Life in the anchorages of Grenada

Written at: Hog Island, Grenada

July 26, 2006

We’re still here, and just enjoying live-aboard life. There is no routine, except for the mornings, listening to the morning VHF net at 0730, and BBC news at 0800 or 0830 with a leisurely breakfast until 0900, then getting on with the day’s activities. Since arriving on Grenada April 28, we have traveled in Veleda only 60 miles in three months, between anchorages on this south end of the island. On April 28, from Dragon Bay just above St. George’s we went 3 miles to the Lagoon in St. George’s, then 8 miles around to Prickly Bay. From Prickly Bay over to Hog Island it is only 3 miles, a trip we have made several times. Once we went over to Mount Hartman Bay (between Prickly and Hog Island), and another time went over to Port Egmont, to check out the large hurricane refuge in its well-enclosed bay, only a 4 mile trip east from Hog Island. The previous one month we covered over 308 nautical miles coming down the Windward and Leeward islands to Grenada. So we are at last into the Caribbean cruising mode of enjoying life in sheltered anchorages for longer periods of time.

Toys and Maintenance for Veleda

A New Cockpit Table

I completed the new cockpit table made from the old one. The old one was very inconvenient, consisting of two pieces of wood hinged together, and stored beside the nav station. For each use we had to take it into the cockpit, hinge it to the compass binnacle, and screw on two legs. It was a good large table that unfortunately took up most of the cockpit floor space, making moving around it difficult. I was very impatient with all the fiddling to be done in setting it up and removing it after use, and so we came up with an idea to make it more convenient. We had seen some elaborate fold-down cockpit tables with expensive hardware and teak surfaces for about $800.00 Canadian.
 

However we saw a simpler homemade design on Do It, a British boat with Angus and Ruth on board. We basically copied their design. I was able to use the wood from our old table. I reduced the length so it could hinge and fold down from the front of the binnacle (the older table was too long to do so). I then cut one of the pieces lengthwise into halves, and hinged these on each side of the single central piece, so they fold neatly on top of the table. Unfortunately I was not able to get hinges which went flush with the surface, but the three brass hinges on each side are no problem. I put two brackets on the underside of the central piece, through which fits a long dowel to support the two outer sides when opened up. The central piece has a triangular wooden plate with a leg lashed to it, hinged at the outer end of the table to fold up beneath the table when it is collapsed against the compass binnacle.

Thus the table can be used as a narrow cocktail table with the two sides folded over the central piece, or can be expanded to a larger dining table when the hinged pieces are opened outward and supported by the dowel beneath, It collapses, hinged down compactly, against the compass binnacle when not in use. When it is opened out, there is still room to get around in the cockpit area. I gave the table a few coats of Cetol, and it is serving us well.

New Instruments

As reported in earlier logs, we got the new wind generator working, and finally installed the wind speed and direction instrument we brought from Canada. We bought a new ship’s compass, as the old one was cloudy and difficult to read. We have been having intermittent problems with the windlass switch at the anchor well. It frequently blows fuses, and we have not yet identified the problem.

The biggest investment has been in a WiFi booster antenna system which we ordered along with four other cruisers from E-Bay. It works well, and will pull in WiFi signals for hundreds of yards or line of sight. However — before we ordered it we checked with Dell computers to ensure that the truncated Expresscard slot we have in our new laptop would take the PCMCIA CardBus slot of this new system. Yes, we were told, our model would accommodate the card. Hah! No way! So we have set it up on our older laptop (from which Judy had removed several programs, intending to reboot it). We had problems! Dwight from Stephanie Lynn came over to help set it up. Nothing is ever simple!

We are still trying to set up a network between the two laptops, so we can use the new laptop to access the WiFi booster through the older one. We have wires all over the table in the main salon, going to card slots, antenna booster, inverter, electrical power bar, a main antenna wire threaded through bulkheads out to the antenna secured to the bimini frame, ethernet connectors to each laptop, and the laptop power adaptors, all needing to be hooked up when using WiFi. I intend to send Dell a snarky E-mail indicating the great inconvenience caused by their mis-information. We could buy a USB to card slot adaptor, but that piece of equipment would cost as much as the whole WiFi antenna booster, thus doubling the price. We are still working on this problem, as our old computer is not working properly, and every time we try to go on line we have different messages pop up indicating some driver is missing, or some program cannot operate properly, or some software has not been installed, etc. When it was working in Prickly Bay, it worked well, - on the old laptop. If ever we get it working reliably, we may then try the next level of programming and use the Skype system for phone calls. I wonder what complications will arise with that?

A Sewing Machine

We bought a sewing machine from Dwight, and Judy has been spending many hours with it making many things. However the machine did not come with a manual, and Judy has had to figure out its various systems. To date she has not been able to work out how to use the machine to wind the bobbins, and has had to spend considerable time just winding thread on the bobbins manually (a pencil rammed into the centre of the bobbin, and twirled digitally to wind the thread from the spool). She has continued making bags, including one to cover the new cockpit table when folded down, a new pencil case for navigational instruments, a cylindrical bag with elastic at both ends for stuffing plastic bags into, a tool bag for the spark plug wrench and other dinghy tools, and, as a birthday gift for me last week, a padded bag for my sunglasses with neck strap and velcro fastening so my glasses would not fall out when I was getting into or operating the dinghy.

Awnings and Rain Catchers

Judy’s first major sewing project was a rain catcher and awning system for Veleda. We got some blue canvas, rubberized on one side, to make a sun awning for the boat in two sections, one forward of the mast, the other aft of the mast above the boom. We took the material over to the bar area of Clark’s Court Marina where we could spread out with tables and the sewing machine to do the work. We paid Clark’s Court only $2.00 an hour for use of power for the sewing machine. Thanks Clark’s Court Marina!

The forward awning was designed by Judy in a generally rectangular shape with a triangular piece sewn into the wider aft end to produce a broad shallow cone to catch rain, as well as serving as a sun awning. The forward end is held out by a boat hook inserted to a sleeve, attached to the furled genoa; the after end is tied to the shrouds. At the base of this cone she put in a plastic tank fitting attached to a hose which then leads into our water tank deck fitting. When it rains, the water drains inside the awning down to the drain fitting and into whichever tank we have the hose inserted. We have to be careful, as in a heavy rain either water tank can fill up in an hour or so. We have already had two overflow situations.

The after awning is a more traditional sun shade suspended by a boat hook in a sleeve at the after end on our topping lift, over the boom, attached at the forward end to the shrouds at the sides and to the mast in the middle. She put a bridle attached one third and two thirds along the centre seam, lifted by our main halyard to allow air flow under the awning and above the boom. Grommets along each side allow for bungee cords to hold the edges secured to the lifelines. The system is high enough for us to walk underneath it. We may make side flaps which we can lower depending on which side of the boat the sun is shining. Another innovation Judy incorporated in her design was rather than sewing seams on the edges, she made small sleeves through which she threaded white cord to tighten up the system and provide for reinforced corners to tie off to shrouds.

Dwight was impressed with the design and asked if Judy could make one for Stephanie Lynne, his 51 foot sloop. He got the same material and Judy did another rain catcher/awning system for this much larger boat. The first heavy rain, Dwight reported that he filled a tank with 44 gallons of water in about an hour! He has had several compliments on his and knows of others who would like a similar system. However, Judy does not want to go into business.


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