Yes – we’re still in Carriacou ( Grenada) and are still biding our time like so many others. The couple of charters that we had rescheduled for this year have had to be cancelled due to ongoing UK travel restrictions which means we have not made any money for the last 15 months and have really had to tighten our belts. I’m sure lots of people think we’re out here living like we’re on a constant holiday, but that is not our reality – we couldn’t afford it for a start! Owning a boat is like owning a home….there are always the daily chores to be done and of course maintenance ( which usually takes 3 times longer than anticipated and uncovers other jobs that need to be done!!). One day in March, we had moved up the coast a little to check out another anchorage and when we were ready to leave, both engines failed. Shawn managed to get one started so that we could return to the previous anchorage. Once there, he had a look to try and figure out the issue, only to discover that both engines had different problems which he was able to remedy, but, what are the chances of both engines failing at exactly the same time for different reasons? Weird. We spend much of our time on our laptops reading the news, catching up with family/friends news, and watching tv. Shawn has done some fishing off the back of the boat and we’ve had as fresh as you can get Calamari and even managed to (almost) replicate a fabulous Fish Chowder that we always used to have at one of our favourite places in Bequia. Ally signed up to do a Diploma in Marine Biology to fill some time and passed with a Distinction. It’s something she really enjoyed, but isn’t convinced all that information will stay put in her brain! Having not done any diving for a good few years due to an unexplained freak out, she is looking forward to giving it another try very soon. Shawn is currently working on our dive compressor and scuba tanks. We’ve had the compressor onboard for 10 years, but only used it a couple of times as it’s been easier ( and quieter) to take tanks ashore to a dive shop for refilling, especially with charter guests on board. He is running it, doing some tank fills, changing filters etc and testing the air quality. Once all is good, we’ll take Imagination over to a small, uninhabited island with a gorgeous reef teeming with life within the next couple of weeks so that we can do some nice relaxed, shallow dives to get back into the “dive vibe”.
We took our corrupted Micro SD Card in to a technician to have last years photos and videos recovered, but it was unsuccessful which is really frustrating. It still seems to be on ongoing issue. Even with a new micro sd card in the phone, we still run into “issues” every few days and lose photos etc , so we now move everything to a laptop as soon as possible. Really not sure what the problem is, but it is extremely irritating – we will maybe have to have the mobile phone looked at once we get home.
Calamari 
On April 9th, Soufriere, the volcano in St Vincent explosively erupted. After rumbling for 6 months, effusively erupting for 4 of those, it sent a massive plume of ash and gases 8km high. Thankfully, local villages had been evacuated so there were no deaths or injuries, but it caused total devastation in the North of the island as it continued to erupt time and again, sometimes with pyroclastic flow over the following weeks. It covered the whole area in thick layers of ash causing roofs to collapse and thick, unbreathable air. The initial ash cloud was so high it caught the high level winds that took it East to Barbados and as the debris fell it caught the lower level winds which blew it back West/South West, so even here in Carriacou, 70 miles away, Imagination was covered in volcanic ash, inside and out which took weeks to completely clean up. Even though the volcano appears to have settled down there are still many displaced people/families who have no home to return to, which was made worse by the heavy rains that followed at the end of April that caused floods and landslides and swept thick waves of ash through homes and streets. With hundreds of people in shelters, there was also an issue with the spread of covid, with some people refusing to be tested. Poor St. Vincent.
Life is pretty easy here with regards to COVID-19. There is still a midnight to 4am curfew, which hardly seems worth it, but everything is open for business. There have been no cases here for some time, but there have been a couple of occasions when people have entered the country illegally on boats from Trinidad and St Vincent. Grenadian citizens who were aware of these events notified the authorities and they were very quickly found, tested and dealt with. Luckily all tests were negative – both countries still have many cases. The Ministry Of Health here obviously remains anxious that everyone stays alert and follows the protocols with regards to social distancing, hand sanitising etc because of this threat. Having initially had our names added to a list of “visitors” that would be interested in being vaccinated at the start of the vaccination program, all non-resident “yacht people” and home owners were eventually given permission to have the AstraZeneca jab of which we’ve had both doses. Local uptake has been very slow, which is the same in most Caribbean countries it seems, and as a result Grenada is currently on the UK Amber travel list. This means we would need to do 10 days self isolation if/when we get back, with PCR tests on Days 2 and 8. There is a possibility the need for this quarantine period will be ditched with just the need for daily testing very soon. We have just booked flights home for August and are keeping everything crossed that it goes ahead this time.
We have, of course, been able to spend time in the company of friends and have had some fantastic days/evenings. We have been down to Grenada with friends a couple of times to do a “big shop” and on one of those occasions, in February, we had a superb evening out to celebrate Mike’s birthday at a wonderful Italian restaurant (after a rather indulgent happy hour at another place before hand). Once we had finished eating, the owner, Antonio, joined us, along with his wife, and spoiled us with copious amounts of his home made lemoncello and passioncello. Needless to say, some of us weren’t feeling too chipper the following morning! In March, we took part in our first ever full moon dinghy drift which is where people living on their boats get together in their dinghy’s about an hour before sunset, tie up together and enjoy drinks and nibbles as they drift around the anchorage until dark. I don’t know quite how we managed it, but we didn’t collide with any yachts! We did an afternoon cruise for a group of local young people in May which was great fun, celebrated Ally’s birthday on the beach this month and listened to live music…but our penultimate day out was one of the best. It was one of those days that will forever remain in our memory – even if we do it again, and I’m sure we will – it won’t be quite the same as that first time. We had arranged to do an island tour/rum shop tour with a group of friends, but Mike and Moira who were providing the transport had converted their vehicle into a “tour bus” that included seating, a table, drink holder slot, a cool box storage area and a large speaker complete with microphone. We had an absolute blast as we travelled around the island with various stops which included a picnic lunch and later in the afternoon, a hog roast. It was all topped off with Andy entertaining the “crowds” at a karaoke bar in town. Absolutely hilarious.
Live music 
Tour bus 
Dinghy Drift 
The night at Antonio’s
With hurricane season upon us once again, we are watching the National Hurricane Centre website 3 times a day. Hopefully this year, we’ll be able to haul out and have Imagination safely strapped down whilst we go home for a long overdue visit!
