Back to reality....

I can't believe it's been two weeks since we arrived home, sadly the boat seems a distant memory. I must get the photos printed and on the wall!
Two days in and Dave was back at work, then the girls went back to school and finally I started work last week, all pretty much the same as before we left.
On a positive note it is fantastic to see family and friends, Darcy and Isla are very happy to be back at school. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful village which we appreciate even more having been away.

From this.......

To this !

We had so many wonderful experiences, obviously I only wrote about the best ones on the blog! Also to be able to share the adventure with some of our family and friends made it even more special, talking about it back home will keep the memories alive.
Meeting so many new friends was definitely a highlight and now we have connections all over the world, where to go next, watch this space!...............

Final treat....

I have always wanted to ride on a beach, something that's not easy to do in Gloucestershire! I found this inspiring place in Tobago of all places. It is run by a German lady and  a Trinidadian guy. They have five beautiful thoroughbred horses which they take people out onto the beach and into the sea. We rode with only a saddle cloth and a headcollar, and the best bit, bare feet which felt very strange! I apologise for the hat, it was obligatory!
It was the strangest feeling sitting on a horse that is swimming, you feel like you're floating. It was a fantastic experience.

My stead, 'Kalakundrin'

Packed up now and ready to fly home.....

We'll miss Tobago...

The Rogers have been onboard for a week with their daughters Imo and Rosie. I think they were the first friends who said they would like to visit us on the boat and also our last visitors before we head home. Last week we caught seven lobster, which was our record, as the girls were tucking in I had to remind them that they wouldn't be eating this in two weeks time back in Painswick!!!
We will definitely miss Tobago, it seems like yesterday we arrived and had two months to look forward to. Time rushes by when you're having fun.

buying groceries in Tobago

Looking over our favourite bay, Charlotteville

We had a fantastic morning with Newton George the local expert on birds, the girls really got into it and I think they are both mini twitchers now!! We saw, Green Kingfisher, Honey Creepers, Motmot, Golden spotted woodpecker, Coloured Trogan, Hummingbirds, and a raccoon!

Coloured Trogan

I have to mention Dave.R's BIG catch which will be talked about for many years!!! During their week with us many hours were spent on the back deck fishing, which was rewarded with great excitement as Dave pulled in a 6 lb African Pompano, a beautiful fish which we hadn't seen before.

Only a week until we fly home, we set sail back to Grenada tomorrow, this time as it's our final sail we'll do the journey in the day.
Some of the things we'll miss........

Picking enormous Avocados!

Collecting coconuts

and lots more....

Friends from home......

Since our last post we've been very busy, the Turners and the Twiggs, both friends from Painswick have visited Tobago. It's been an action packed few weeks with beach BBQ's, snorkelling, fishing, rainforest exploration, kayaking, pretty exhausting really!

Yummy fish sandwiches

We woke one morning to the sight of a black tip shark lying on the back deck, Dave had been night fishing and had rather a surprise catch!! He cut it into steaks and we enjoyed it for lunch with some fresh bread rolls made by Steve.

The boys disappeared very early one morning for a fishing trip with our good friend Milton. Three hours later they returned with three big tuna and pretty unsettled stomachs !

The visibility of the water changes daily, depending on the flow off from the Orinico river but we have been lucky recently and had some great snorkelling.

French angel fish

Smooth Trunkfish

Unexpected surprise...

Written by Darcy...

Dolphins ahoy !!!

As we were finishing our Colombo curry we heard a cry front from the bows, mummy came rushing (Daddy said not to run!) to where we were devouring our food and panted  "Dolphins, there's dolphins in the bay, look!" We all looked and there, in front of the beautiful sunset was a magnificent pod of dolphins, with fish jumping like shouting,  "help", because these ones were feeding. We all jumped into the dingy, Helen, Euan, Daddy, mummy, Joe , Hazel, Isla and Me, naked and all and set of into the most pretty site that people would of paid millions for! We followed them around the bay as they played alongside the dingy, thinking we were their friends. When we turned off the engines we heard them puffing and I saw one of the blowholes! They nearly tipped up the boat they were touching us! Auntie Helen was astonished and could not believe it, the sunset was one of the best we had ever seen as well. 

