December 15
I made a Carribbean-like breakfast of champions this morning: eggs, fried plantains and stuffed eggplants. Oooh so yummy! It makes me realize that we don't et meat everyday here. I probably take meat out of the freezer about three times a week. Frank, my carnivor, is not complaining. I'm not sure he realizes .... For starch, even though I don't cook rice or potatoes very often, we do love our breads, green bananas, cassava and dasheen; all excellent starchy sidedishes. Frank continues to make his rye and caraway seed breads. We eat about two loaves per month. As soon as I experience with cassava and dasheen, I'll tell you all about it.
For happy hour and dinner a couple of days ago, we had the pleasure of enjoying the company - and so much experience - of a couple we met last spring, Laurie and Dawn on Cat Tales (a catamaran). They've been cruising the Carribbeans for 20 years. Their routine is to sail as far North as they want - this year, Martinique - at the beginning of the season. And then make their leisurely way back South to Grenada during the rest of the season. Sailing North is tedious: the islands are in the same directions as the winds; therefore sailing into the wind is slow and boring. Getting it over with right at the start of the season is a good idea. Dawn and Laurie are avid hikers. They know many trails on many islands. Besides the app called All Trails which we've been using for years, they also use the app called Mapy.cz. It is not as elaborate as All Trails but it does show a lot more trails. So I'm going to start walking Mapy's trails, record my walks and add them to All Trails.
A few years ago, I found a trail in McGregor Bay - part of our old sailing ground - which was not in the app. Sailing by it, we had seen an Inukshuk on shore. I went to explore by kayak. From shore, I followed handmade stone mounds along the way up to the top of an escarpment, recording my steps at the same time. At the top, enjoying my picnic, I could see miles around me. So cool! Back on Komeekha, I added trail details and my comments then submitted it to All Trails. A few months later, they approved and published it. It's called Blue Ridge Trail, Killarney, Ontario.
We've exploring Carriacou Island. By bicycle, we visited Hillsborough, the island main city; about 7 kms one way. It was our first bicycle outing; our leg muscles were rusty. LOL! Carriacou is about 15 square miles. Like most islands, it is mountainous with lush vegetation; people are helpful and entreprising - they always have something to sell: services, fruits and vegetables, fresh juices, fish. This time, instead of paying a guide, we took buses. One bus brought us to the North East section of the island called Winward (no explanation required). To get there, we crossed valleys and mountains. A real roller coaster! I was thinking of my sister who is sometimes a bit nervous in a car on flat roads. She would've had a heart attack. LOL! On the last return bus, we were 17 adults riders including the driver, plus a toddler. Remember, the buses are minivans!
I mentioned in my previous blog that my smart watch had died. Now, another electronic tool just died: my Samsung tablet. I dropped it on the floor in the cockpit as I was video chatting with Justin and family. Frank tried to repair, unsuccessfully. I still have the laptop available to me.
This weekend, we wanted to sail to Petite Martinique. The winds are perfect for it but the forecast is rain for Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning. We'll postpone until the next weather window. We're planning games and dinner with Susan and Rachel (Aspen I) tomorrow and a walk between rainfalls on Sunday. Today, Frank is help them with a auto-pilot problem. It is unpleasant and very tiring to sail these waters for hours without auto-pilot. Without it, the captain is constantly adjusting his/her direction in 4- or 8-foot waves. Hopefully, Frank will solve their problem.
I learned to play euchre! It's not that difficult to learn. One night, Rachel and Susan invited us to play cards. Rachel and I were partners. We won 2 out of 3 games! Yeeesss! On another night, we taught them "6 qui prend". I don't think there's an English name for it. It is a special card deck with ox heads on them. I don't remember who won .... I guess it wasnt me. LOL! Like all games I prefer, it's easy to learn, no real concentration required, no stress. When I play, I like to chat and laugh with drinks and munchies. If a mistake is made, it's no big deal. That's my kind of fun.
We're starting to see more and more chartered catamarans. They usually come from St. Vincent, Grenada or Martinique. There's usually 4, 6 or 8 people on board. When we see them coming, we are quite entertain by the way they set their anchor or, most likely, grab a mooring ball. Some yell at each other, some try 2-3 times, some drop their anchor over mooring balls (that's the funniest one), some anchor like pros. Then, the parties start: some have very loud music, some dance naked for all to see, laughs get louder as time passes. But every morning, we rarely see anyone before 10. All is very quiet and subdued. Again, quite entertaining.
