Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited

We left January 10th. The last couple days before we left we had Boys To Men Its So Hard to Say Goodbye playing as the sound track of our lives. It’s blowing my mind that for so long we could be planning and prepping for this trip and then now that the time is here it absolutely doesn’t seem real. Maybe it’s just the hearts and minds way of protecting itself. Not sure but in any case it was so weird to say bye to family and friends and Cubby over the past few days. My kids felt so loved with everyone who has sent them off with hugs.
We left Tuesday afternoon and got a hotel in Brigham city due to poor road conditions. Thankfully, we weren’t delayed because the morning of our flights the FAA grounded all flights because of a computer glitch. The flight was long but okay. We got to JFK at 10 pm. We discussed for a bit about whether to get a hotel or stay at the airport, we even thought about getting an Uber to check out Times Square. The 3 youngest were so excited to stay in the airport so we did. It was pretty miserable. Enough so, I actually slept on the floor for maybe an hour. It was pretty rough. Our flight left at 6:45 am and we were grateful it was on time. Kelsey and Cade got some descent sleep at the airport. I slept most of the way to Grenada. Just like that we are here and on our trip. Why can’t my brain comprehend it all! Maybe once I get some sleep. We got a rental car and then dinner, which took a long time at the restaurant at Spice Island called One Love ( we are now on Island Time). George , the man who watched over our boat while we were gone, took Cale to get the dingy and then we took 2 trips to get the bags over. It took quite a while to make beds so we ended up hitting a wall by the time that was done and went to bed.

1-13 We left our boat moored with a caretaker near Whisper Cove. We had to get up early to move the boat to Spice Island Marina in Prickly Pear Bay where the boat was getting some work done. Our alarms didn’t go off so it was a bit frantic trying to get underway. It was a quick ride over. The girls and Cade slept. Cole helped me. We put out lines on the Starboard side but it was too tight of a fit with rocks on one side and another boat on the other so they put is in at our stern. It was kind of a fiasco because we didn’t have enough lines long enough but we eventually figure it out. Our way on and off the boat is a wooden plank, which the kids think is great.
Cale worked on getting the fuel tank out. Some guys were here changing out the chart plotter. I helped the kids unpack and get organized. We still have a ways to go but are slowly making progress. I took the kids to One Love for lunch. We went and got groceries at the IGA. It was a good day despite being stuck here with little to do. Cole helped Cale a bunch and the kids did good unpacking and playing games.

1-14 We went to sleep early trying to catch up on sleep. We got going so Kira, Cole and I could go teach swim lessons to Grenadian kids. They seemed a little hesitant, especially Kira. When we got there she was hoping we could teach together but we ended up both getting assigned to a kid. I had Lia, who lived in a house right on the beach and then Sydney. It was a lot of fun. The kids both got to teach some kids. They did a really good job. I was super impressed with them. They were good teachers and Kira especially wanted to do it again. Kelsey and Cade played in the water with Cale nearby. I guess I should mention these swimming lessons were in the ocean at Grand Anse Beach, a beautiful 2 mile long beach said to be one of the best in the Caribbean.
We went and got some Roti, a local dish that is curry wrapped in a really good shell. Cale finished up the fuel tank repair that afternoon although we couldn’t get the fuel pumped back in until Monday since it was a weekend. We made a lot of progress organizing. Its a different kind of organizing then at home. It’s about being very minimal and fitting things in small spaces.
1-15 We got to a local church congregation. The hill going down to the building is super steep and we were parked like completely sideways on a big hill. It has the most amazing views you could ever see of the ocean. It’s located right above Grand Anse Beach. We met some other boat families and couples and some locals. There is a medical school here so there were several of them there as well.
We got lunch at the boat and then drove around. It’s such a luxury to have a rental car right now. We checked out La Phare Blue, and ran into the kid from the boat family we met at church. He showed us around. It’s a cool Marina with a nice pool and good vibe. We next drove by the dive shop and checked out the beach there, then to Magazine Beach which was very chill and pretty. No one works on Sunday here. Its a day to spend with family. There were a lot of locals out with the families at the beach.
1-16 It was an errand day. I should mention here that driving anywhere is a total adventure. They drive on the left side (which they feel very strongly is the proper side) with the steering wheel on the right. The roads are super windy and narrow. Drivers just do a beep beep and pass you whether or not there is a car coming. There are pedestrians walking right on the road as well as steep drain ditches. There are also no stop lights, just round abouts which work great but really challenge the mental game since you now are yielding to the right. Cale has pretty much driven everywhere, but I took a turn at it and actually enjoyed it and was surprised it wasn’t more confusing. We tried to drop off our scuba tanks but they were still good so we brought them back to the boat. We got breakfast at a bakery. We went to a Treasure Trove looking for a washer. We ended up in downtown and I’m so grateful we didn’t get in a crash. It was craziness ( driving normally here but on steroids). We found an ice maker but haven’t settled on a washer yet. We cleaned the boat and replaced part of the trampoline string then went to the container park for dinner (a outdoor dining area for the medical school students).
1-17 We got some food from the vendors that came to the boat yard. I was grateful to get some meat because we haven’t been able to find any. We got the starlink set up and our fuel put back in. We were excited to be under way. It was about an hour to Port Louis Marina where we were before with the Aurich’s. We are staying here for a few day with Barry and Gail who are coming early to help watch Kelsey so we can do our scuba lessons. We got settled at the end of G dock. Cale went to get Barry and Gail. The kids and I had lunch and then went swimming at the marina pool. Barry and Gail arrived. We got ready and got dinner at the Grill Master. It was really good, kind of Americanized wraps and burgers.
1-18 Scuba open water day 1. We had an early start. We got there at 7:30. We are using Dive Grenada which is right on Grand Anse Beach. We got our gear put together and then they shuttled everything to a different beach because the waves were coming in really big. We walked out to their boat. It was about a 10 minute boat ride. He went over safety stuff and then we were off in the water. I was nervous for the first dive but it went pretty good. By the 2nd dive I felt better, more relaxed and it was more fun. It was so cool to see the kids do it too. I’m grateful we were all able to dive with out any problems since we’ve all had a little sore throat and cold. It was called Flamingo Bay.
Kelsey got to say back and swim. Once we got back we went to get groceries. It takes a while to load them from the car into a boat cart and then hand them into the boat. Food here is pretty expensive which is relative. More then the US, but less the St. Thomas. The money is Eastern Caribbean or EC its worth about 33 cents to the US Dollar. On average things were about 20% more then US, except eggs. They are normal price here. We then went to the mall and got ice cream for dinner followed by driving through the medical school campus and getting a small dinner at the containers. Fun day and I’m excited for tomorrow.

1-19 Scuba day 2. We all back rolled into the water at the same time, so we looked pretty awesome. I’m proud of myself and the kids for their accomplishments. We did some compass work, neutral buoyancy, mask removal, and exploration at Mulinare where the sculpture garden is and then farther out to a reef called Happy Valley. It was a beautiful ledge we followed for the dive. It was the best reef and the most fish I think I’ve seen in my life.
We came back and grandma made us a tasty Grenadian lunch of coconut peas and veggies. We have been shopping for a washer since we were here in November. I think when we were out today we found one that will work. It has to be 18″ so we can get it into the bathroom. We are going to put it in Cole’s bathroom and him and Kira will have to share a shower. Kelsey was such a helper and wrote all the names of the stuff on the cans, which makes it so much easier to dig stuff out. We are ready to get out to anchor but I’m sad to leave Grenada. I really love it here.