Since my last post, Susan has returned to Raconteur (on the 14th of February), and I have left and returned (out to Lauderdale on the 15th, back on board on the 19th). The solar project took place mostly while I was away, but I was back for the final connections and the first power on the 20th; we are just thrilled with it so far. It powers the fridge, the computers and the phones and keeps the batteries at a reasonable level throughout; our inverter is not big enough for getting hot water using only solar, but we have found a couple of improvisations for that - a solar shower (the water heats during the day and we just hang it on the transom when we want to wash off the salt and shower in the late afternoon), and a small teakettle that we use to heat water to wash dishes.
I ran the gen for an hour or so this morning, as it was raining and I wanted to charge up the pc for managing some photos; I think that is only the second time since in nine days. We had been running it TWICE a day just to keep up with the refrigeration needs. So, the solar project (two 205-watt panels, mounted above the bimini and over the transom) is on its way to being well worth the money, time and aggravation.
Meanwhile, however, we missed a good window for going north, and then rejected, probably mistakenly, a fair window. At the moment we are looking at winds 20 gusting near 30 and seas well over 10 feet, so it's a no-go. Our redoubtable weather guru Chris Parker says we will see the wind down in the 18-20 range and seas down to 8 feet at an 8 second interval by late Friday into Saturday, so IF that holds we will make a first jump, from Grenada to Bequia in the Grenadines. Next week's forecast models have not yet converged (one has much milder conditions than the other), but we think we might get a second window around the 10th of March. We want to be in Martinique by the 12th, and we fly on the 15th to Paris and then on to Nice.
Our stay here in Grenada continues to be delightful, despite the future-travel-date stress. Leigh took a "watercolor for dummies" class last week and will take a second; I even produced a first effort that is not totally embarrassing (see above). I'm really doing it for fun, and it was that.
We are continuing to (mostly) cook on board, though I never seem to be able to remember what we've had. Let's see - more callaloo soup, more pumpkin soup, a first attempt at christophene soup (delicious - we had it cold); chickpea and cauliflower curry; a fresh grouper filet (about a pound and three quarters) dusted in flour, dipped in egg and cream, dipped in panko, and sauteed in butter; geera pork; guacamole and salsa island-style. I'm going to try a callaloo lasagne tomorrow.
I'm sure I am forgetting many things; here is a slideshow (sorry, lots of boat project and at-the-dock photos). I am playing with Picasa's new photo effects (sorry Alex) - just to keep things interesting.
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