew up on two occasions.  I just had another engine check and my alternator needs a real once over (it is running extremely hot and the cause is not yet known), the dripless is dripping and the engine throttle has started to slip.  So, yes, even with all the well-known issues being fixed and the newly-learned issues pending a fix, I worry.  I get chills down my spine thinking about motoring through a narrow cut or close to a lee shore. I am just waiting for the next thing to break.  I have always tried to get ahead of developing boat issues through regular maintenance but what I am learning to deal with now are the things that break despite maintenance, including new equipment.  Is this just the woes of Wild Horses?  Not really.  This is the lifestyle and I see other sailors experiencing the same “what’s broken now” daily angst.  In fact, it happens so often that very seasoned sailors are quite chill about it. I am not there yet, but some day!

I am confident in Wild Horses as a sailboat though.  She handles strong winds well and rides the waves and ocean swell like a champ.  Now that we are “south”, we can choose where and when we move the boat. We are not trying to “get somewhere” anymore so we intend to let the wind decide our destinations.  The sails will be out and the motor off 😊.

So, what are my biggest takeaways after almost a year of living aboard Wild Horses?

• The people we meet are what makes this lifestyle incredible.  There is just so much support, goodwill, laughs and sharing of grievances in the sailing community that even when you are alone, you are not alone. 
• I never thought I would use WhatsApp as much as I do (it is the go-to communication tool for sailors).
• Early in our planning for this trip, I had been told to build systems for the boat so that you enjoy the boat as your long-term home.  That advice was dead on correct.  We love our water maker, our portable washer/spinner, our lithium batteries and solar panels, our Starlink, comfy mattress and bedding, and having a big freezer and fridge.
• Our days are far busier with errands and problem-solving boat issues than I expected.  We actually need to take “days off” to sightsee or snorkel.
• The Eastern Caribbean is not nearly as populated as I thought it would be. We see mostly small villages with very few amenities.  Real provisioning is best done in Canada or the US before you leave, or in Puerto Rico, USVI and maybe St. Martin or Martinique.
• Hurricanes and Tropical Storms are scary.  We were outside the path of Tropical Storm Bret but it still kicked up 40+ knot winds in our anchorage and getting dragged into by another boat during the storm was a horrible experience.  Next time we will have a 24 hour anchor watch so we will be aware if other boats are having problems with their anchors.
• I expected to miss my family and friends back home.  I just didn’t expect to miss them this much.
• I rely a lot more on Victoria than I ever thought I would. Before living on the boat, we could do tasks or projects separately if we wanted.  Now, we do things together so that we both know how something works and what has been done. If something breaks underway or serious weather develops quickly, we both need to know immediately what the very next action needs to be, and the one after that. Through this, we have become very good at being honest about our feelings.  You can’t pretend to be okay if you are not. It has actually made our close relationship even closer.
• I didn’t expect Ocean to take to this lifestyle so easily.  She is a star.  Enough said.

​My final takeaway is for those planning their own journey. The mental aspect is real. You only get part of the story by talking to old salts, watching Youtubers or even chatting with friends who have done this trip.  You can only understand how it will be for you until you do it. For me, the rewards haven’t always, every day, outweighed the problems.  But, overall, my life is better for having embarked on this journey.  I have so many full days, great relationships, and wonderful experiences.  And hopefully by the time I am an old salt myself, I will figure out how to be chill about that boat engine 😊.

Want to know more about where we are and where we are headed next?  Click the buttons below!

It is now August and high time for us to start exploring more of the inland culture and vistas of Grenada.  This week we piled into taxi after taxi after taxi with our boat buddies and, over the course of one week, visited two distilleries, a nutmeg factory, a chocolate factory, two waterfalls, the Grand Etang National Park and, yup, we even lost our Hash virginity (don’t worry Mom and Dad, it isn’t what you think 😉 !).

Since we arrived in Grenada, we have heard of the weekly Hash and how incredibly popular it is for both cruisers and locals alike.  The Hash House Harriers is an international group of runners and walkers.  The group in Grenada started running “hashes” (or hikes) in 1985 and has been organizing them every Saturday since.  The location of the Hash changes every week, as does its length and intensity but some things remain true.  It always starts at about 4pm and its always a load of fun!  

​Our Hash was held near the town of Telescope, on the eastern side of Grenada.  The hike took us through the town, past active crop fields, up and down hills, along the seaside and eye to eye with goats, pigs, cows and stray dogs.  

​A few days later, on Monday, we completed a land circumnavigation of Grenada.  Our friend Dale on Wahoo worked with one of the local taxi drivers to have a fantastic tour of the island for ten of us boat buddies.  She even arranged for Ocean to come along for the fun!  Our first stop at 0900 hours?  A distillery, of course!  The tour was great but it is how it ended that was the real eye-opener.  We were offered several tastings of their straight rums as well as various flavoured rums including chocolate, mojito and coffee (which actually made the most sense given the time of day we were there!).

​Next on the agenda was a narrow and windy drive up to Concord Falls, one of many waterfalls in Grenada.  The waterfall is stunning, standing about sixty-five feet tall, with cool, clear and fresh water filling the large swimming area below.  Fresh, cool, clear water?  Yes please!  

Refreshed from our swim at the waterfall, the taxi then took us to Grenville for an informative tour of the Grenada Co-operative Nutmeg Association Factory.  Grenada is reputed for its nutmeg, producing more than 20% of the world’s nutmeg.  If you live in North America and have bought nutmeg, cloves or cinnamon, chances are it came from this great island.  

​Grenada is also known as the Caribbean Capital of Chocolate so you can guess where the taxi took us next.  We enjoyed an interesting and tasty tour of the Diamond Chocolate Factory in Victoria, Grenada where they make Jouvay chocolate bars.  Set in a small estate-like area, the factory seemed more like a homestead than an actual working factory.  This homey atmosphere is very much part of their identity as, unlike the other chocolate factories on the island, Diamond farms the cocoa themselves and produces it on site within its stone farm walls.  It is so delicious that everyone on our tour found themselves buying many chocolate bars to go! 

Before finishing off the day, we toured one more distillery.  This time it was an eco-friendly distillery where everything from extracting the sugar to bottling is done by hand.  Incredible!

The tour was well-put together and, although tiring, it was an inspiring day to see Grenada from so many aspects – inland, coastline, small factories, large production sites, high atop the mountains, and, of course, the beauty of its terrain.  And it is that beauty that had us on another taxi-driven tour a few days later.

On Thursday, we had a two-part day that included a river and another waterfall.  This time it was the Seven Sisters Waterfall in the Grand Etang Forest and Nature Reserve. There are seven waterfalls here, each a little higher up on the 1,910-foot mountain. The first two waterfalls are reached via a 40-minute hike along a fairly rough and challenging path.  The last five waterfalls require a guide and some pretty well-sharpened mountaineering skills.  Not for us!  Instead, we spent our time lazily swimming in the pool of the second waterfall.  It was an incredible experience to be in the glen-like atmosphere, with beautiful foliage and flowers surrounding us and the sun peaking through the canopy, while gliding through the cool, fresh pool from the waterfall.  Serene. Mesmerizing. Incredible.

​How to follow up a wonderful morning at one of Grenada’s loveliest waterfalls?  Well, with some river tubing of course!  This was a fun trip down a fast-moving river.  What a way to finish off a day!

​It has been a jam-packed week but we have learned lots about our “home away from home” and appreciate it even more.  

Enjoying "Sailing Wild Horses"? Click on the buttons below to see where we are today and where we plan to go next winter!