St. Vincent and Grenadines
Bondi Tram
Peter Colquhoun and Sandra Colquhoun
Fri 25 Feb 2011 21:04
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Approaching the island of Bequia, we had a boisterous 20+ on the beam and
the Tram
was cranking. Then we saw a small dinghy approaching and we wondered
what nut
was trying to cross from Bequia to St Vincent in these conditions.
Next minute we heard a whistle and the man in the dinghy is standing
up pointing a massive telephoto lens at us. After we anchored he came
round
with a CD with about 20 photos on it and a framed photo, the one
below.
This is how he has been making a living for the last nine years, shooting
yachts as they
approach the island then selling the photos. Very
enterprising. We liked this one,
so bought the framed copy.
 Waterfront and anchorage at Bequia, a colourful and vibrant place where we
spent a couple of days.
The beach in the far distance is known as Princess Margaret's beach.
 Bequia is famous for it's boat builders and boat models. Originally
settled by Scots people, they
made a living from hunting whales, and many of the existing boats
are similar to the whale boats they
useds. They are still allowed to catch 4 whales a year.
 Fruit and vegetable stalls were plentiful, though most of the produce comes
across each day from
the large island of St. Vincent.
 We went to a buffet and steel pan band "jump up" at the Frangipani
Restaurant.
 The salad buffet was impressively colourful.
 School kids outing from St. Vincent. They arrived in the ferry in the
background, music blaring. Here
they are being addressed by a Whoopi Goldberg lookalike, right down to the
accent.
   Coconut boats for those who don't want to pay the several hundred EC
(Eastern Caribbean) dollars
being asked for the more accurate models......
 .....2,000 US dollars for the one in the foreground below!
 Check the size of the whales ribs, now a tasteful restaurant
entrance!
 Guesthouse on the waterfront.
 We couldn't resist this 4 lb lobster, and it was delicious. The boat
boys come round frequently with
bread, ice, fish and lobster.
 In the anchorage at Tobago Cays. We were incredibly lucky to have a
sunny day when there was only 5
knots of wind, not the usual twenty. During the winter, you would be
lucky to get a day like this
4 or 5 times in the season.
  We took the dinghy out to the reef a couple of times and enjoyed great
snorkling...the best since
the Maldives and Thailand. We even swam with turtles.
   The next morning the wind was up again, with more forecast so we left
Tobago Cays.......
 .....and went to Petit St. Vincent. If Tobago Cays was the prettiest
anchorage we have seen in the
Windies, this one is number 2. Petit St. Vincent is a private island
with an expensive hotel, but they
do let us walk on the beach, and we picniced under the trees.
   After a couple on nights we went over to Union island to check out of St.
Vincent and the Grenadines
before heading down to Grenada. The wind was blowing the dog of the
chain as usual (as the airport
windsock and palm trees attest), though the crowded anchorage is protected
from the swell by a reef.
 Looking back to Tobago Cays from Union.
 The establishment on the little island is known as the Happy Bar...only
accessible by boat.
 Downtown Clifton, the largest town on Union island.
 The park is where the Office of Revenues building originally stood. A
sign proclaims the history of the
building (originally a warehouse) and that is was "unceremoniously and
deliberately burnt down in 1995"
....someone unhappy with their tax bill no doubt!
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