Sunday, July 17, 2011

Almost like coming Home!









7/7/2011

It was good to get back to Tyrrell Bay in Carriacou. We now know it so well—where to find the sandy patches for good anchor holding, when Denise and Lucy open their fresh fruit and veg stalls, where to buy the cheapest cases of Kronenburg 1664 beer, and all those very important answers to common cruising questions!
Many of the “Characters” on boats here, are regular live -aboards, but many of the new arrivals, are folk whose company we have enjoyed “up north”, who are also dropping down south for the hurricane season.
“Bolero”, an attractive 100footer, is such a yacht. She was built in Cape Town by Farocean about 20 years back, and is skippered & crewed by a South African couple, Mike and Sarah Kopman, who have also just bought a home in Hout Bay. We last met with them up in the BVI, and were able to catch up with their news, including their entry in the “Spirit of Tradition” class in the Antigua Classic Race Week. Mike has just paid for a gaff rigged Dudley Dix designed +/- 25ft wood and epoxy racing boat, which will probably be computer cut and packaged by our good friend Roy McBride! I sent a picture of “Bolero” to Roy, telling him about our small world, and Roy spotted a green double ender in the background. He wanted to know if it was a steel Hout Bay version of Paul Johnson’s Venus Ketch design. The answer turned out to be that it was a 100% German boat called “Pappegai”, which looked similar, but that by even greater coincidence, the boat anchored in front of us was an original Venus Ketch, called “Cherub”, owned and sailed by Paul Johnson himself!
Roy’s interest in Venus Ketches was due to the founding of the TBA, which featured this design at the time, and I was able to track down a magazine article about the man and his history, which I have no doubt Roy will share in his blog!
Jeremy and Yvonne (Jervon), arrived a few days later after making a detour via Petit St Vincent, in time to celebrate Mary’s birthday at the “Slipway Restaurant”, and a Tuna Mackeral Cerviche for supper.
We were all watching the weather carefully, hoping for a good window to head on down to Grenada. July5th looked good with an ENE breeze, and had the added benefit of a favourable Meridian passage of the moon, which would give an Easterly set of the current for much of the passage, instead of the prevailing westerly.
We chose to go down the windward side of Grenada directly to Prickly Bay, and we managed the 45 miles in just 7 hours. At times the seas were a bit lumpy where the currents rush between islands, but in the main it was lovely, with 15-20knots on the beam, and we romped along at up to 7,8knots at times.
And at long last, we caught a decent sized Blackfin Tuna, so it was sashimi for dinner….. 3 nights running!
Many of you have read “An Embarrassment of Mango’s” by Ann Vanderhoof. It is the story of Anne and Steve’s trip from Canada down the ICW, to the Bahamas, and the Caribbean to Grenada in their 40ft yacht, “Receta” It is a beautifully written tale, not only of their voyage and experiences, but also of her metamorphosis from a deadline driven Magazine editor, to a competent and laid back yachtswoman. Along the way, she shares her passion in cooking, using all the local island ingredients, with recipes at the end of each chapter…. Hence the boats name “Receta”.
We found “Receta” anchored just behind us in Bequia, and I told Anne that WE owned the most read copy of her book in the world , and how we had made our family read it in the hope that it would help them understand our crazy plans!
In Mustique, we met another Canadian couple, George and Joanne from “Romantasea”, and ended up lending them our “most read” copy, on the understanding that it HAD to be returned! When we met up with them again in St Georges, they returned the book to us, with a newly added inscription . “ To Rod and Mary, Owners of the most read copy!!!!Fair winds, wherever “Sheer Tenacity” takes you! Signed Anne Vanderhoof. “Receta” had anchored just behind ‘Romantasea” in Chatham Bay, Union Island, and showed them our book again!
Guess this copy is too special to risk lending now!!

In Anne’s spirit of sharing recipes, here’s “Sheer Tenacity’s”way of using up all those offcuts and trimmed bits of tuna, left over after preparing sushi, or seared tuna steaks!

.”Tuna Ciappino with Pasta”

1 ½ cups tuna offcuts (no dark bloodline meat)
6-8 cloves garlic
1 large onion chopped
2 red flavouring peppers
1 huge Grenada bayleaf
A sprinkle each of Oreganum,Rosemary and Thyme
Large tin of chopped tomatoes ( Hunts Fire Roasted tomatoes)
Table spoon tomato paste
Desert spoon brown sugar
Tot of Olive oil
Small tin sliced mushrooms
¼ teaspoon “Lime sauce” (a very hot Caribbean chilli sauce)
small pkt of bacon bits
1 ½ cups water
1 ½ cups pasta ( shells, elbows or spirals)

Add red wine or stock to correct consistency, and serve with fresh chopped basil as garnish! ENJOY!!