​EOD Location:  Port Louis Marina, St. George's, Grenada
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, occasional brief showers, windy (20-25), high 84
Highlights: Visited the Belmont Estate today with Deb and Dennis from XYZZY and Amy and Steve from Harmony.  The 400-acre estate is located in the parish of Saint Patrick, about an hour's drive northeast from St. George's.  The plantation was built in the late 1600s by the Bernago family of France, and passed through several owners before the Nyack family purchased it in 1944.  The original crops were coffee and sugar, and chattel slaves provided the labor.  Today, the main crops are cocoa and nutmeg, with wage earners doing the work.  We arrived in time for lunch in the large open-air restaurant overlooking the grounds and surrounding area, then got the "tree to bar" tour and education on how chocolate is made, starting with the harvesting of the beans, progressing through the various stages of sweating, drying, sorting and walking, before finally blended into delectable chocolate bars of various sweetness and flavor.  Our return trip included a visit with monkeys in the national forest, and we arrived safe but very tired after a wonderful day.  More history and details of the estate can be found at https://belmontestate.net/.

EOD Location:  Port Louis Marina, St. George's, Grenada
Miles Traveled:  5
Weather:  Sunny, occasional brief showers, breezy, high 84
Highlights: Good weather forecast for the day, so we left the dock at 10AM and headed south around the point about 2 miles to Mourne Rouge Bay.  Finally got a chance to jump into some clean ocean water, check out the bottom of the boat (doesn't look too bad), grill some steaks for lunch, and enjoy some sun and tropical ambience.  Was nice to get out for the day, but with the wind predicted to pick up again tomorrow, we were back to the dock by 5PM.

​EOD Location:  Port Louis Marina, St. George's, Grenada
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, brief am showers, breezy, high 83
Highlights: Visited the Tower Estate today with Deb and Dennis.  We arrived early afternoon, just in time for tea and crumpets, then got a walking tour of the gardens, which include jasmine, turmeric, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, ylang ylang, curry leaf, water lilies, mahogany trees, avocados, wax apples, many varieties of mangoes and oranges, and also the beautiful butterfly pea flower, which is the primary flavoring of the famous blue tea that we were served.  Relaxed for a bit after the tour in shady lawn chairs, then enjoyed a wonderful formal dinner in the historic mahogany dining room.  The Tower was originally built by C.F.P. Renwick for his first wife in the early 20th century. Renwick hoped that his wife would learn to love the tropics if he built her a house that looked like an English castle. However, the marriage didn't last, and Renwick eventually lost his luxurious house, (rumored) during a disastrous night of gambling.  The estate has been owned by the Paul Slinger family for almost 50 years, and one of Paul's daughters (Isabelle) was our gracious hostess for the day.  Overall, the Tower Estate was a very enjoyable and memorable place to visit.

​EOD Location:  Port Louis Marina, St. George's, Grenada
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, occasional pm showers, breezy, high 85
Highlights: Been getting the boat back together over the past week, including hiring Jordyn (local dock floater) to sand/clean all of the rub rails.  Did a nice job, and finally got rid of all the swirls from Johnny's polish/grinder in Puerto Rico.  BBQ dinner tonight at the Victory Restaurant with XYZZY and Harmony (Steve and Amy).  Good conversation and company, and food was great also.

​EOD Location:  Port Louis Marina, St. George's, Grenada
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, occasional pm showers, breezy, high 85
Highlights: Back on the boat finally after a week in Q.  Boat looks good except for stress crack in the front main window (over the sink).  Will need to address that shortly (probably drill a hole at the end of the crack to stop further damage), then look for long-term repair while we're here in Grenada.  Spent most of the day unpacking, getting clothes and kitchen-ware out of storage and stowed, and putting the boat back together.  Carry-out burgers and fries tonight from Victory Restaurant.  Tried to watch the Super Bowl, but CBS All Access servers were overloaded, so no luck there.  Watched some Star Trek - Picard instead, then turned in as the SB ended.

EOD Location:  Port Louis Marina, St. George's, Grenada
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Sunny, breezy, high 82
Highlights: Back in Grenada after almost 7 months gone, but can't get back to the boat until we follow Quarantine protocol, which means a week at a govt-approved hotel (for us, Lance Aux Epines Cottages), plus negative tests before we can be released.  We flew in Saturday (1/30), will get tested on Thursday, results back by Saturday, then finally able to move onto the boat by next Sunday (2/7).  Until then nothing to do but read, stream NetFlix, and enjoy the scenery while confined to our room and front porch area.  At least we can enjoy rum punch and tonics in the hammock!

