Good News

30/11/09 Monday

Hello from Grenada.

On Monday 16th November, Simon Spencer married Erin Worrel in South Korea where they are working as English teachers. We are very happy for them and wish them every happiness for the future.

On Tuesday 24th November our new son-in-law, Ben Deacon went into hospital for major surgery to remove a cancer from his bowel. The operation was successful, but it has left Ben very weak and it will take him quite a while to recover and eventually be back at work. We hope that he and Emily manage to cope at this enormously difficult time, especially when we are so far away.

Almost at the same time, our good friend, Guido, whom we met in the Canaries and subsequently in the Caribbean on many occasions, underwent a triple heart bypass operation. He had sailed home from the Caribbean; he was dismasted and had to buy a new mast in New York and suffered gales crossing to Falmouth. Just in time he was operated upon as the doctors gave him two weeks to live. His operation too was successful.

As you can see Kathy and I are very pleased to be sitting in Prickly Bay, Grenada, on anchor in the sun, worrying about what to wear this evening for a meal out! Trinidad was great for getting the boat fixed up. It was also cheaper than the rest of the Caribbean (in our limited experience) and Power Boats, Chaguaramus was really helpful (Thank you to Brian Bell from “Small World” for that recommendation).

In Trinidad and Tobago, the Customs were too much. We even had to inform them when we anchored for the night in the beautiful former leper colony on Chacachacare Island which is six miles from Chaguaramus. We made some good friends at “Chag” and were helped by the boating community to bring Sal Darago up to scratch. On our launch day we were less than pleased when a ship, the size of a large trawler, called “Save Our Seas” overfilled one of its diesel tanks and deposited thick oil all over the next boat being launched – you guessed – Sal Darago.

On our night sail of 80+ miles from Trinidad to Grenada, we reefed the mainsail. At 2030, in the dark, we ran over a large fishing net which snagged around our rudder. Sal Darago stopped. A few moments later she gybed which throws the mainsail over to the other side of the boat at speed (20 knots of wind). This ripped one reefing block from its track and we were left snared by the rudder with no reefing capabilities. Kathy and I rolled up the foresail. Then, with Kathy holding the torch, I tried to pull the top line from the nets on board. The boat hook was wrenched from my hand in the large swell. I decided to get into the water with the bread knife. I really hate cutting fishing nets, but we were in some danger. I clung to the ladders and cut the net away. The swell sometimes came over my head. Slowly we moved away when we were again caught by another piece of the net. The process was repeated. Finally, we dropped the main and I replaced the reefing block on the outside edge of the boom. We continued to Grenada, arriving at ninish in the morning.

We are so happy to be cruising again.