The haul at Spice Island Marine Services was a success, and we got an impressive amount of work done.  Kestrel is fresh and beautiful, from the interior (stained and oiled) to the exterior (teak refinished, hull waxed, and bottom painted).  We knocked out a bunch of projects that can only be done properly on the hard, like rebedding our chainplates and reversing and repainting our chain rode; we also performed a few upgrades like replacing a couple of sheets, adding Selden chafe protection tubes on our shrouds, and adding some line rode to our chain rode for very deep anchorages.  This was the first time we’ve hauled outside of the US, and all in all, it was an excellent experience.

Staying in an apartment and renting a car during the haul period made the entire process much less taxing.  It is hot here—I mean HOT, like “suntan through your cotton t-shirt” hot.  We generally worked until 3 or 4 PM each day and then were able to come back to a shower and air conditioning.  That kept our endurance up for long days spent on deck in the sun.  As an added bonus, we got to know our landlord, Dominique.  Getting things done in Grenada is all about who you know, and Dominique has his fingers in a lot of pies.  Good contacts are worth their weight in gold here, so that was a win.

As much as we enjoy marina life at Port Louis, this is high season with rates to match.  After splashing we moved to the south side of the island to Prickly Bay, where many cruisers congregate.  Recently a new company, Moorsafe, replaced all of the moorings in front of Prickly Bay Marina (which were historically not well maintained), and we moved to one of those moorings.  We are just off of the dinghy dock at Prickly Bay Marina, which couldn’t be more convenient. 

For $230 US per month, we get the mooring and restroom and trash access at Prickly Bay Marina.  Can’t beat that! We are also right next door to a lovely beach and swimming area behind Calabash Resort.  There’s a live band most nights at the Prickly Bay Tiki Bar, and we get to enjoy the music from the comfort of our floating home.

While we’ve been on the mooring, we’ve been relaxing, hanging out with friends, and thinking about the future.  We’re planning on going back to Port Louis Marina for the hurricane season and then, hopefully, this winter we’ll be able to head north through the eastern Caribbean islands that we missed in our dash to safety last year.  We’re getting itchy to explore, although Grenada’s pull is hard to resist.