12:36.21N  61:27.00W

 

Thursday 28 May to Monday 8 June 2015

 

We had a pleasant 5 days in Bequia, waiting for the strong winds to abate, including drinks one evening on board ‘Smart Move’ with friends Barry and Robyn who we haven’t seen for a year or so.  We joined Michael and Karen off ‘Nauti Dog’ for a Cruisers BBQ on the beach.  John on ‘Out of Africa’ organises successful BBQs in most places he visits but this was handed over to one of the locals to do in order to provide some support.  It was to start at 5pm and in true Caribbean fashion we were eating as soon as 8pm.  John was pulling his hair out and apologising but most seemed to enjoy themselves.

 

The Grenadines are a group of small islands between the larger islands of St Vincent and Grenada.  They sound as though they should belong to Grenada but are part of St Vincent.  Bequia is the northern most island in the Grenadines and Petit St Vincent the most southerly.  In between are Mustique, Canouan, the Tobago Cays, Mayreau, Palm Island and Union Island and a number of other small rocks and islets.

 

On Tuesday 3 June we set off quite late for Canouan which is only 16 nm away.  At West Point on Bequia lies a wreck which has been there for many years:-

 

 

 

 

We arrived off Canouan quite quickly.  The north of the small island has been given over to a private Donald Trump Resort and as there is not much else on the island we continued a further 5 miles to Tobago Cays.  These are a group of 5 small islands protected by a large horseshoe shaped reef on the eastern side which keeps the sea quiet in the Cays.  The same cannot be said for the winds which continue uninterrupted across the Atlantic from Africa.  We came to the Cays on two charter boat holidays many years ago but have skipped them so far in our own boat.  They are often crowded but we guessed that as many insurance companies require boats to be south of here by 1 June (ours is more flexible) this might be a good time to go and so it proved to be.  Finding a space to anchor wasn’t difficult and there were only 5 other boats the first night.

 

 

 

The wind is relatively calm and the shallow water creates the turquoise colour.  The waves in the distance are breaking over the protective reef

 

 

 

 

 

More boats appeared in the morning but not too many.  The darker colour in the background is the deeper water beyond the reef:-

 

 

 

 

 

A reef across the middle of the picture and a parallel one beyond the island:-

 

 

 

 

Sunset behind us wasn’t bad either:-

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed some snorkelling and watched turtles feeding off the grassy sea bed and then coming up for air, unperturbed by us it seemed.  We saw starfish and Lin saw a stingray.  After a couple of days of being buffeted by winds we left the Cays and motored a few miles to the protection of Mayreau.  We poked our nose into the very pretty but small Saltwhistle Bay but there was no room to anchor so moved on to peaceful Saline Bay.

 

We walked up the steep ‘High Street’ to The Settlement and had a very basic lunch at Island Paradise so we could use their internet to update our weather forecasts.  The 5 day hurricane prediction forecasts are pretty important now.

 

 

The view from Island Paradise with Union Island in the distance.  Note the obligatory not quite vertical telegraph pole, barely more than a bit of stick:-

 

 

 

 

The following day we sailed downwind under genoa only to the western side of Union Island and Chatham Bay.  We came here one night years ago and the bay is attractive and surrounded by high, tree lined hills.  Only one boat was there when we arrived and one other turned up later.  It is peaceful with only 5 shacks along the beach offering drinks and food plus a more modern small resort at the southern end.  The hand painted sign over one of the shacks boasts that their food is ‘figure licking good’.  The owner drew my attention to it with embarrassment saying it was a misprint and he was going to change the sign but I said it was good as it was.  He must have been saying this for years as the sign was easily over 10 years old.

 

The bay gave us shelter from the strong winds but occasionally a gust shrieks over the hill and blasts at over 25 knots from nothing in an instant.  A guy called Seckie came out in his dinghy to invite the three boats ashore to eat at his place ‘Shark Attack’.  We decided to take him up and, as required, ordered our mahi mahi during the day to give him time to prepare.  The place was basic but full of character.  Seckies wife, Vanessa was absent but a very pleasant young chap called Summer told us that ‘ I she brother’ and he served us instead.  Summer was a bit spaced out but whether that was genetic or assisted by substances was difficult to tell.  It turned out that we were the only people ashore that evening and all the other places were closed.  Seckie couldn’t have made us more welcome and he put a great deal of care into the simple presentation of the meal and the fish and sauce was beautifully cooked.  It was such a contrast to the surroundings and a lovely evening.

 

The following day there were 8 boats in the bay but most places were closed again in the evening as it is now low season.  During the day we had lunch at Aqua, the small modern resort at the end but were one of only two occupied tables.  They had very good wifi which we made good use of.

 

 

The southern end of Chatham Bay:-

 

 

 

 

Three of the beach shacks:-

 

 

 

 

On Sunday 7 June we motored upwind in choppy seas to anchor off the small private island of Petit St Vincent.  I went ashore to explore and, as a present from Lin, booked a massage for my birthday tomorrow.  Most of the island is out of bounds for visitors except, of course, for the bits where money can be spent such as the beach bar, the main restaurant and the spa.  After my massage I collected Lin from the boat and we had a birthday lunch at ‘Goaties Beach Bar’.

 

 

The view from the beach bar of the forbidden bit of beach:-

 

 

 

 

 

Our boat at anchor with the island of Petite Martinique, which belongs to Grenada, in the backround:-

 

 

 

 

 

After the rose wine:-

 

 

 

 

We are approaching the end of our time in the Grenadines and it has been good to spend time here when many have moved on.  Tomorrow we aim to go over to Union Island where we can clear out before heading towards Grenada.