Carriacou, Hillsborough and Sandy Island

Lochmarin
Thu 7 Mar 2013 01:52
12:29.021N  61:28.904W

When we were in Union Island we received a radio call from our friends on Vela, they were on the next Island down, Carriacou, in Tyrell Bay. Franz's wifi booster had picked up our boat wide network from over an Island away and so they were looking around for us, assuming we must be close. We'd not seen them since November in Lanzarote so we were very keen to meet up again and so we sailed down to Carriacou to meet them next day. We had just dropped anchor when we saw them motoring up, we sounded the fog horns, waved and jumped about - basically gave them a royal welcome. 


We went ashore into Hillsborough, an enchanting small town. The ferry had just arrived so there was much bustle.


It has lovely colonial buildings but I was taken by the little places, the colourful shops and occasional tiny wooden house between the larger buildings.

   

We found ourselves a juice bar and settled for a chat and some smoothies. Spike had smuggled his way ashore agin - keen to see Franz and Norma, and was delighted to find himself in a bar, however his wine tasting experience seemed to have given him the wrong ideas.

       

We anchored off a little Island in the bay called Sandy island. It is literally just a curve of sand, a reef and some palm trees.


We took the dinghies ashore to snorkel, and saw the most fantastic underwater world, filled with bright red barrel sponges, stag horn coral, four eyed and banded butterfly fish, rainbow parrotfish, blue headed wrasse and bright blue chromis to name but a few! There were three pelicans living by the island, wonderful to watch their ungainly diving for fish and their majestic paddling along on the surface. The Island is a narrow strip, maybe 30 feet wide, that you can see the bay behind it from on deck. I caught this schooner sailing past in the evening light.