SERENITY NOW

  As the drama of an uncomfortable overnight crossing up from Trinidad slowly fades from the front of our minds, we ease ourselves back to the good life in Grenada. We’re back in Woburn Bay, anchored opposite Whisper Cove marina once more.. This means peaceful evenings listening to the cicadas, palm fringed surrounding hills, lambi boys waving as they whizz by on their way to work, and the friendly familiarity of the cruiser’s radio Net Being here also means no limit Texas hold ‘em on the shaded veranda of Whisper Cove Marina as the sun goes down on a Friday night. 21 players; All the usual suspects I’ve played before are there. There’s also a good smattering of assorted pirates, hillbillies and cowboys with whom I hadn’t previously had the pleasure. The first game back turned out to be a slow one with lots of chat at the table. Some wonderful hands came my way, and with a few lucky all-in calls, some hours later I come away with the win - splitting the cash with Steve the landlor...

  We’re anchored in Chaguaramas bay up on the NW corner of Trinidad. Our idyllic return to life back on the water was somewhat spoiled by the bilge pump going off shortly after we splashed back in. One bucket worth of salty water had appeared in the bilge an hour after we launched. I spent a frustrating afternoon lifting floorboards trying to track down the source. At time of writing (the next morning), happily with now drier bilges, I have a working theory that the water was not newly added, but had in fact been present during our long stay on land, but wasn’t visible due to our tilted position… time will tell. The good news: I don’t think we’re sinking just yet! Last night, for the first time in a long time, in pleasantly cooling temperatures, we were gently rocked to sleep. Small lapping waves kissing the hull, and we enjoyed a pleasing absence of any mosquitos. The only disturbance was around 2am when ‘DJ Steve’ in a thick Trinidadian accent, loudly and repeatedly asked if his ...