The distance from Union Island to Grenada is about 40NM. We first went to Grenada and skipped Carriacou on our way south. We would visit Carriacou when going north again. The best way to see St. George’s, Grenada capital is on foot. And there is no better place to start than Market Square. This popular market is in the heart of Grenada’s commercial centre. The market square was once used as a place for public executions, trading slaves, political speeches today farmers and spice vendors sell their produce in abundance to locals and visitors. In the market, you won’t find more tropical fruits and vegetables than anywhere else. Here you find all the different herbs and spices that are growing on the island. A great place to buy spice- baskets with nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, cloves and much else besides. To reach the centre walk via the Sendall Tunnel named after Governor Walter J Sendall in 1889. The tunnel was constructed to connect the Market square.
In this area, you also find Grenada’s National Museum, the Christ of The Deep Monument, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, the Parliament Building together with the Supreme Court, the Anglican Church (1825), the Presbyterian Church. Many historical buildings were damaged during the passage of Hurricane Ivan on September 7th 2004. Fort George, Grenada’s oldest fort was established by the French in 1705 and is the centrepiece of the St George’s skyline. You can explore the dank tunnels and climb to the top to see the cannons and bird’s-eye views.
The Carenage of St. George has one of the most beautiful harbours in the Caribbean, a perfect horseshoe shape, gives the visitor their first sight of paradise. The name “Carenage” is French for “safe anchorage”. When you take your walk along the Carenage lined with fishing boats you will see pretty Georgian buildings some still have fish scale tiles and ornate verandahs. It’s a very pretty and bustling port. Full of life. Container ships loading and unloading and cheerful fishermen in colourful fishing boats. People going about their daily lives. Fishermen selling their fish to locals and a man swimming in the harbour. Be adventurous and take a local bus! It works easy: the bus has numbers 1, 2 or 3 and all go some way. Just sit and wait till you arrive where you want to go and pay. I think we had to pay 3.50 EC or so. Very cheap.  It’s fun, safe and frequent! Also offers a perfect view of the marina where you can admire the mega yachts.
You are not allowed to anchor in the Carenage area. You can anchor right outside in St. George Bay which is not really comfortable. Quite rolly. But easy for provisioning, going to the Yacht club, visiting the town and dinghy to Grand Anse Beach. At the markets behind Grand Anse beach, you can buy pre-packaged selections of herbs, neatly presented in a basket or calabash shells and many souvenirs. We stayed here for about 3 days together with our friends from Living Daylights. The Italian/Peruvian family we have been making an island tour within St. Lucia. Next was going south. We were told that Hog Island was a great place to go. And you should definitely not miss this place. And certainly not the famous Roger’s Barefoot Beach Bar. Be careful sailing in the Bay as there are many reefs everywhere around. The Bay was packed with boats and … wrecks. Many many wrecks. The bar is a small wooden shed and there were not many people. Apparently it’s only busy on Sundays when they organise a BBQ. We did not really like the place. There are a few restaurants around. The best, however, is the Meat & Meet Butcher at Le Phare Bleu Petite Calivigny, St George’s, Grenada. THE BEST! Just stock your freezer completely. The best meat we had in a long long time!  Follow the link for their website: http://www.meatandmeetmarket.com
We stayed in Hog bay for maybe 2 days and then we left. Going North again. All in all, we have not seen a lot of the island. It’s hard to decide if we would like the island. But not sure if we would be coming back ….

 

 

Grenada is a group of three larger islands (Grenada, Carriacou, and Petit Martinique) and several tiny islands in the Caribbean, or West Indies. It lies just northeast of Trinidad and Tobago, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is famous for spices and is known as the Spice Isle, being a major source of Nutmeg and Mace, Tumeric (saffron), Cloves, Ginger, Bay leaf, Cinnamon, and Allspice (Pimento). Grenada is a popular point for cruisers to either stay for hurricane season or to turn westward towards Panama. Its sister islands include Carriacou, Petite Martinique, Ronde Island, Caille Island, Diamond Island, Large Island, Saline Island, and Frigate Island.