13:14.70N  61:16.53W

 

Tuesday 25 February 2014

 

Distance Run  15 nm

 

Bequia to St Vincent to St Lucia is a little too far to achieve in daylight so we decided to break it up with a stop in St Vincent.  I cleared us out of St Vincent and the Grenadines the previous afternoon and so we shouldn’t really stop in St Vincent but we understand they are pretty relaxed about it.

 

We weighed anchor at 8.15am and set the sails with lots of reefs in.  We were expecting some fun from the ‘Bequia Blast’ which is the accelerated wind which passes though the 5 mile gap between Bequia and St Vincent.  It wasn’t as blustery as it could have been but we were glad we had reefed and the sailing was good.

 

As we passed along the west side of St Vincent the easterly wind eased in the shelter of the island and we sailed slowly north to a point about half way up the island.  We started the engine and put the sails away and looked into Wallilabou Bay but decided we didn’t want to have to tie to shore because it would complicate our exit early the following day so settled for a mooring buoy in Kearton’s Bay just to the south.  We were helped by a boat boy called ‘Black Man’ to tie the bow to a buoy and take a long line to a buoy near the shore.  This kept the bow pointing out to sea so the nose would be into the swell which is the most comfortable way to lie.  We were relieved to turn the engine off which was continuing to make it’s strange noise.

 

Soon after we were approached by Nigel who was selling fish and Randolph who introduced himself as ‘an extra in Pirates of the Caribbean in the role of a fisherman’.  We bought a thing on string from him.  There  were subsequent visits from Garfield (fruit) and Davis (more jewellery) and then some peace.

 

Soon after we arrived Brenda and Dan on Nanook II arrived and took adjacent buoys.

 

 

 

Nanook next to us in Kearton’s Bay.  A sturdy boat which has been around the world in a previous ownership:-

 

 

 

 

 

The view from the stern towards the shore looking at ‘The Rock Side Cafe’.  The yellow line from our stern is tied to a buoy which has been pulled under the water under tension:-

 

 

 

 

 

We and Nanook were taken ashore in the evening by ‘Squinn’ who paddled us with one oar in his dinghy.  We leapt off at the beach and Squinn kep an eye on our boats whilst we had dinner ashore.  A simple choice between chicken, pork or fish which we had been asked to make over the radio during the afternoon.  As the fish was mahi mahi Lin and I opted for that but the rest would be a mystery.  We were welcomed with a rum punch by the German lady who owned the place with her St Vincentian husband.  Then pumpkin soup followed by a salad.  The main fish course was served with rice, plantain and breadfruit (cardboard without the flavour).  Dessert was chocolate brownies with a fresh fruit platter.  We were the only customers but dinner was good, tasty home cooking in a pleasant atmosphere in good company.  We will go again.

 

 

 

The Rock Side Cafe:-