Etappe 65, Tyrrel Bay til Prickly Bay
Fredag 10. februar 2023. I dag seilte vi videre til Dragon Bay. Før vi kom til Dragon Bay måtte vi passere Kick 'em Jenny, en undersjøisk vulkan som er aktiv og sørger for at gasser gjør tettheten i vannet så lavt at båter kan miste flyteevnenr. Det er i kartet merket av en sirkel som er sikkerhetssonen. Vi passerte akkurat i ytterkant, men kunne ikke sen noe til den. Underveis møtte vi Off Course som skulle samme sted. I Dragon Bay er det en skulpturpark under vann. Vi snorklet men vannet var grumset av strøm og bølger slik at det var vanske å se stort mer enn en meter under vann. Et par av mange skulpturer ble sett. Litt skuffet dro vi vider til Prickly Bay, en tur på 8,3 nautiske mil. Der var der allerede mange båter, men vi fant en plass fikk ut ankeret. Off Course fant en plass rett ved.
Fra noonsite:
Description:
"Located at the southwestern end of Grenada this large open bay is the unofficial HQ of the annual cruiser community and is often packed with boats which are at anchor, on moorings, at the marina or on the hard. The bay is completely open to the south so some continual rolling due to swells can be expected.
Cruiser Highlights:
Pleasant setting; well-organized customs and immigration for inward and outward clearance; well-stocked chandleries; low-duty supplies and parts; boatyards and strong marine trades; adequate provisioning (although good supermarkets are a car-ride away); affordable restaurants and bars; good transportation including an international airport; healthcare; great hiking; local rum and chocolate; varied tourism options and international yachting events.
Cruisers VHF net runs Monday to Saturday VHF Ch 66 from 7:30 am. Standby, 68 during the day and night.
Entry notes and cautions:
Approach from south-west with caution. The Porpoises - a group of rocks located about half a mile south of Prickly Point - are sometimes awash and difficult to spot, being about 3 ft above sea level at low tide. A reef extends the full length of the eastern shore. True Blue Point should be given a wide berth owing to shoaling just offshore.
There are three large-diameter concrete and steel post channel markers on the final approaches on Spice Island haulout and the Budget Marine dock in Prickly Bay. The cruising community in Prickly Bay are doing their best to maintain the lights on these markers and ensure they are lit. See this facebook page for more details.
Great care should be taken if navigating at night. A cruiser died in December 2017 after colliding at night with one of these.
Extreme caution is advised if driving your dinghy at night here. There are a lot of darkened boats and vacant moorings to run into so drive at a sensible, safe speed.
If a tropical storm is forecast, this bay can become untenable and the moorings are not designed for holding in storm conditions. It is recommended to move your boat to a more protected anchorage to the east (Scotland Bay is a good choice), or even to Port Louis."