Much more in the past few years, members of the sailing and cruising community have been growing in awareness of the south Caribbean islands of Grenada and the neighboring Grenadines.

Particularly for those with large yachts, the development of the Port Louis Marina on the edge of Grenada's colorful historic capital, St George's, has been a destination game changer, heralded by Camper & Nicholsons Marinas' purchase of the facilities in 2007. 

"There are presently 160 slips for yachts up to 300 feet," said Danny Donelan, the marina's sales and marketing coordinator. "At 12 degrees north, the Port Louis Marina lies below the hurricane belt, making Grenada a welcome haven for yachts year-round. In fact, we have more yachts here in the hurricane season than in the regular season. Because of Grenada's recognized safe location, marine insurance is possible for yachts kept here during the off-season."

Still charmingly reminiscent of the Caribbean of 50 years ago or more, Grenada (population 100,000) has an international airport with great international connections to Miami, New York, London, Toronto, and Frankfurt.

There are no traffic jams, little crime and the airport is a ten-minute drive from the capital. While car rentals are certainly an option, more adventurous explorers have only a brief walk from the marina to the main bus route where visitors may go anywhere on the island for about $1US.

Grenada is English-speaking, but it is a welcome challenge to try to follow the French-African-English patois often spoken between local people. And there is plenty to see and do around Grenada, which is blessed with rivers, spectacular waterfalls, plenty of rainforests, historic forts and plantations, great wreck diving and annual regattas -- a bit of everything, including some gorgeous, but uncluttered Caribbean beaches, some of which are reachable only after a brisk hike.

First stop for any visitor should be the Grenada Board of Tourism, on St George's harbor, where staff offer excellent information about the capital, the main island of Grenada, travel to the country's smaller sister islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique by daily high-speed catamaran ferry.

For the environmentally-conscious traveler, Grenada offers many hiking trails, pristine beaches, rainforests, waterfalls and sustainable activities.

Development in Grenada has been deliberately unobtrusive; with none of the country's hotels (all family owned to this point) exceeding the height of the palm trees. This allows for unobstructed views of beautiful surroundings at every turn. One-ninth of the land is dedicated to wildlife sanctuaries and rainforest parks. 

I got a good dose of Grenadian rainforest during a challenging hike to the Seven Sisters Waterfall with Telfor Bedeau, a 72-year-old nature ambassador who has spent a lifetime hiking, sailing, and rowing around his precious islands.

Physically fit doesn't even begin to describe this soft-spoken man with a great sense of humor. Along the way, we talked plants, birds and animals, and how to realistically steward them on these fragile islands.

Only with considerable prompting did Telfor share some of his extraordinary feats, like rowing nonstop around Grenada in a ten-foot rowboat, the last time when he was nearly 60. Or the way he celebrated his 70th birthday by climbing to the top of Mount St. Catherine, the island's highest volcanic peak at 2,757 feet (890 meters), for the 165th time .... and breaking his own time record doing so.

He guides small groups and individuals who share his passion for nature, and he’s best contacted through the Grenada Board of Tourism which regards him as a national treasure.

The country is proud of its nickname, The Spice of the Caribbean, and there is certainly no exaggeration about that claim. With its own micro-weather and volcanic soil peculiarities, Grenada has near-perfect growing conditions for nutmeg, allspice, mace, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric and bay leaves. After Indonesia, Grenada is the world's second largest producer of nutmeg and mace (which grows brilliant red on the outside of the nutmeg).

With a countryside abundantly sprouting both cultivated and wild fruit and vegetables, the visibly robust health of Grenadians, of all ages, says a lot about the quality of diet accessible to all.

While international cuisine is certainly available, there is a real emphasis on using local produce and showcasing local dishes. The national dish, with the rather unappetizing name of Oil Down, features salted meat, salted fish, coconut milk, breadfruit and a whole variety of herbs and spices. How could you go wrong?

Indeed, fish is a large and healthy part of the average Grenadian diet. Where better to sample a traditional "Fish Friday" celebration than wandering the antique streets of Grenada's fishing capital, Gouyave? As dusk sets in, dressed-up locals from across the island browse dozens of stalls for creatively-cooked, super-fresh seafood delivered in newspaper or on paper plates. Visitors are always welcome at this authentic weekly event.

Agri-tourism, richly laced with history, is one of Grenada's most attractive features.

Best sampled with a rental car, visitors can spend several days exploring authentic countryside attractions that offer educational tours and free tastings, product gift shops and local-menu restaurants. Not to be missed are the Dougaldston Spice Boucan , the Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station, the Laura Herb & Spice Garden, Belmont Estate's cocoa/chocolate operations, and the River Antoine Rum Distillery, in the business since 1785.

In August, Port Louis Marina is a great place to berth during the annual carnival. The road around the marina is the main carnival street where all the bands pass in costume, with guests welcome to enjoy the festivities from the comfort of their yachts or join the street-happy throngs in safe and hospitable carnival spirit.