​EOD Location:  Port Louis Marina, St. George's, Grenada
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy (10-15), low-80s
Highlights: Much like the rest of the world, we are sheltering in place, strictly limited regarding movements and activities, and wondering how, when, and even if, the world will return to normal.  Unlike most of our family and friends, we are sheltering in place on a boat on a Caribbean island rather than a house or apartment on land, but as idyllic as that might sound, we are still restricted by 24-hour curfew from leaving our marina to walk around town, to go shopping or sightseeing, or to take the boat out to explore the beaches and bays of this island.  Grenada currently has 9 cases of COVID-19 virus, and is working very hard to prevent further contagion, and we're fairly certain that we are at least as well off, if not better situated, than if we were back home in the states.  We are well stocked with food and water, can easily connect with friends and family through internet and phones, and feel secure here in the marina with fences and 24-hour security staff.  Our sincere wish for everyone is to do what is needed to get through these next few weeks or months, to look out for each other, and to stay healthy and safe.  We will continue to do our part in our small corner of the world.

EOD Location:  Port Louis Marina, St. George's, Grenada
Miles Traveled:  31
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy (12-18), high-70s
Highlights: Grenada reported the first case of the COVID-19 virus on the island today, so we feel certain of our decision to move to a marina asap.  Terry cleaned bottom of boat after breakfast while Amy readied the boat for departure, then we raised anchor at 10AM and had a vigorous sail down to the main island of Grenada, reaching Port Louis Marina around 3PM.  Dockage here is "Med-mooring" style, where the stern of the boat is against the pier, and instead of tying up to side docks or pilings, you run bow lines to a mooring ball out in front.  The method is fairly simple, but requires assistance from marina personnel in a dinghy.  You first secure your bow lines to the front mooring ball, then you reverse back towards the pier, paying out the bow lines as you back up.  When you get close, you toss your stern lines to another waiting dock attendant, then adjust position until you have just enough gap where you can comfortably get off the boat.  Adjust and secure all the lines, shut down the engines, and you're all set!  Took us about 30 minutes to get fully situated, but we finally got settled without scraping the finish off the boats on either side of us, and then went into the office to introduce ourselves and check in.  All business was conducted with a 6-foot separation, disinfected pens and credit cards, and no handshakes - what a strange experience, but this will probably be the new normal for the foreseeable future!

​EOD Location:  Tyrrel Bay Anchorage, Carriacou, Grenada
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Mostly sunny, overnight showers, breezy (10-15), high-70s
Highlights: It's been a very dynamic situation everywhere in the world, including Grenada, over the past few days.  Each day, it seems that more restrictions are announced, and more precautions are implemented.  Yesterday evening, the health minister in Carriacou announced that effective today, all boaters must remain on their boats, and are restricted from going ashore, even for groceries or walking their dogs on the beach.  Also, they've closed the borders, and no new arrivals are allowed into the country - they are turning them around and sending them back out to sea.  We've decided that our best option is to check into a marina asap, so we've made reservations with Port Louis Marina on the main island, beginning tomorrow.  We filled up the water tanks, checked the weather, and will depart mid morning for the last leg of our trip south.

​EOD Location:  Tyrrel Bay Anchorage, Carriacou, Grenada
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Mostly sunny, brief morning showers, breezy (12-18), high-70s
Highlights: Went into customs at 9AM to clear in.  Took almost 2 hours overall, including a health check, but we finally received our clean bill of health, passport stamps, and raffle-drawing ticket stub (seriously!) that made us legal guests.  We arrived just in time to avoid a mandatory 14-day quarantine period.  Back to the boat for lunch, then Terry changed out the engine belts (alternator and water pump) in the starboard engine while Amy did laundry and straightened up the boat.  Relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, then grilled steaks and veggies for dinner tonight.

