Well, it’s been quite a while since I’ve done a blog post!  We’ve settled very quickly into ‘hurricane season in Grenada’ mode, joining hundreds of other cruisers who sit the season out on the south coast of the island.  Life is pretty simple, wake up, breakfast, boat school, play on the beach or at the nearby kid friendly resort, sunset drinks (not often actually watching the sunset however), dinner, movie, audiobooks (kids), bed,………repeat.

There are dozens of inlets and bays that offer various protection from the weather, depending on wind and swell direction, and our favourite hangout is called Secret Harbour.  Newly renovated, the marina/bar has very comfy lounges, and the kids gather each day around 2pm to play on the volley ball courts, or swim in the pool.  With the kids occupied, Pete and I have had some time to relax, and also start preparing the boat for sale.  It’s hard to believe that our adventure is coming to an end!

View from the bar, overlooking Secret Harbour.  Tom and a few friends played with an army set!

We’ve had plenty of catch ups with our friends from Drakkar, Peurina, Nahannie and Itchy Foot.  For a week, whilst we were all anchored behind Hog Island, the kids all met on the island each afternoon where they built a cubby and generally had a great time exploring on their own.

It was great to squeeze all families on to a single boat for drinks at the end of the day, here is everyone aboard the catamaran Drakkar….

A few days later we repeated the event on Mahia, so far this is the record number of people we have managed to squeeze on board.

We were so happy to meet up again with our friends the Drapers, who we first met in Nanny Cay months ago.  Helen, Lilly and Harry joined us on an island tour where we visited a nutmeg factory, chocolate factory, the famous Carib’s leap and the Royal Mount Carmel Falls.

Getting the nutmeg tour – apparently Granada produces 1/3 of the worlds Nutmeg.  THe smell in the factory was amazing.

Next stop – cocoa plantation and chocolate factory……

At Carib’s Leap on the very north of Granada, another very sad tale of the horrific things that happened in the past.

Final stop for the day was the Mount Carmel Falls, where the boys were keen to slide down the waterfalls. Our taxi driver told us this was great fun, it was something our guide had done since he was a young boy.  Janine was wary, but the boys were desperate to do it, and so Pete was sent to first test the slide for danger. Janine swam out into the pool and announced it very deep. Unfortunately she didn’t swim right up to the landing spot, and after whooshing down the chute, Pete found that the rock platform under it was only 12 inches deep. He was not impressed by both Janine and the Taxi Drivers reassurance that it had looked very safe to them, and perhaps Pete should have sprung outwards a bit more at the last second. Unfortunately Pete had forgotten to bring his rocket boosters. He could hardly walk with two bruised heels and a very bruised bum.