During one of my hikes I came across these two goats standing on a pile of rocks munching away. I thought it was a good shot and simply wanted to…
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Grenada is known as the Spice Island due to the amount and variety they grow. This includes the nutmeg, which is native to Indonesia and was imported to Grenada in 1843. Today Grenada is the 2nd leading producer of nutmeg and accounts for 20% of world’s production. It is so important to Grenada that the nutmeg is part of the national flag.
Christopher Columbus discovered Grenada in 1498 and named it Concepción. However, Spanish sailors found the green hills reminded them of Andalusia that they used the name Granada, after the Spanish town, instead. Even though the French settle Grenada in 1652 and the British captured it in 1762, the name remained but was altered to Grenada (first a changed to e).
Helpful Info
Population – 107,300
Money – shares the Eastern Caribbean dollar with 5 other countries and 2 British islands (fixed at US$1 = EC$2.70)
Language – English
Religion – 88.1% Christian
When to go – Dec-June is most popular. Summer is nice also, but a little hotter and more humid. Hurricanes most active Aug-Oct.
World Heritage Sites – 0 – None
Country formed – Independence from United Kingdom on 7 Feb 1974
Map of the Grenada bus system
Independence from Britain was achieved in 1974, but a coup d’état in 1979 brought Maurice Bishop into power with the idea of converting the country to communism with the help of Cuba and Russia. In late 1983 Bishop and his cabinet were executed because he did not follow through on the plan. One week later the USA intervened militarily and restored order. Since that time the country has prospered and there are still signs of gratitude.
My Visit
I first set sail for Grenada in June 2018 and have returned many times to cruise the area, run charters, and haul my boat out during hurricane season.
Likes, Dislikes, and Recommendations
Grenada is a wonderful island with several cruising areas, a lively live aboard community, and amazing nature ashore. From a boating stand point you will either be at the northern island of Carriacou, all the way down to the lower quarter of the west coast where the capital is, or all along the southern coast.
I highly recommend using Cutty for an island tour, since the man seems to know every single plant on the island and the use of each one. Also if you come to Grenada in late May to early July make sure you witness the leatherback turtles laying eggs on the beach.
About the only thing I do not care for in Grenada is dealing with customs when trying to bring parts and supplies to your boat, so be careful. You can check out more helpful hints by reading each of my Grenada blog posts below and soon I will have a travel video of Grenada available with more info.
All Blogs From Grenada
I hope everyone is had a great Thanksgiving. I found this powerline on a hike I did in Grenada. Apparently the line sagged down so instead of tensioning it up…
I hope you join me in a few hours (Wednesday 11am EST) for a new YouTube live video where I am going to explain the entire process of what I…
On Friday I told you about a hike I did up to the Concord Waterfall in Grenada once I got out of quarantine and on Sunday I told you about…
During my hike up to the Concord Waterfall in Grenada, that I told you about on Friday, I was lucky enough to come across a couple nutmeg trees. This amazing…
Getting back to the boat this year has been more difficult than usual, as you would expect with Covid out there. I’ll detail my experience next week with a YouTube…
Last blog I left you as I was motoring around the south side of Grenada on my way to Grenada Marine in St David, which is on the southeast corner…
A little over a month ago I finished up my mandatory two week, on boat quarantine in order to gain the right to be tested by the Grenada health officials….
Join me at 11am EDT today as I share with you what all it was like being in quarantine in Grenada, the process to clear in, hauling the boat and…
I really hope you join me in two hours (at 11am eastern time on 6/17/20) for my latest YouTube Live video. All you have to do is click on the…
At the beginning of February I did a 75 mile open water crossing at night by myself. I sailed from the south side of Grenada to Store Bay on the…
The last two days I have described my adventures checking out the Mt Carmel Waterfall and Clabony Sulphur Springs, both of which are outside of Grenville on the east coast….
