Tobago Cays
Chaser 2
Yvonne Chapman
Fri 16 Mar 2007 21:49
We pulled our anchor in
Saline Bay about 0930hrs this morning, and now we're in Tobago Cays in position
12.37.79N 61.21.43W
These uninhabited Islands
are beautiful, protected from the sea by Horseshoe Reef. The water and reef
colours are a kaleidoscope of gold,brown,blue,turquoise and green. There are
small sandy beaches and crystal clear water. We anchored around 10.30hrs this
morning in the main anchorage, it's a little busy but the Cays normal are, but
there are 3 or 4 anchorages and if we stay another day we may move on.
The snorkeling has been
great, out on the reef was good but even off the boat we swam with Turtles and a
large Stingray. We've seen many turtles swim by, put there head up for a look
around, (probably checking they're not gonna get run down by the boat boys) then
they take a dive under to graze on the grass below. An unforgettable dive this
afternoon.
The boat boys sell
everything, fish, bread, lobster, ice, even T shirts, all at outrageous prices,
but you can't buy anything anywhere here, so they deliver to the boat, 10EC$ (3
euros) for a small loaf of bread is not too bad. 15US$ dollars per pound for
lobster is out of the question though. He must be a Mayreau lad.
The marine park rangers
come to collect the fee for anchoring, which is currently 10EC$ per person per
day. That's ok, they make sure nobody anchors on the reef and damages the coral,
generally keep an eye on things.
We can now pick up the
VHF net on channel 68 at 0730hrs Mon-Sat from Grenada and 0900hrs from Union
Island. This is a good source of information, and standby as a security net.
They give weather forecasts each morning, warnings of any tropical waves or
cyclones developing. You can announce your arrival in the area, and any friends
listening will pick you up. If you have any security issues, you can call on
this channel, and they broadcast also numbers for Police coastguard, doctors and
ambulance etc. A really good voluntary service, provided by local people and
cruisers.
Not too many photos this
time, the camera has developed a leak, hopefully it'll dry out and carry on
working.
