St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Back to the past again, although we are safely moored in Bonaire and it is October 22, we are still playing catch up, so back to June and the Grenadines.

"My Love"

No it's not a doo whop group from the 50's, it' a nation of several islands between St. Lucia and Grenada and absolutely beautiful. We don't start on a Friday for a change and the forecast states that the squalls will have ended by Tuesday the 7th of June and that we will have east to southeast winds at 15k, so it should be a great sailing day. We're off by 0530 and by 0630 we are greeted by the ambassadors of the sea, a large pod of dolphins.

Well the weather man didn't quite get it right. By 0700 the thunderheads we're rolling in from the west with the wind SSW at 18k gusting to 20k. By 0930 we had a full on squall with thunder and lighting and rain, oh and 30k winds. Oh well, we made it into Admiralty Bay, Bequia by 1630 without issue. Have you noticed that the bays all have these militaryesque names, hmmm?

As we enter the bay we notice the rather peculiar development known as Moonhole. Built by the American architect Tom Johnson, the houses actaully grow out of the rock.

Well, another country another check in with customs and immigration. We've gotten a bit lax with the process, so much so that on the way into town I drop Vicky and Chula off on a beach. Usually this wouldn't be a problem, although technically they are illegally in the country. Well, this turns out to be unusual as the customs officer decides he wants to see our boat. At first there are five of them, all bigger than me wanting to pile into our dinghy. I tell them I'll give it a try but we are going to get wet. Finally, we pare it down to two. As we head out to Boto the honcho asks, "your wife, she is on board"? Time for the truth, I tell him I dropped her off on shore, he nods. Then he asks, "you checked off an animal"? Yes, we have a dog. "The dog is on board?" No, the dog is on the beach too. He nods. They inspect the boat, give us an OK and then admonish us against going ashore before clearing in, especially for Chula. We get the hint, now it's time to relax.

We top off fuel and water compliments of the floating barge mid anchorage and lay in a case of beer to boot, very hospitable, even if Chula remains an illegal. We tried to process her but would have had to turn around and head to St. Vincents as the Chief Vet had no email nor fax to receive her papers, so she's a Pirate Dog. So we're off to the island of Mustique, a small private island midway down the chain of the Grenadines. They offer moorings to transients and we take one for three days. The island is host to the rich and famous, one of the more renowned is Mick Jagger, but he's not home. After a few days enjoying ourselves we are asked for Chula's papers, so we drop the mooring and we're on the run again to Canouan, and the races.

weekend races

and the winners...

well, everyone's a winner...

just beach it.....

parking lots full....

happy spectators

Well, when in the islands sailing is very important, if not to put food on the table then for entertainment and everyone comes out to enjoy the regattas and the party, everyone has a good time:

Just groovin on the beach to his own music, love the shoes.

Well, the wind and waves are kicking up again making the anchorage uncomfortable, so it's time to move on, next stop, Tobago Cays, and the turtles. The Tobago Cays are a national park where one can swim with the turtles and anything else that may be in the water. We grab a mooring for a few nights and enjoy the peace and quiet.

If you're coming this way make certain to visit Toabago Cay. After which hope on over to Mayreau and Saline Bay for an even calmer and more peacful anchorage. As we said the Grenadines are a long island chain with our next stop being Union Island. From Union its a short hop to Carriacou which is part of Grenada, we are almost to our summer stop. Coming to rest at Tyrell Bay, Carriacou for several days we have the chance to sample the local music scene.