Re-fitted and Ready to go
- heloisebuckland
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
On 26th January, with much sadness, Saecwen took her departure of the Eastern Caribbean island of Grenada. For the last four weeks this beautiful, welcoming island had provided us with a safe haven in a multitude of ways.
First and foremost, after over 7,000 miles of constant sailing since we left Lymington in May last year, the boat was in urgent need of a refit to prepare her for the next phase of our adventures. The last few months in the tropics had particularly taken their toll. Exacerbated no doubt by the intense humidity of the equatorial zone, numerous electrical faults needed chasing down and rectifying, not least the repair of our large secondary alternator (an essential source of electricity generation), which had been progressively failing.
In addition, the time spent in the nutrient rich waters of the rivers of Brazil and the Guianas had ensured Saecwen’s bottom had become Increasingly covered in marine growth. Despite regular scrapings to remove the tropical barnacles and think algae, the prop and hull were starting to look a bit like an underwater garden. Our 80-meter anchor chain, no doubt worn down by so much use in the last several months, had lost most of its galvanising and was now becoming horribly rusty. Meanwhile, it was becoming increasingly apparent that the efficiency of our batteries was in rapid decline. So, based at the welcoming Clarkes Court Boat yard on Grenada’s southern coast, in one of the island’s sheltered inlets that looked a bit like South Devon (with much more sunshine),we hauled the boat out of the water and a major refit got under way.
After a good scrub, her bottom was repainted with two new coats of antifouling paint, and the rusty chain was replaced with a gleaming new length of galvanised steel links - which we painted in 10-meter intervals to mark our depth at anchor. Â We replaced all of our principal batteries, which was a massive task given batteries tend to live in the most inaccessible places and lugging these extremely heavy items on and off the boat was no small undertaking.
Our faulty alternator was repaired by brilliant local electricians, who also de-snagged a number of other electrical faults. Charlie meanwhile was able to apply four new coats of varnish to our exterior brightwork, such as the hatches and the wheel– which had inevitably suffered in the fierce tropical sun. Â
However, Grenada was not all hard work. We explored its lush interior, visiting the amazing Belmont Estate cocoa plantation and chocolate factory and hiking up to the summit of Mount Qua Qua, one of the highest peaks in the island’s mountainous rainforest. A highlight was celebrating Heloise’s birthday by scrambling up a rainforest path to swim in the famous Seven Sisters Waterfalls. What a treat to swim in fresh water!  We saw in the New Year with lively soca vibes and fireworks on the beach at Grand Anse, along with what seemed most of the population of the island. We also explored the inlets and islands of the island’s southern coast in the kayaks with a very memorable New Year’s Day on Hog Island with sunshine, reggae and fresh lobster barbecue. Heloise was even able to fit in a quick trip to visit her team and various operations of HUSK, her business in Vietnam and Cambodia.
With her newly polished topsides and shiny varnish work gleaming in the Caribbean sunshine and a multitude of jobs finally ticked off from the long list in Saecwen’s Book of Snags, the boat was put back into the water in the second week in January. It was time to make ready for our departure West. After loading her up with water, fuel, fresh produce - and considerable quantities of Grenada’s excellent local rum and chocolate - all that was left was to and clear out with customs and immigration.
We spent our last night on a mooring off the island’s capital St Georges and in the early hours of the 28th Saecwen slipped away heading due west – to spread her wings and run once more before the northeast trade winds.