LORD'S PRAYER LOG, Part 20:
Saturday, February 19, 2000

0627 Sunrise.

0900 Underway from Prickly Bay for Mount Hartman Bay, where I hope to find easier
access to fuel and water.

1000 I am not disappointed. The Moorings Secret Harbor in Mount Hartman Bay has
a place I can bring the boat alongside. I top off the fuel and water tanks.

1100 I depart for the town of Saint George's, which is the principal community on
Granada. I pull out the jib, and that is plenty of sail with the wind today.

1415 I arrive at Saint Georges Harbor and putter about to take a look around.

1445 Anchored Saint Georges. Position: 12-03N 061-45W.

1455 I have been on the anchor 10 minutes and I receive information from another
 yachtsman (who swings by in his dinghy) that customs and immigration wish to see
 me ashore. So I shall go see what they want.

1530 I go to the marina; the pier and all buildings are in deplorable condition.
As soon as I arrive I am besieged by "Hey Joes".  I find the Customs/Immigration
office; it is as badly deteriorated as the marina. I produce my papers and get
the "ok" individually from the Customs and Immigration Officers. Neither is wearing
a uniform. I remark that I had not been aware of it being "the procedure" for visiting
yachtsmen to clear with Customs/Immigration at each port in Granada.
It turns out not to be a requirement - but a courtesy - for the boat captains to
"drop by" and show their papers on arrival at each port where there is a customs
office. I thank the two officers for educating me and give my assurance that
I will continue to observe that courtesy. I return aboard and make ready to go a
shore.

1630 There are two sites (besides the marina) where the guidebook indicates that
 it is appropriate to leave the dinghy when going ashore. The yacht club is one
such spot. The NE corner of the Careenage is the other. I go to the yacht club,
where I buy a $1.00 ticket from security to leave the dinghy at that facility. I
am advised that the ticket is redeemable at the club bar! I head out to the street
for a walk about town. I pass a field where some youngsters are having a game
of cricket (the national pass-time on these once-British islands) and I pass the cruise
ship pier, which is alive with activity, as there is a cruise ship in.
Along the waterfront of the Careenage I chance upon an ice cream store. I go in
and get myself a cone with nutmeg flavored ice cream. Grenada is known for its
spices and according to the guidebook; most of the world's nutmeg comes from this
small island. The ice cream is a real treat and I would definitely buy the nut
meg flavor again. I hoof it around the town checking out the shops hoping to find
myself a ball-cap; I lost mine overboard several days ago without realizing it
until later. There are some significant hills in this town. I look in on the churches
to check their schedules. Sunday services are at 0700 for the Roman Catholic
Church and 0730 for the Anglican and Presbyterian Churches. And those are the
only services all day for each! The Catholic Church is a beautiful structure.
The Anglican is a bit timeworn. And the Presbyterian is even more worn. All of the
churches are on significant hills and by the time I have hoofed it up to each
I am huffing and puffing. I am besieged by cabbies looking for a fare, but I say,
"No thanks, I need the exercise!" I find an open-air market and wander through.
Here there are lots of fruits and vegetables for sale. On another street there is
a row of little shops - small buildings made from plywood about 6' on a side
and residing on what was once the sidewalk. There were more of these little shops
under construction, so I would assume that the owners are finding their enterprises
to be profitable. I amble down to a section of the waterfront, which looks out on
the Caribbean and find lots of minivans picking up people here to bus them back
into the countryside at the end of their workday. There are some restaurants along
here but I catch a whiff of that tell-tale smell of inadequate sewage facilities here
and find myself nauseated at the thought of eating at a restaurant in this area. I walk
south along the Caribbean coast toward the remains of old Fort George. It is located
on the northern shore at the entrance to St. George's harbor. I climb up the hill,
stopping now and then to catch my breath, since the fort is up pretty high. From the
fort the views are magnificent. It is easy to see why this site was selected for the
location of the fort. From here cannon and mortars would command the entry to,
as well as the entire harbor. Today the Royal Granada National Police Force occupies the fort.

1814 Sunset. After having a good look at the old fort, I wander down the hill to
the shore of the Careenage. I check the menus at a few restaurants and decide on
"The Nutmeg". I order one of their specials for the evening - a Creole-fish dinner
with rice and salad. It is fantastic. I try their lime-squash to quench my
thirst. That is served with a little nutmeg shaken over the top; it also is excellent.
After dinner, I return to the boat. I relax and immediately fall asleep.
Two hours later I wake long enough to set the alarm for 0600 and climb into my bunk.


Sunday, February 20, 2000
0626 Sunrise.

0700 I go ashore in the dinghy to the yacht club and find that the security gate
is locked and I cannot get off the property, so I take the dinghy around into the
careenage and tie it up there. I hoof it up the hill to the Anglican Church in plenty
of time for the 0730 service. The services are similar to what I have seen in
Newfoundland and Barbados, but just a little different from each. There is a visiting
priest, who delivers an inspiring sermon. He is Father Islip from Westport, Ireland.
He explains that Westport is in the western part of Ireland and that his church claims
about 1% of the local population there, while the Roman Catholic Church claims the
other 99%.  A few years ago he ceased being a parish priest and became a traveling priest.
The service lasts about 2 hours, as it did in Barbados. I do not recall the service lasting
more than an hour in Newfoundland.

0940 On my way back to the dinghy I stop at a little Italian restaurant and have
a cappuccino.

1100 Back onboard, I wash my shirt and a few other items of laundry. I hang it i
n the cockpit to let it dry.

1200 I flip on the TV; there is a movie starting on the Fox network. I watch it
while I wait for the laundry dry.

1400 I take down the laundry and fold it. I make preparations for getting underway.

1420 I am underway for Carriacau Island (part of the nation of Granada), where I
will anchor for the night. In the morning I will go ashore to the village of Hillsborough
for a short visit and to clear out of Granada. My next stop will be the French Island of Martinique.

1600 I sail close along the leeward (western) shore of Granada about a quarter mile
off. It is steep-to on this shore and I am in about 600 feet of water. Additionally the
land is quite bold - reaching heights over 800' - so the view of the shore is magnificent.

1715 There are a number of interesting islands north of Granada. One of these rises
right up out of the water. It is named "Diamond Island" on one of my charts.
Another chart calls it "Diamond Rock" with "Kick em Jenny" In parenthesis. I must
tell my grand daughter Jenny that there is an island out here with here name
on it. I took some photos, since I am sure she will want to see what it looks like!

1814 Sunset.

1930 I am crossing a section of water between Granada and Carriacau and being
severely set to leeward by the current, which is driven through here by the trade
winds. It is so strong that I am in a 40-degree crab as I cross at 5-6 kts. I am
motor sailing close hauled on starboard tack. The current is setting me way to
leeward of where I wish to go. This will necessitate that I beat into Carriacau.
Ordinarily I would not plan to enter a strange port (one I have not been in before)
at night. The anchorage at Carriacau is a roadstead on the lee side of the
island and there is nearly a full moon, so I view it as a relatively low-risk en
try for a nighttime arrival - particularly with the aid of radar and GPS.  Were
either of these aids were to fail, I would heave-to off the coast and wait for a
daylight arrival.

2050 I come about onto the port tack. The anchorage is ahead at 12 NM.

2300 I stow the sails and proceed ahead slow under power. 3.2 NM to anchorage

2355 Lord's Prayer is anchored in the roadstead at Hillsborough, Carriacau Island.
Position: 12-29N 061-28W.

END OF LORD'S PRAYER LOG, Part 20


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