Sailing to a new Country.

We have really enjoyed Grenada and her dependent islands, but the time had come to leave and go in search of sunshine. Leaving a country means 'clearing out', fortunately this can now be done in Tyrell Bay and Darrell only had a short dinghy ride over to the office. He then spent time filling in the same forms that we filled in on arrival, but this time he had to circle departing. Luckily he had kept the parts of our entry forms from the plane so he could hand them over too. The customs officer ignored the fact that we had gone over our one month cruising permit by a couple of days (phew, that saved us ec$70!). 

Rain in Tyrell Bay.

There was a break in the rain as we lifted the dinghy, so we decided to make a break for it, which proved a smart decision, as from out to sea we watched Carriacou disappear under torrential rain and grey skies. We managed to keep on the edge of the rain on the short sail to Union Island, where we could check into the Grenadines. We anchored in the midst of a lot of yachts, with strong winds and the inevitable rain. As we were swinging a lot, Sarah stayed on board with the engine running and the emergency drill prepared, as Darrell headed off in the dinghy wearing his waterproofs. 
While he was away more boats anchored near by, but to Sarah's great relief we didn't drag the anchor or hit anything as we swung. In fact by the time a damp (well dripping significantly) Darrell returned from customs, Sarah was quite relaxed and was sorting the wifi. 
She then had to listen to Darrell's custom tale. Although the office on the quayside was open they were not clearing people in. So he had to walk to the airport. Here he saw the traditional three people, customs, immigration and someone who relieves you of money. It was ec$70.45, that was ec$70 for the cruising permit and 45 cents for the three pieces of paper he had to sign. It's good to be back in the Caribbean!
Our position in the bay by the reef enabled us to watch the kite surfers performing along the reef, or landing on it when the rain storm hit.

A Kite Surfer showing his skills off Happy Island, Clifton, Union Island.

Another showing flair

Happy Island was created by a local entrepreneur, from the huge piles of left over conch shells that were causing a problem on Union Island. It has been extended since we were here in May, and from the piles of shells waiting on a nearby beach it seems there are still plans for further developments! It's a great place for a sundowner and to watch the kite surfers doing their tricks, and it's only a short dinghy ride or swim from the boat!

Conch shells waiting for a use.