The social whirl continues.
Oriole
Mon 21 Mar 2011 21:32
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Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou, Grenada.
12:27.40N 61:29.16W
On Saturday, armed with a picnic we walked across
to the south side of Bequia to Friendship Bay where we found the sea unusually
calm, nobody else on the beach which must be at least 2 miles long so we
luxuriated in the warm and absolutely clear water. On our return our
friends Christine and Adrian on Quadrille finally made it up from
Trinidad and so we delayed our departure for a couple of days to spend some time
with them. We rang the changes with the Bequia hostelries and finally on
Tuesday morning left to sail down to the Southern Grenadines.
 Admiralty Bay, Bequia from the top of
Oriole's mast
From the accounts of other friends who contribute
to our daily long range radio net the popular anchorages were unbelievably
crowded with charter boats many of which fly a vertically striped red,
white and blue national ensign which always spells trouble! We have by now
learnt the places to avoid and the places where a little peace and quiet can be
found - but we are not telling - and peace was found!
Skitter Scamp and Oriole posing for eachother and vying for
sepremacy (SS is probably half our weight!)
We had sailed in company with Skitter
Scamp a lightweight racing boat of about our size which initially pulled
ahead but when the wind went aft it enabled us to put up our trade wind
running rig and we gained an advantage. When we reached our destination they
achieved line honours by a very short margin.
We should have learnt by now not to try to buy
lobster in this area and once again by sleight of hand we ended up with a
pregnant female (illegal). We combined with the crew of Macdaddy
who had also been swindled but nevertheless had a wonderful lobster
fest and the boat boy who did the deal had gone home smiling too.
So we have parted company with the lawless border
area twixt the Southern Grenadines of St Vincent and Carriacou, the northern
outpost of Grenada. We will be whiling away the week with some diving and on
Wednesday we will be lifting the boat for a survey to inspect, amongst other
things, what we hope is a cosmetic problem with our keel. While
talking with Andrew on the phone yesterday he immediately assumed that we had
hit something - not yet, but there is always a first time!
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