The Clabony Sulphur Springs is a pair of pools built around the output of a natural spring. The water is only warm, but it feels good and even though it…
Taking the number 2 bus to or from Grenville will allow you to stop at the Mt Carmel Waterfall that is just outside the village of Mt Carmel. This is…
Grenada’s south coast is chocked full of bays you can anchor in, but Hog island is one of my favorite. The island protects the bay from almost all swell, so…
Richmond Hill was a very strategic location in Grenada’s history because it gave an overview of the entire harbor and town of St George’s. This is why the British had…
About a block or two up the street from the cruise ship dock in St George’s, Grenada you will find the square block area known as the Central Market. This…
The French were the first to colonize Grenada and set up the capital of St George’s (then called Ville de Fort Royal) after the first site, called Port Louis, on…
Now that I have spent some time in the amazing country of Grenada I want to share a list of anchorages found around the island in order to encourage more…
In the middle of the lush Grenada interior you will find the Seven Sisters Waterfalls cascading down cliffs and rocks to make inviting pools of water you can swim in….
Right after I dropped my Christmas charter off in St Vincent I realized that it was nice and sunny out, but I was not charging my batteries. After some diagnosing…
If you are on Grenada and want a great beach then you need to look no farther than Grande Anse Beach that sits halfway between the capital and the airport….
Every Saturday afternoon, since 1985, the Grenada Hash House Harriers (GHHH) set up a run/hike through different areas of Grenada. These hikes, that some people run when they can, are…
When I was over in Grenada last month I spent over a week tucked into the Hog Island anchorage while I wrote, worked on the website, did boat projects, and…
If you are visiting Grenada you can always get around the island by renting a car or hiring a taxi, but why do that when the buses are so easy…
I have been telling you the various places my dad and I saw when we took a day tour with Cutty (phone #473-407-5153) on the island of Grenada. We had…
Today’s “photo of the day” is from the nutmeg factory my dad and I visited during our day tour with Cutty that I have been writting about. I really wanted…
There are two airports on the tiny island nation of Grenada? Yes…..and no. Haha. There are two airports on the island, but Maurice Bishop International Airport is the only active…
Grand Etang Lake is a body of water in the crater of an extinct volcano. It is located in the rain forest highlands found in the center of Grenada at…
Today is the second entry from the day tour my dad and I did with Cutty (phone #473-407-5153) and I am talking about the mona monkeys found on Grenada. The…
When my dad came to visit and spend time on the boat in Grenada I took him on a day long tour of the island with Cutty (phone # 473-407-5153),…
One of the three ladies on my last charter was really looking forward to doing some fishing on the charter. I told her the best chance would be to troll…
I had an absolutely fantastic time in Trinidad & Tobago and I did not get to see everything I want to see in Trinidad, but I will have to come…
I have Mike Bayer with me for this episode of the Guiding Light podcast and we talking about cruising with kids. He and his wife have chosen to take a…
As I have written in the past, I left my boat in dry dock on the south coast of Grenada at Grenada Marina. Everything was fine and dandy, until I…
I have Greg and Susan talking about their first experience with blue water sailing, which they did with me as we sailed overnight from Trinidad to Grenada. They are very…
In this episode of The Cruising Life you will go offshore sailing with Capt Shane and his father as they sail Guiding Light from Grenada to Puerto Rico. The 430…
I hope you enjoyed reading about Steve and my adventures in Tobago over the last three weeks. From there we sailed to Trinidad and explored around there for several weeks…
The answer may surprise you. It is bamboo. Now I bet you are wondering why I am talking about bamboo, which is part of the Asian culture, when I have…
Many cruisers check in and hang out in Tyrrel Bay on the west coast of Carriacou at the south end of the Grenadines, but I prefer Hillsborough instead. Tyrrel Bay…
Today’s photo of the day is of my guest relaxing in the hammock at Phare Blue Marina, while their kids are off running around having fun. I wrote all about this…
Yesterday I showed you a picture of me on what looks like a sunken pirate ship mast. This post was placed off the beach of Phare Blue as a fun…
Haha. Nope, but today’s photo of the day is me jumping from a post a marina put up to look like the crows nest of a sunken pirate ship. Let…
If you are cruising around the southern shore of Grenada and you love playing music then you should check out Taffy’s Bar every Tuesday night. Taffy’s Bar is at the…
Yesterday I told you about the amazing trip I did to see leatherback turtles lay eggs. Did you read it? Well you should because it was an amazing adventure that…
The leatherback turtle is the largest sea turtle and even the largest reptile in the world that is not a crocodile. These magnificent beasts can grow up to 7 feet…
Over the last week and a half I have been sharing different aspects of our island tour with Cutty. While we loved all of it the last thing we saw…
The last couple days we have been exploring the Three Rivers Rum factory in Grenada and I bet you are wondering what happens to all that sugar cane after the…
On Grenada you will find many rum factories, but the oldest is River Antoine Rum Factory. Not only is it the oldest rum distillery in Grenada, but one of the…
Check out all the sugar cane in the fore ground of today’s photo of the day. This is going up the conveyer belt and into a crusher (in the back…
Last Tuesday I told you how much I enjoyed taking a tour on Grenada with Cutty and Thursday I told you about our first stop at a chocolate factory. Well…
The reason I love today’s photo of the day so much is that this machete sharpener reminds me of my granddad’s farm. He had an ax sharpener similiar to this…
Before this year I had never seen a cocoa pod and was really fascinated with the whole process to get cocoa from the tree and turn it into chocolate. At…
Today’s photo of the day is from the Belmont Estate in northeast Grenada. Here you can see a huge rack of coco seeds drying in the sun. This is just…
When I got to Grenada I was greeting by some friends of mine that highly suggested several things to do. One of those things was to take a Cutty Tour….