EOD Location:  Tyrrel Bay Anchorage, Carriacou, Grenada
Miles Traveled:  122
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy (12-18), high-70s
Highlights: Had a beautiful clear night and morning for sailing, with winds out of the east between 12-18 knots, and waves for the most part were less than 3 feet from the NE, especially while in the lee of the islands.  We passed Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Bequia, Mustique, and the rest of the Grenadines, and as each island faded in the distance, we vowed to visit and explore each one more fully on our returning trip north.  By early afternoon, we were running a bit behind schedule, and since we never want to arrive at a new anchorage after dark, we started one engine and motor-sailed the rest of the day, averaging almost 8 knots.  Arrived in Tyrrel Bay just as the sun was setting with only 1 engine working (the v-belt on the starboard engine was loose, and no water was being pumped through the coolant system), so we quickly dropped anchor in the first available open space, shut down the boat, and then crashed for the night. 

EOD Location:  Caribbean Sea, en route to Grenada
Miles Traveled:  102
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy (12-18), high-70s
Highlights: The comm networks have been full of news about the COVID-19 virus, and especially as it relates to cruisers such as ourselves, lots of discussions about new immigration restrictions, quarantine periods, and even possible border closings, so we've decided to shorten our leisurely trip south, and instead get to Grenada (our final most-southern destination) as soon as possible.  With that decision made, we went into town around 10AM to clear out and then head south to Martinique, bypassing our planned next destination of Dominica altogether.  Immigration office was open only for clearing out, and we had to wait outside the office while they processed our papers, but we finally got our passports and departure forms back all properly stamped.  We stopped by the grocery store, but found very long lines, found an ATM to get some cash, then back to the boats and raised anchor around 11AM.  Had a nice sail south across the channel and into the lee of Dominica, but along the way, we heard on the VHF that The Saintes had closed their harbors and weren't allowing any new arrivals.  Fearing additional restrictions coming soon, we decided to bypass Martinique, sail through the night, and try to get directly to Grenada before dark the next day, a total of about 210 NM and estimated arrival time of 6PM.

EOD Location:  Le Bourg Anchorage, Il de Saintes, Gaudeloupe
Miles Traveled:  24
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy (10-15), high-70s
Highlights: Lifted anchor late morning, then had a nice motor-sail down the west coast of Guadeloupe and over to Iles de Saintes.  Picked up a mooring ball just off the main town (Terre-de-Haut), then relaxed for the rest of the day.  We had originally planned to go into town to walk around for awhile, then go to dinner at one of the local restaurants, but the COVID-19 virus has pretty much shut down the town, so we stayed on the boat for the evening.

​EOD Location:  Pigeon Cove Anchorage, Guadeloupe
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Partly cloudy, occasional brief showers, breezy (10-15), high-70s
Highlights: Went snorkeling in the Jacques Cousteau underwater park this morning, and found very good quantities of healthy coral, lots of fish (both variety and quantity), with great visibility underwater.  Started in the SE side of Pigeon Island, swimming between the channel and around the south side.  Saw 3 squid (about 8" long) at the west end, first time ever we've seen them in the wild.  Back to the dinghies, then went around to the north side to check out that area, which was much smaller, but had fabulous groupings of boulders and coral heads.  Altogether, one of the best snorkeling sites we've seen this year.  Back to the boat early afternoon for drinks, naps, and dinner, then spent a very rolly night at anchor as the northern swells came in.

EOD Location:  Pigeon Cove Anchorage, Guadeloupe
Miles Traveled:  10
Weather:  Mostly sunny, occasional brief showers, breezy (10-15), high-70s
Highlights: Raised anchor just after noon today and motor-sailed 10 miles down the coast to Pigeon Island.  The Jacques Cousteau national marine park is located here, and is widely renown for fabulous snorkeling and scuba diving.  We dropped anchor around 2PM, then Amy went with Deb and Dennis into town to pick up some groceries.  Grilled some steaks with all the fixings for dinner tonight, then read before turning in for the night.

​EOD Location:  Deshaies Harbor Anchorage, Guadeloupe
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Mostly sunny, occasional brief showers, breezy (10-15), high-70s
Highlights: Visited the Botanical Gardens (Jardin Botanique) today, located about a mile up the hill from the Deshais town center.  A shuttle picked us up at 11:30, which saved us a long walk up a very steep hill.  Admission was $17.00 per person, but well worth the cost.  We had a lovely lunch at the restaurant overlooking the park, sitting at a balcony table at the top of a 50-foot waterfall cascading into a koi pond with a flock of pink flamingos wading along the shore.  Walked the pathways through the gardens after lunch, enjoying the wide variety and beautiful arrangements of trees, shrubs, and flowers.  We fed the budgies (small parrots) in the aviary, visited with the colorful macaws, then had ice cream at the snack shop while watching goats in their pen beg for handouts from the tourists.  Back to the boat around 5PM to read and relax after a very delightful day.

