We were going to "stow away" overnight on the Yankee Clipper, so that afternoon we made our way over to St. George's to get a look at the ship and see a little of the "city" when it wasn't packed with Saturday market-goers. I think the harbor at St. George's (the Carenage) is one of the prettiest in the Caribbean. The town itself is on the hillside overlooking the horseshoe-shaped harbor. There is a well-preserved fort set on a promontory, and most of the homes are brick or stone and have orange-tiled roofs. Quite picturesque! I found it interesting that wooden houses were banned from St. George's in the late 18th century because of two catastrophic fires that leveled the city. The streets are narrow, and you can stroll the winding maze through the town quite easily if you don't mind a few hills.
In the outer harbor of St. George's lies the remains of the Costa Cruise liner the Bianca C. This shipwreck is the largest in the Eastern Caribbean. The engine room exploded and the ship quickly caught fire in the early morning hours of October 22, 1961 while preparing to sail. Thanks to an armada of yachts, fishing vessels, and other assorted ships, all 400 passengers were saved, but 3 crewmen lost their lives due to burn injuries. After a few days, a British warship towed what was left of the Bianca C out into deeper waters where it broke away and sank. Today it is a popular dive spot.
The Yankee Clipper awaited us in the harbor, having arrived the day before. We prepared to leave Grenada, and our pre-cruise weekend was over. I wasn't as sad as I normally am when leaving an interesting port of call because I knew we had a post-cruise weekend awaiting us the next week!
