Crew praise, crab backs, wind management.

Our crew is hustling this week. Chef Lisa basically spends all day in the galley, always with an eye on the next meal. Often we will change our minds about something and go for a sail in bumpy seas which makes chopping vegetables a challenge. She’s the epitome of organization and efficiency, and the West Indian dishes she has been preparing have been top notch. 

Captain Richie not only sails this big boat wherever we want to go, but he also repairs stuff as it breaks, which is often on a boat. You’ll also see him doing dishes, peeling mangoes, putting out the place settings, driving the dinghy, all while serving as a mentor for Zack. 

Zack is like my cat, in that he is everywhere at once. One moment I’ll see him cleaning the staterooms, but seconds later I’ll see him trimming the sails. Here he is guiding a swim with us, then he’s doing dishes before I’m even dried off. Zack always knows what needs to be done, anticipating the needs of the boat, the guides, the crew, the guests. I can’t say enough about this guy.

We woke this morning anchored off Hillsborough, Carriacou Island. Due to last night’s festivities, we planned for a late start to the day. The morning slowly unfolded with some stretching, some reading, some gazing at the lovely view. 

A quick sail up to Anse de la Roche for our swim, part of which was into a brisk current along the beach. As the wind has picked up over the past 36 hours, the apparent distance of our swims has decreased, though the effort remains unchanged as we charge into winds and currents. 

Crystal clear waters, millions of silver sides, lots of light at Anse la Roche.

Crab backs, sausage plait, christophene salad, and fennel chop for lunch. A medley of Grenadian and English awesomeness. After lunch, Zack, John and a few of our guests swam ashore to the beach bar for a quick bevvy.

Our first downwind sail of the week to Sandy Island, off Carriacou. 

Here, we swam to the white sand beach, walked up the beach (into the wind), plopped back into the water to check out the coral, and returned to the yacht, wind to our backs. The wind was blowing hard enough for us to take it into account as we swam, as we were being “set” and had to aim up wind of our yacht for a final drift home. Not a problem for this group. 

Chicken Pelau for dinner and a chocolate orange mousse to finish it off. Early to bed for most, but the guides enjoyed a dip and a swim around the yacht. Cozy in our bunks, wind whistling us to sleep. 

Hopper