​Current Location:  Deshaies Harbor Anchorage, Guadeloupe
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Mostly sunny, occasional brief showers, breezy (10-15), low-80s
Highlights: Had a disaster in the harbor this morning - one of the sailboats in the mooring field caught fire and burned to the waterline.  Black smoke and flames were pouring out of the boat for about 45 minutes, in spite of efforts of nearby boaters and the fire department from the shore.  The boat eventually rolled over, which put out most of the flames, but the smoke and smell lingered for a few more hours.  Not sure how the fire started - one report was that they had left the engine running to charge up the batteries while they rented a car and toured the island, so might have been an overcharged battery.  Very sad to see, and hard to imagine the shock and sense of loss the owners must have felt when they returned from their day trip.  Not much else going on these past few days - just enjoying the town with our buddy boaters (Deb and Dennis), catching up on boat projects, and general reading and relaxing.

Current Location:  Deshaies Harbor Anchorage, Guadeloupe
Miles Traveled:  46
Weather:  Sunny, breezy (14-18), low 80s
Highlights: Today started slowly.  Plan was to raise anchor at first light, stop by the fuel dock (which opens at 6AM), and then head south to Guadeloupe.  Got to the fuel dock at 6:15, but the keeper of the keys hadn't shown up for work yet.  Waited around, and she finally showed up around 7:15.  Filled the tanks, paid the bills (after another slight delay with Capital One), then finally departed Falmouth Bay just past 7:30.  Day finally took a turn for the better with a fabulous sail across the 45-mile wide Guadeloupe Channel, and we arrived in Deshaies just before 3PM.  Winds were a steady 14-18 knots off our beam, and we had 4-5 foot swells from the same direction, but overall, not too uncomfortable, and we averaged 7.5 knots for most of the day.  Wind dropped as we got into the lee of Guadeloupe, but we were able to sail almost all the way into the harbor,  Dropped the sails, then spent about 30 minutes looking for a good spot to anchor.  Deshaies has about 20 moorings, but all of them are claimed by the locals, and the rest of the bay is fairly deep all the way to the shore.  We finally dropped anchor in 42 feet of water, and let out all 225 feet of our chain to make sure we had plenty of scope.  Dropped the dinghy and went into town to clear in, got that taken care of easy-peasy by 5PM, then back to the boat for a light dinner and early bedtime.

​Current Location:  Falmouth Bay Anchorage, Antigua
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Mostly sunny, early morning showers, breezy (10-15), low-80s
Highlights: Rented a car today and drove around the island.  First stop was the Block House and Shirley Heights, where a couple of forts overlooking English Harbour were located.  Many of the walls and buildings are still intact, and views from the overlooks were fantastic.  From there, we drove over to the Devil's Bridge, which is a natural rock and bridge formation on the northeast shore.  Seas were fairly calm today, but waves were still pretty dramatic, and it was easy to imagine how violent the waves would be in stormy conditions.  From there, we drove across to Jolly Harbour, where we stopped for lunch, then continued around the island to Fig Tree drive and the rain forest.  Stopped at Fig Tree Art Studio, which had some nice art pieces and beautiful gardens, then finally back to Falmouth Bay, completing the circuit.  Dashed over to English Harbour customs office to clear out (made it just before they closed for the day), then back to the boat for dinner and bed.  Tomorrow we head south to our next destination - Guadeloupe!

Current Location:  Falmouth Bay Anchorage, Antigua
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Mostly sunny, early morning showers, breezy (10-15), low-80s
Highlights: Walked over to English Harbour this morning to check out the sights.  Nelson's Dockyard is the big attraction here - a collection of historic forts, docks, and buildings that have been re-purposed into restaurants, inns, museums, and gift shops.  Most of the site was built in the late 1700s and early 1800s to support the English West Indies fleet.  Admiral Horatio Nelson was in command here from 1784 to 1787.  We visited the museum, walked through most of the buildings and around the wharves (lot's of modern super-yachts docked here), had lunch at one of the restaurants, then hiked up the hill to Fort Berkeley, where we enjoyed the views of the harbor immensely.  Back to the boat around 5 for light dinner and early bedtime.

