LEAVING FOR ST. CROIX (Part 2)

 Fortunately, the mainsail was repaired in record time and we were able to top up our provisions with plenty of French cheeses and delicacies while delayed in Martinique. We had about 300 more miles to go to get to St. Croix.
BUT for the first 40 hours of the passage from Martinique to St. Croix, if we hadn’t had apparent wind, we’d have had no wind at all.

The Caribbean sea looked eerily calm as our motor and autopilot glided us  northwesterly toward our destination. The air was so slight that the flights of the small flying fish we often observe skittering along the rippling waves to avoid the vessel were greatly curtailed.  This went on for the first 40 hours or so of our voyage.



           
Then light sailing winds finally arrived as night fell on our second day out. These winds filled the sails, but we kept the motor powering to keep them filled and reduce our travel time. I went below to take my first break of the night and surfaced three hours later to find great winds. Dan went below to get some shut eye and I killed the motor –which in turn startled him awake. But I assured him that everything was good and he soon drifted back to sleep.

What a difference a few hours made in the blackness of night with about 6 hours to go to our destination. 

Just as I was about to hand over the helm to Captain Dan for his second watch of the night,  the winds freshened with even more vigor and the waves became relentless!  Intermittent rain pelted us in the cockpit and Dan fired up the motor again for insurance.  He told me to go below to get some rest and get out of the rain, but there was no way I was leaving the cockpit with conditions as they were.  I had every confidence in Dan at the helm and I preferred being near him and the action if I could assist in some way.  Exit Strategy pitched and rocked and her bow repeatedly banged down the waves. The force of the banging rattled the navigational lights on the bow loose.  We turned on the steaming light so other vessels might see us, as there were two cruise ships visible in the distance. We studied the radar and discovered that the storm blanketed a huge area and there was no way around it. We found ourselves in the trough of the waves, so Dan changed course to cut across them diagonally. The beating went on for the next 4 hours.

Finally, the winds lessened a tad, the seas became more manageable, and we could clearly see St. Croix.  Around 6 AM, the captain eased ES into the peaceful anchorage of Buck Island’s west end and we both took a much needed nap.

LEAVING FOR ST. CROIX… (Part 1)

As beautiful as Barbados was, we were excited to be on our way once again to rendezvous with our children and grandchildren in St. Croix-USVI. The trip would be around 400 nautical miles and take an estimated 3 days if we sailed there non-stop. We had never made a passage that long before and, although the thought of it was challenging, we decided to give it a go. Before we left Tobago, our good friend Tom, s/v Tiger Lilly, briefed us on possible acceptable hurricane “holes” up the island chain in the event that a late season storm materialized, but thankfully none did.  With plenty of wind to fill our reefed sails, we were making EXCELLENT time from Barbados toward the cut between St. Lucia and Martinique. Around midnight just after I had begun my first watch of the night, the wind got really erratic…NO- downright scary for me! I woke the Captain and we quickly took down the headsail. The boat settled a bit, although it still rocked and rolled through the wind and rain. Shortly afterward the sailing conditions were again manageable as before the blow. However, upon inspecting the mainsail, Dan discovered that it had ripped just below the second reef.  We discussed our options and searched our island service directories for the best place to have a repair done. Fortunately we were near Le Marin- Martinique that is a sort of Mecca for yacht services. So under the cover of darkness, we slowly made our way into the outer area of the harbor and dropped anchor off of St. Anne- Martinique. In the morning after a few hours of sound sleep erased some of the stress, we made our way into Le Marin and sought repair estimates. We selected Voilerie de Incidence to do the job and were extremely pleased with the results and that my almost tearful plea (complete with hands clasped and held to my heart) ensured that the repair was finished 3 days earlier than promised!  You may recall that our genoa (headsail) needed multiple repairs in past months and that we ultimately bought a new sail through our friend Tom. He advised us then that our main sail was looking pretty tired, too. So it was no surprise when the sail shop men said that the rip could be fixed, but plans to have a new main made should be in our near future. The captain is on it!

BARBADOS

Fifty percent of the cruisers we spoke to about sailing to Barbados said it wasn’t worth the effort. The island is almost 100 miles due east of the Caribbean chain and often a motoring trip dead into strong easterly trade winds. We ignored the nay-sayers and chose to put our trust in the more skilled sailors who made the passage to Barbados and found it to be quite a lovely place. 


Government House

Very cosmopolitan shopping district

                       
Our anchorage at Carlisle Bay was just off of the capital city of Bridgetown. The water was crystal clear and we could easily see that our anchor was well-bedded in the sandy bottom about 20 feet below. Although we were dog tired from our overnight journey, the beach looked irresistible, so we snorkeled ashore. Between the boat and the shore, we swam over turtles feeding, sea stars, and some strange looking winged fish crawling along the bottom.          


    
Thanksgiving Day 2012- no turkey.   


Caught a big blackfin tuna on the way- HOMEMADE sushi!

While in Barbados, we felt like we were on vacation.  It is a British island that benefits enormously from a significant amount of tourism from the USA and Europe, including many cruise ships.  It is often the first landfall vessels make when sailing across the Atlantic from European countries, but that is a very small slice of their tourism dollar pie. 

Without a doubt...

