A Week Aboard S/V Sabado: 7/30/2023 – 8/6/2023

Good morning! Did you watch our latest YouTube video? It’s a fun one!

Last Sunday we decided to go for a sail. The wind was light, but we wanted to try regardless. We ditched our mooring ball, hoisted the sails, and shut off the engines. We were moving slowly, but we were moving nonetheless! It was all smiles for Sabado & crew.

We had ~6kn of apparent wind, and our SOG was ~4kn. We were too lazy to rig up the gennaker, but the main and jib were able to carry us for a couple of hours of fun on the water.

Eventually, we lost the wind, dropped the sails, and got back onto our ball. Playtime was over! Without a breeze, the afternoon heat quickly became unbearable. We took the dinghy to shore and camped out in the closest air-conditioned cafe. We ordered smoothies and kicked back until we all got goosebumps.

We returned to the boat that evening and introduced Nick and Megan to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Shortly after the sun had set, loud music filled the anchorage. We’re still a ways away from Carnival, but the celebrations have already begun! 

We stayed up late that night to welcome Ben and Ashley on Nahoa back to Grenada. Coming off of an Atlantic crossing, their midnight arrival officially marked the completion of their circumnavigation.

We turned on our deck lights and cheered as they got onto a mooring ball in front of us. What an accomplishment! They sailed the same boat for eight years through a global pandemic and the birth of their two children. If you haven’t been following along on their adventure, you’ve been missing out!

The next day we ran some errands, then swam all afternoon to combat the heat.

That evening, Ben and Ashley invited us over for happy hour. The six of us hung out in their cockpit and chatted about their journey, swapping tips and tricks about routes, insurance, and safety. 

Tuesday morning, I decided to execute my next sourdough experiment: blueberry oatmeal muffins. This is my favorite go-to recipe! I used coconut oil instead of butter in the batter, and this time I added 1/2c sourdough discard (subtracting 1/4c flour and 1/4c water from the ingredients). They turned out perfect! We ate the entire batch that day.

Ray decided to put our sunshade up on the bow that afternoon. It’s a chore to set up, but it is so worth it! With the added shade, it doubles the amount of usable space on the boat while the sun is up. It also shades the saloon, making the boat’s interior significantly cooler! We spent the rest of the day rotating between the water and the bow.

Nick and Megan’s flight was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, so we went out that night for one last group dinner. The four of us have been living together aboard Sabado for two weeks now, and the time has flown by. There have been many pots of coffee, late-night chats, and laughter. If you guys are reading this: you’re welcome back anytime! ❤️ We picked a beachfront restaurant, watched a fantastic sunset, and promised to reunite again soon… maybe in the Pacific?

Megan went for her last swim in the Caribbean Sea the next morning before we took them to shore.

Just as we were about to put them in a taxi to the airport, they were notified of a flight delay. We sat down in a nearby restaurant to wait it out. Their flight kept getting pushed back, so we brought them back to Sabado for a while longer. Everyone sat around, chatting, while I addressed our abundance of ripe fruit. Remember last week when we were given 27 mangos? Well, they simultaneously became perfectly ripe, so I cut up what we couldn’t eat to freeze.

I cooked everyone one last meal (“one last group dinner” #2!), and we lounged around on the bow until we reluctantly took Nick and Megan back to shore to catch their flight later that evening.

We woke up Thursday morning to a message from Nick: their flight had been canceled, and the airline had put them up in a hotel until Saturday! Ray and I spent the day catching up on the chores we’d neglected, and we all agreed to have “one last group dinner” #3 the next night. 

We met up Friday evening at our favorite sushi spot. Those two are notoriously optimistic, so we laughed about the situation and celebrated the opportunity to hang out again. We parted ways that night… for real this time! Their flight finally took off Saturday afternoon. 

Ray and I were planning on sailing back toward Ronde Island today for a change of scenery, but with how quickly carnival is approaching, we’ve decided it might be in our best interest to hold on to our current mooring ball. The population in Grenada increases by ~40% during carnival, and we’re not sure if we’d be able to find a spot for Sabado if we were to leave and return… so today might just be a boat project day! 

I hope you had a great week. ❤️