December/05 -- Back in Grenada

We are enjoying Grenada again, and are happy to finally have the easting behind us. The country looks surprisingly good after two major hurricanes. The greenery is back, most of the houses are sporting new roofs, and the people seem quite upbeat.

Unfortunately, the big old churches took a major hit, and all of them lost roofs and walls. The small congregations in the traditional churches can’t fund the rebuilding, so the structures sit damaged and deteriorating even more.

One morning the Queen Mary II, the newest and biggest cruise ship in the world, arrived in port, and many boats went out to welcome her on her maiden voyage. We took the dinghy out and met our friends Ian and Louise on Spirit of Ecstasy, who had motored around from Prickly Bay. We tied our dinghy to their big catamaran and enjoyed the experience in spacious luxury.

We spent 5 days with Pam and Chas (ex "Night Owl") helping with a few jobs on their construction site. They are building a beautiful home on the hillside overlooking the north shore with this beautiful view. It is a major undertaking, but they are doing well and already have it far enough along to be able to accommodate overnight guests.

The photo shows Cliff helping “Sleepy” with some woodworking. Notice the beautiful Guyanese purpleheart wood, which is used extensively throughout the house. We are going home with a shopping list and an invitation for a return visit in January.

We are back on the dock and enjoying visits with other cruisers like this cute French family. The little girls remind us of our granddaughters. We will leave Skylark here at the Grenada Yacht Club while we fly back to Vancouver for Christmas and a quick visit with family.