Commissioning

After sitting in the boatyard for several months, it always takes some time to get Callisto ready to sail.  There is general clean-up, buying and stowing provisions, refilling propane tanks, and all the rest.  We can generally launch the boat after 3 days or so of work, but there are inevitably many chores still to be done before we can sail.

This year, like last year, we initially had a lot of trouble with the outboard engine on our dinghy.  These little motors simply do not like to be left sitting in the tropical heat for months at a time.  We had actually (at the last minute) asked the boat yard to check out the engine before we launched, but we had troubles anyway.  A big part of this was due to the fact that the mechanic had switched two fuel lines when reassembling the engine.  It took David a couple of days to figure this out.  Then, because of the huge rainstorms that we experienced at the time, we got some water in our fuel tank.  This is not a good way to make an engine happy.  We finally got everything sorted out, though.

All last year we had a problem with the instrument that tells us wind speed and direction.  It worked maybe 5% of the time.  So, when we laid the boat up in May we asked the local technicians to fix it while we were away.

Well, of course, nothing was done until we arrived in Grenada in December.  Then we had to order parts.  These come from Sint Maarten, and are supposed to arrive in Grenada within 7 working days.  This is wildly optimistic when the 7-day period straddles Christmas and New Year’s.  So, we had to sit around the harbor for another week, waiting for the parts to arrive.

This allowed us to experience the fabulous Hash House Harriers.  This is an organization on Grenada (and in other countries) that arranges treks through the woods.  The trail maker (“Hare”) puts small clumps of shredded paper to mark the trail (sort of Hänsel and Gretel in the 21^st century).  There are intentional false trails.  And there is mud.

Some people run, and some walk, and some do a mixture.  It is usually pretty rugged, but always beautiful.  A hundred, or even two hundred, people participate.  And after the journey, there is cheap beer and local food.  Great fun.

Finally, parts arrived, were installed, and off we sailed for Carriacou.  After a couple of days on that island, we cleared out of Grenada and sailed to Bequia, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.