Lush, green island

Prickly Bay is a crowded anchorage and very pretty (as are all the Grenadan anchorages). There are a lot of liveaboards here, many of them Americans, and they run a radio net every morning announcing social events, bus trips to shops, things for sale, help and advice and a weather forecast. This can be useful and we have just bought a crate of beer and a crate of tonic at good price but I don't understand why you would use the shopping bus when the local bus to the shops and back is a third of the price and very regular.

We have been using local buses and getting about quite a bit. The capital, St. George, is about half an hour away and is quite small but with excellent natural harbours. We went up to the fort and looked out across all the bay, which was a spectacular sight after a climb in the heat.

Grenada is known as The Spice Island, with nutmeg being the main exported spice at one and a half million tons per year. We have tried nutmeg ice cream, which is delicious, and nutmeg jam which is quite nice. We also took the bus to Guoyave to the nutmeg factory, where everything is done by hand except the drying. We learnt that mace comes from the nutmeg fruit too and is used in cosmetics among other things. They test the quality by putting the nutmegs in water. The ones that sink are the highest quality as they have more oil in them.  We bought some cream made from nutmeg oil which is said to be useful for arthritic type pain. I have had a painful inflamed tendon in my shoulder for a few months and I have to report that so far this cream is amazingly effective.

As usual we have been doing a lot of walking. The island is mountainous, though not high. The landscape is lush and green with lots of tropical flowers.The walks are quite short but beautiful.

 Lots of rain here too but mainly at night or early morning. Lots of waterfalls too with pools that are blissful to swim in.

We have been learning to eat like the locals to try and cut down on costs as food can be expensive. Scruffbag loves calalloo. I make a drink called sorrel from dried hibiscus flowers, which tastes great and Scruffbag cooks a mean macaroni pie.

The riggers have  now replaced the backstay and are working on replacing all the rivets on the mast, but  the main man went off sick early this morning, leaving his tools on our boat - hopefully they will return soon and then we will head for Carriacou.