We went to 'lovers Bay' which is a tiny beach which has pink sand, I collected some to bring home!

Pink Sand

Fun with my cousins, Joe and Hazel

As promised to mummy's friends who say there's never any photos of her on the blog, couldn't find any on her own!

Grenada to Tobago...

Having got the genoa fixed in record time in Grenada then checking and re-checking the weather forecast, we set off at 4pm for the overnight sail to Tobago. Tobago lies South East of Grenada and it can be a notoriously tough sail into the wind and sea. When we set off the forecast showed some north in the wind and moderate seas. We managed to cook pizza in the early evening as the sea was fairly calm. The girls went to sleep in the saloon as sleeping in the cabins can be very noisy and bouncy whilst sailing.
Dave stayed up all through the night and I managed to catch a couple of hours sleep in between watches. We managed to motor sail all the way as the wind was coming slightly from the north. It was a comfortable passage for which we were very grateful. The winds were a fairly consistent 12-14 knots all night and the waves were mostly 1 -1.5m. There were plenty of sheet lightning clouds around but they were evenly spaced and Dave managed to steer a zig-zag course through them to avoid a dousing or a squall. As we made better time than expected we arrived at Store Bay in Tobago at 4.30am. After anchoring and sorting all the lines out we were ready to collapse just as the girls woke up! I have to say a few DVD's were watched that day.

overnight from Grenada to Tobago

We were slightly apprehensive about going back to Tobago having spent an amazing five months there on our previous boat ten years ago. Several people, especially those in Grenada, warned us that it had changed and asked us why we wanted to go back. I can safely say that it does not seem to have changed at all and we are very happy to be back, and even happier that other people aren't sailing here because we've got it pretty much to ourselves !
My eldest brother and his family joined us in Tobago, our youngest crew so far.

Spot the new arrival!

Hazel,our youngest crew member

Englishmans Bay, which is halfway up the west coast of Tobago is as idyllic as we remembered and we were  one of only two boats in the anchorage. The thick rain forest comes right down to meet the sea and only a couple of tiny houses scatter the hillside.  Parrots and Cocrico's (Rufus vented Chacalaca - if you're a twitcher!!!), which are birds similar to pheasants that live on the forest floor, chatter all day long. At night when all the lights are out the forest comes alive with fireflies which resembles a glittering Christmas tree. Can you tell that Tobago is our favourite place?!

Englishmans Bay

French Angel fish

This week we've caught and eaten, squid, lobster, Bonito ( a small species of tuna) and Grouper, not a bad diet.

Outnumbered....

We've had a fun few weeks with visitors, Dave has been rather outnumbered by females!
My sister stayed for a couple of days on the boat before the girls and I went with her up to stay with Annie. Darius the donkey was very patient being ridden up and down the steep drive but was always rewarded with   a large bundle of grass.

Dave, Joyce, and their three girls came out to Grenada. Being the experienced sailors they are we took the boat up to Isle de Ronde and then on up to Carriacou. We anchored off an idlyllic small spit of land called Sandy island which the girls claimed as their very own desert island.

five girls is more than enough!!!!!

Grace, Isabel and Heather got into the snorkeling after a few adjustments to finns and masks. The snorkeling up at Sandy island was superb, Joyce and I saw a four foot long puffer fish, you certainly wouldn't want that  blowing up into a ball of spikes anywhere near you.

On the sail back from Carriacou to Grenada we skirted a rain cloud then couldn't avoid another which was travelling faster than usual. As Murphy's law would predict, the furler on the genoa (foresail) decided not work as expected. This did some damage to the sail as it flogged when we couldn't get it furled away very quickly. Within 48 hours of being back in Grenada, the sailmaker and riggers of a company called 'Turbulence' have everything ship shape again. They definitely had more of a 'can do, will do' attitude towards their customers than we have experienced in the past. 

Birdseye view of Orion

I don't know who had the harder job, Dave up the mast in a big swell or me having to winch him up there - twice! Repairs completed, hoping to leave for Tobago after the weekend.