the boat

A collection of 38 posts

family

we made it!

We were so excited when we boarded the plane! Soon after they made an announcement that we were waiting on the pilot and they weren't even sure if he was legal to fly since he was coming off another flight. Luckily everything was all good and we were on our

family

farewell grenada

Lots of work goes into leaving a boat for an extended amount of time - filling tanks, flushing toilets, washing and vacuum sealing clothes/sheets/towels, propping up mattresses. The check list goes on and on. It took us several days, but I think we got it all done. We're

family

yesterday was a long day

Yesterday was Emma's turn... she got to see her 4th grade class! She was so excited and couldn't stop talking about seeing her teacher and her class. One of the hardest things for the girls has been leaving their friends. I'm so, so happy that both their amazing teachers were

family

haul out day

Today was a big day... Olivia started the morning as a surprise special guest for her 1st grade class! She got all dressed up with a headband, lip gloss and a dress she got here in Grenada. Braden and I joked this morning was the most she's brushed her hair

family

hog island

Our first visit to Hog Island was on Easter. We haven't been back since, but we're anchored nearby so this weekend we took a dinghy ride over to the island. We met up with some boating friends, and the local kids we met over Easter were also there. The girls

family

island life

We haven't been up to very much lately, which is why there haven't been any posts in a while. We've spent a lot of time at the beach, swimming, hanging out with new friends, sailing lessons and checking out the wildlife. We're heading back to Minnesota soon, so we've been

family

seven sisters

Today was the day to cross another waterfall off our list. We saved this for last because it is the hardest to get to. There are actually seven waterfalls (hence the name Seven Sisters), but three through seven are more difficult to get to. The path was pretty muddy and

family

beach and bingo

It was a beautiful day for a beach day. Last night we went to one of the other marina restaurants for dinner. Turns out Tuesday is trivia night. The girls really wanted to play... and surprisingly they are pretty good at it. Fun fact - Olivia named our trivia team

family

can't stand the rain

Fun fact - Grenada has two seasons: dry season (January to May) and wet season (June to December). It's not quite June yet, but the rain has started. We were cooped up for two days on the boat while it rained pretty much all day. As a bonus... the boat

family

chocolate fest

This week was the Grenada Chocolate Festival. Saturday was family day. There was a make your own chocolate ball station, painting, face painting and kids yoga. We ran into a couple other families we know, so the girls had a great time with some friends. Fun fact - Grenada is

family

return to grenada

Do we stay, or do we go? That was the question this morning when we got up. We decided we were ready to head back to Grenada for the next couple weeks. It was a beautiful 6 hour sail. We've been pretty impressed with how well the girls handle sailing,

family

back to carriacou

We woke up this morning with no real plans. We decided the water was too rough to try to swim with the turtles again, so we dropped the mooring ball and headed on our way. Braden has had a fishing trip in Alaska planned for a long time. We knew

family

swimming with turtles

We did end up staying in Mayreau another day... and this trip to the beach we had the camera! Two things that have gotten a ton of use in the last month... (1) the paddleboard, and (2) masks and snorkels. So far all the islands we've been to have had

family

much better

Last night was not the best. Poor Emma got sick right after dinner. Not sure if it was the food or all the rolling the boat was doing or a combination of both. She got some fresh air, water and fell asleep outside in the cockpit. Luckily this morning she

family

on to the next one

This morning Braden and Emma headed into town to clear out of Grenada. We've been here since April 1st and were ready to visit another country for a little while. What we thought would be a fairly quick trip to customs and immigration turned out to be a 2 hour

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on to a new island

Good weather was forecast for Thursday, so we decided it was time to move on to the next island in Grenada. But first we had to get around the active volcano in the ocean. That is not a joke. Fun fact - there is actually an active volcano in the

family

full day tour

Today we decided to be tourists and signed up for a full day tour. We started at a waterfall, followed by a chocolate factory, rum distillery and ended at a national park. The tour pretty much took us around the entire island and to places we haven't been before. First

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waterfall promise

Saturday we made good on a deal we had with Emma and went back to the waterfall she couldn't swim in when she hurt her foot. She was one very happy girl. They spent hours jumping and swimming, we had lunch and then they spent more hours jumping and swimming.

family

farmers markets

We probably went to 1 (maybe 2) farmer's markets before coming to Grenada. Here we know the farmer's market schedules, who has the best stuff, when the lady sells the juice out of her van and have been to many roadside stands for fresh produce. We're regulars, and most of

family

great day for sail

Our friends leave tomorrow, so we decided for their final day in Grenada it was only appropriate to take them out on a day sail. We sailed for a couple hours, then grabbed a mooring ball near the beach so we could swim for a while before heading back to

family

beach day

It was a beautiful day to relax at the beach and pool. Fun facts for Austin: Grenada has over 45 beaches, and by law all beaches in Grenada are public. Give Olivia some sand and a bucket and she can play all day. Well... we tried and failed miserably at

family

chocolate and a waterfall

Our first stop this morning took us to the House of Chocolate. Emma has been wanting to go here for weeks. It is a boutique, cafe and mini-museum all about the history of chocolate. Fun fact for Austin: Cacao trees were first introduced in Grenada in 1714 by the French.

family

what a day

I would use an expletive there... but we are trying to keep this site family friendly. It all started out like any other day. We dropped our mooring ball and headed into a marina for the next week while our friends are visiting. We loved being on the mooring ball

kids

oops

This is what the girls have been waiting for... A lot of fun was had today. Unfortunately I made a rookie mistake and let them spend a couple hours playing in the water without sunscreen because it was overcast. They will pay the price for the next couple days. While

family

we're off the dock

Wednesday mornings is the market at the marina. There are people selling homemade crocheted goodies, fruits, vegetables, eggs, homemade pesto, homemade jams, fresh juice, meat and baked goods. It gets busy with all the cruisers, so you have to get there early or they run out of the good stuff