We sit nestled down in Mt. Hartman Bay, one of the deep bays on the south shore of Grenada. Other than a sojourn on the dock next week so we can party it up for the Spicemas Carnival we will pretty much call this home for the next few months through hurricane season.
Secret Harbour Marina sits at the top of the bay and provides us with services such as laundry, garbage collection, an open-air bar/restaurant, a beautiful beach volleyball court and also as the meeting point for numerous shopping buses, taxis and organized outings. Just over the hill about a 20-minute walk away is one of the other cruiser hangouts in Prickly Bay, and a 20-minute dinghy ride in the other direction brings us to other cruiser anchorages in Hog Island and Clarks Court / Woburn Bay.
We're started to get settled in but still have lots to figure out, but much of it will have to wait until after Carnival since Grenada, like all other islands, pretty much goes on hold until the end of the festivities. Add to that, today is a holiday for Emancipation Day so there are two long weekends at the beginning of August.
Here's what the view looks like for our little spot in the bay:
 |
| Looking south - towards Trinidad |
 |
| Looking east - over the hills but no city lights! |
 |
| Looking north - little Secret Harbour Marina with boats at the dock. Its a nice easy ride to the dinghy dock for us. |
 |
| Looking west - I love this little resort almost built into the hill, and look - there's a wedding on the dock today. |
 |
| We had pretty good seats! |
Every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday there is volleyball for whoever shows up. The games are usually played six-on-six at the moment but later in the season there will be a four-on-four tournament for the more experienced (competitive?) players.
 |
| Wendy serves up a ball. Lovely fluffy sand and new nets for this year! |
Each day from Tuesday to Saturday there is a shopping bus that does pickups at Secret Harbour and Prickly Bay, and takes us round to the bank, Budget Marine (like Home Depot for sailors only more expensive), Ace Hardware, the IGA and the mall, the organic market and the bulk-supply store. As the bus does the rounds and people and purchases are loaded in, it gets pretty chummy as you might be resting your feet on your neighbour's beer or cradling their veggies while they climb in the back of the bus.
 |
| Arriving back at the dock and loading up the 'car' with our purchases. |
Each Saturday is Hash. We lost our Hash Virginity last Saturday at Hash #890 of the Grenada Hash House Harriers, who advertise themselves as "drinkers with a running problem". This hash was held in Boca on the outskirts of St. George and we set off for the approx. 1-hour run / scramble up the steep plantation hills, through mud to the ankles, swinging down slopes from tree to tree almost like a monkey to arrive exhausted but exultant and ready for a cold beer and BBQ dinner.
 |
| Everyone gathering to sign in and get the BBQ started. |
 |
| If you dare to show up in new shoes, you have to drink a beer out of them. |
 |
| Here's a happy group post hash - check out the mud up the legs and on the shoes. |
We had three bus-loads of cruisers head up to the hash, each bus holding about 14 people. On the way home our bus requested another beer stop which the driver happily satisfied, but as we picked up our beer he headed off with a friend to test-drive a motorcycle. No worries, just order another beer I guess.
 |
| The local watering establishment in Tempe, a little suburb of St. George. |
There's actually a full calendar of activities and events going on down here and it is no wonder that it is known as Camp Grenada - yoga, Grenadian Train dominos, hikes, information sessions, and of course lots of pot-luck.
Time for a quiet day on the boat today though and a few odd boat-jobs beckon. Oops, sorry Mowzer, we have a date for pizza dinner with Slow Waltz, Kool-Kat and Glen & Dalynn (previously of Amoray). Guess the boat jobs will have to wait.
