By the 12th we were finally ready, we paid the marina and untied most of the lines holding us to the dock. Jim was on the helm and suddenly said "There's something wrong with the steering." We quickly tied up again! He'd noticed a lot of play and a clunk if the wheel was moved quickly. This was worrying and we decided it would be better to get any problems sorted out in Grenada where we know there are good services. A friend, Richard (Phalarope) who is a mechanical engineer, came round to have a look and he and Jim came to the conclusion that the rudder bearings were worn and should be replaced, and that a spacer was needed to take up slack in the steering pedestal.We ordered the new bearings from England and a couple of days later we motored back round to Prickly Bay and had a chat with the boatyard about lifting out and having the work done. Being so close to Christmas nothing was going to happen now until after the New Year, so after a couple of days we motored back round to Mount Hartman Bay to join our friends there for Christmas.
The weeks around Christmas became very social with parties held by Dave on Persephone (American) and Ken and Lynn on Silverheels III (Canadian), we hosted a traditional English mulled wine and mince pie party on Impressionist, and Eric and Jackie on Compass Rose hosted a party after Christmas.
On Christmas Day itself we all dinghied round to Clarkes Court Bay Marina for a pot luck turkey and ham Christmas dinner for 50 cruisers, with everyone bringing a dish to share – the meat was delicious and plentiful, and there was a huge selection of vegetables, stuffings, a large pot of gravy, and a variety of desserts - we took home-made mince pies and some crackers (the first time we had seen any since leaving England) and had to explain to the non-English how to pull them.
For the New Year we and our friends booked in to "De Big Fish" in Prickly Bay with a bus to take us there and back. An excellent 3-course meal including a pig roast, tables were decorated and had noisemakers and streamers, and live entertainment with the Doc Adams group so the place was really rocking and everyone dancing. New Year was celebrated at 12.00 GMT (8.00pm local time) with Big Ben on the large screen TV as cruisers tend to early birds. It was a marvellous evening, and although we got to bed early we were woken up again at midnight with the fireworks, so we sat and watched them for our second New Year.
We wanted to go and see the Christmas lights at the Sugar Mill roundabout but each day we planned it had turned to rain, so finally on 5 January (the last day) Anne organised a group of us (10) to take the half-hour walk there. It was well worth it - the display was quite spectacular, extending all the way up the hill in a small park. On the way back we stopped at a Chinese restaurant for a lovely meal.
For more photos please click here
No comments:
Post a Comment