​Current Location:  Falmouth Bay Anchorage, Antigua
Miles Traveled:  9
Weather:  Mostly sunny, occasional brief showers, breezy (10-20), low-80s
Highlights: Terry pulled the port starter battery out of the engine compartment first thing this morning and went into Budget Marine for a replacement while Amy picked up a few provisions.  Half a BOAT later ($504), and about 30 minutes of labor, we had a new battery installed and were ready to head around the island to Falmouth Harbour.  Wind and waves are forecasted to pick up over the next few days, and we want to spend a few days visiting English and Falmouth Harbour areas, so off we went.  Had the genoa up for first half of the trip, then it was motoring directly into 15-knot headwinds as we came around the south side of Antigua, but waves were mild and the trip was very pleasant.  Arrived in Falmouth Harbour around 11:30, dropping anchor in the NE corner of the harbor.  Cell phone coverage is very sporadic, but idyllic location otherwise.  Dennis and Deb picked us up around 5:30 to go into town, and we wandered the streets a bit before enjoying a very nice dinner at Le Cap Horn restaurant.

​Current Location:  Jolly Harbour Anchorage, Antigua
Miles Traveled:  16
Weather:  Mostly sunny, occasional showers, breezy (10-15), low-80s
Highlights: Decided since we had pulled the watermaker out last night for XYZZY, might as well fill our own tanks also, so got that done first thing this morning.  Raised anchor around 11AM and motor-sailed around the north side and down the coast to Jolly Harbor, arriving around 1:30.  Tried to start the port engine as we were dropping the sails, but it wouldn't turn over (sounded like a dying battery), so we limped into the anchorage with one engine.  Fortunately, the battery had enough juice to run the anchor windlass, so we were able to drop anchor and get squared away.  Dennis came over with his jumper cables to confirm our theory (definitely a dead battery), so guess we'll take care of that first thing in the morning.  Took the dinghy in for lunch, drop off the garbage, and then stock up on provisions at the Epicural grocery store.  Light dinner tonight, then reading and early bedtime.

​Current Location:  Great Bird Island Anchorage, Antigua
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Mostly sunny, occasional showers, breezy (10-15), low-80s
Highlights: Hike to the top of Great Bird Island, then maintenance projects, reading, and relaxing the rest of the afternoon.  Deb and Dennis came over to the boat after dinner to play dominos and chat about plans over the next few days.  Watermaker on XYZZY isn't working, so took our Rainman over to their boat to fill the tanks while we played dominoes.

​Current Location:  Great Bird Island Anchorage, Antigua
Miles Traveled:  26
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy (10-15), high-70s
Highlights: Raised anchor just before 9 this morning and had a brisk sail down to Antigua.  We were close hauled the whole way, averaged 6 knots with 13-15 knots of winds, and dropped anchor in the lee of Great Bird Island around 1:30.  Water was amazingly clear - we were in 80-90 feet of water most of the way, and could still pick out rocks, coral heads, and sand on the bottom of the ocean.  Had to double-check our log - this was the first time we've had the main sail hoisted since late December in the USVIs.  We've reached the end of the "thorny path" (stretching all the way back to Florida) - it should be easy sailing from this point forward!  Late lunch of lobster salad sandwiches with sides, then reading and relaxing the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Current Location:  Cocoa Point Anchorage, Barbuda
Miles Traveled:  0
Weather:  Mostly sunny, breezy (10-15), high-70s
Highlights: Last day here in beautiful Barbuda - tomorrow we head for Antigua.  Bought a couple of lobsters from the local fishermen this morning ($14 each, and yes, it's illegal for foreigners to catch them directly), then took the dinghy around the reef to check out the snorkeling.  Probably the most healthy coral we've seen so far this year, and a good variety of small fish, but nothing super exciting to report.  Returned to the boat and Terry cleaned the barnacles off the bottom of the boat while Amy boiled and picked the lobster heads, then nap and reading time.  We enjoyed grilled lobster tails with all the fixings tonight for our last Barbuda dinner.