Gouyave and St. George's, Grenada

Looking in the direction of Kick Em Jenny, Grenada's underwater volcano

We left Sandy Island soon after we woke and headed towards Grenada, giving Kick 'em Jenny a wide berth.  Underwater eruptions in early May had raised the alert level, prompting a request to mariners to observe a 5km exclusion zone around the volcano.  Although it is extremely unlikely that the volcano will erupt just as someone is passing over it, the potential consequences of such an event are scary.  These include ballistic projectiles and decreased water density caused by gas bubbles (meaning: boats could lose buoyancy and sink).

We made a day stop at the town of Gouyave (pronounced 'gwahve'), where we were warmly welcomed by two men sitting on the fishing dock.  After a brief walk through the main town, we stopped for a tour of the Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station, where we saw the workers sorting, processing, and packaging the nutmegs.  It smelled incredible in there!  Next, we took a short walk on a road leading out of town for some beautiful views.  

hillside in Gouyave

visiting the nutmeg factory in Gouyave

Our next stop in Grenada was a mooring field near the underwater sculpture park that Marin had been particularly eager to visit.  We picked up a mooring ball, launched the dinghy, and tied to a buoy near the sculptures.  It is a popular tourist site, and many people choose to take guided snorkeling tours.  There were two such groups there when we arrived; we followed one at a discreet distance to more quickly find the sculptures.  Since their 2006 installation, they have suffered some damage, but were nonetheless impressive.  The water was a bit murky so we don't have very many photos, unfortunately.  We spent the night on the mooring ball, then motored the short distance to St. George's.

floating over the underwater sculptures

On our second try, we got a good anchor set (the anchorage outside St. George's is known for poor holding) and went to shore to explore.  We stopped first at the Port Louis Marina, where we found our good friends, Mike and Eva from SV Tell Tales Again.  It was nice to catch up with them both in their slip and later at the marina pool.  

Next we went over to town to explore.  The Saturday market was huge, with spices, fruits and vegetables, clothing, handmade items, and even watch repair.  It was crowded with both locals and visitors undeterred by the off and on rain showers.  As is our usual habit, we also walked uphill to get some better views.  We returned to Counting Stars after spending the afternoon by the pool with Mike and Eva.  In the morning we would leave for Clarke's Court Bay at the south end of the island.

St. George's, Grenada

sunset from the St. George's anchorage