Grenada has some very well know beaches, but it also has some fantastic unknown beaches. Today’s photo of the day is one of those unknown beaches. What do you think…
As we were walking back from Fort George, which I wrote about last Thursday, we found the Grenada National Museum. The museum is housed in a 1704 historic building that started off…
Did you get the pun from above? Because the photo is of cannons that shoot. haha 🙂 Yesterday I share the history of the fort overlooking the entrance to the…
Grenada was first settled by the French in 1649. In 1705 they built Fort George on the peninsula on the western part of St George’s harbor is Fort George. Now…
I loved writing about the underwater scupture garden in Grenada yesterday and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. In my opinion, it is the best site in Grenada and…
In 2006 Jason deCaires Taylor began placing underwater sculptures in Molinere Bay on the west coast of Grenada (just two miles north of St George). Thus, the British artist started…
Last week I post a photo of the day of my favorite underwater sculpture in Grenada and told you I would write all about this amazing site this week. That…
In June I had a charter in Grenada with a wonderful family that included two boys age 14 and 12. On Friday we sailed to the town of Gouyave to…
If you ever find yourself looking for something to do on a Friday night in Grenada then all you have to do is head to the town of Gouyave. This…
On the 15 miles sail south from Carriacou to Grenada (remember they are part of the same country) you will pass by a few small uninhabited islands. What you don’t…
Grenada has a wonderful and fairly famous underwater sculpture garden, which I will write about extensively next week. Today I want to use my favorite of the sculptures and feature…
I hope you did not mind the interruption of our cruise through the Windward Islands with a few blogs about the Bahamas over the last several days. Tomorrow I hope…
On Sunday I told you all about Sandy Island. Well, we loved it so much that we spent several hours ashore and ended up spending the night moored off the…
Yesterday I wrote about how awesome Sandy Island, off of Carriacou in the southern part of the Grenadines, was and how we ended up spending the night moored off the…
On the western end of the bay with the town of Hillsborough there is a tiny island called Sandy Island. It is less than half a mile off the main…
Tomorrow I am going to write all about the tiny island off Carriacou called Sandy Island. This little sandbar offered so much more than we expected and we spent the…
On the hills high above Hillsborough on Carriacou Island in the Grenadines there is a hundred year old hospital and it has two cannons at the view point. From here…
On Sunday I left you at Petite Martinique where we had just entered Grenadian water after sailing a whole half mile from Petite St Vincent. In that blog I talked…
I will be writing about Hillborough later this week with all the sights we saw and how wonderful the little town was, but today I want to focus on one…
At the southern end of the Grenadines there are two tiny islands that are separated by half a mile physically and a world apart in spirit. Both islands are protected…
I was sitting on a beach on Carriacou Island after checking into the country of Grenada and saw this local fisherman heading out to fish. I thought it was a…
Remember last year how Melek and I did a six-week cruise through the Leeward Islands? Well this year I will be cruising the Windward Islands partly on my own and…
This is a question you will ask a lot in the eight countries that use the East Caribbean dollar (EC$). All eight of these countries are former British territories, except…