                         we'll be BACK!





GIVING THE FINGER IN TOBAGO

Having completed a great deal of boat work, we happily left Trinidad, saving many sights of this expansive, industrious island for a future trip. It is November and half of our friends have already sailed north while the balance are remaining a few weeks longer to participate in Trinidad’s annual Divali (Hindu Festival of Lights) celebration. We’ve chosen the path less traveled as we headed for Tobago, Trinidad’s “little sister” island.


Used Beautiful Babe Spit on the lure

Tobago is just northeast of the northeastern end of Trinidad. Cruisers are challenged by this passage for three reasons. First, there is a strong easterly current between the islands; second, the wind often blows hard on the nose from the east in this part of the sea; and third, the Atlantic waves are usually very “lumpy” as they converge between the islands into this relatively narrow passage. Captain Dan has never shrunk when faced with such a challenge and I was on board with him one-hundred percent- literally and figuratively. I’d heard many glowing reviews about Tobago, so my thinking was, Yes, I’d like to see what Tobago is all about as long as we’re this close.  We stocked up on some foods and fuel and the Captain made one last shopping (really- it was a buying) trip to the local chandleries. Then we let customs & immigration know that we were leaving Trinidad to go to Tobago. (The islands ARE the same country, but vessels are required to check in/out when moving from one to the other…an annoying formality!) We spent the next two mornings motoring along Trinidad’s northern coast and over-nighted in Lavache Bay and Grand Riviere Bay. From there we SAILED slightly northeast toward the southeastern tip of Tobago.  We should have left earlier, but it was my birthday and the day had a leisurely start. BIG MISTAKE. It was nearly 3 PM when we arrived and we needed to go ashore to check in with customs/immigration. We waited for a bus at the stop for 25 minutes and none came, although all the while, we noticed some cars would toot their horns and others at the stop would hop into the car and vanish. Finally, we were the only people at the stop and a car tooted at us, so we hopped in. The ride to Scarborough where the customs/immigration office was not long, but the office was closed by the time we arrived. We left quietly frustrated and stood at the appropriate bus stop. The same routine was witnessed with no busses stopping and cars tooting at people at the stop. This time, we noticed the would-be riders stuck out their index finger when a car tooted. Once again, we were left standing alone at the bus stop shelter. Finally, a car tooted at us we gave them the finger and we had a nice chat about Tobago as we rode back to our anchorage.


We don't think this was a real Kmart, just a "knock-off"

Just about EVERY island has at least one of these- so sad.

              Unfortunately, we had to repeat the whole bus trip to customs/immigration this morning to officially check in to Tobago. But this morning we didn’t wait for someone to toot at us- I smiled and proudly stood, giving them the finger. (We made it there and back in record time!)

Stacks of homemade island candy eased our frustration.

“GAME ON”

Those who know me, realize that I’ve an inherent competitiveness that doesn’t surface often in public. We recently participated in Jesse James’s Taste of T & T Tour with three other cruising couples. Jesse mentioned that the most Trini foods tasted on his tour was 67. It didn’t take much  to excite our tour group into breaking that record. WE DID IT! The foods are listed below, as spelled by Jesse, and every morsel was delightful!  Book your tour soon- you won’t be disappointed.


Raw Brazil Nut or "UFO"

Jesse carves a roadside melon for us.

 


The key ingredient in Chicken Foot Souse is...

Our LAST meal was RECORD BREAKING!!!

  Nov.1, 2012 Contestants:s/v EXIT STRATEGY- Dan & Rose       s/v IRIS- John & Janet                                        s/v THE DOVE- Larry & Barb                s/v TUATARA- Alan & Jean THE List to Beat… 1 Salt Fish Bolgoh 2 Smoked Herring Bolgoh 3 Natural Cane Juice 4 Fish Pie 5 Doubles * ** 6 Pommareck * 7 Fry Bake 8 Sade Roti 9 Curry Bodi 10 Tomato Choka * 11 Eggplant Choka 12 Fried Cariali 13 Cow Heel Soup * 14 Sapodilla 15 Potato Pie 16 Portugals 17 Bhagi Rice 18 Stew Fish 19 Roast Bake 20 Peleau 21 Macaroni Pie 22 Christophene Stir Fry 23 Stew Pork 24 Cassava Boiled & Fried * 25 Kitchoree Rice 26 “UFO”- Brazil Nuts 27 Dasheen 28 Dhal 29 Saheena 30 Kitchore 31 Chicketo Banana 32 Silk Banana 33 Paratu- “Buss Up Shut” 34 Dhal Phourie 35 Stew Beef 36 Curried Chicken Gizzards * 37 Curried Goat 38 Curried Chicken ** 39 Curried Mango 40 Curried Pumpkin 41 Maubi 42 Sorrell 43 Peanut Punch * 44 Passion Fruit Juice ** 45 Paw Paw Balls * ** 46 Coconut Tuloom Balls * ** 47 Watermelon 48 Poulorie 49 Pommetay 50 Pineapple Chow * ** 51 Cassava Pone 52 Macaronie Pie Strudel 53 Pera Fudge 54 Jelly Bead 55 Bread Pudding 56 Coconut Turnover 57 Rock Cake 58 Coconut Ballerina 59 Sweet Bread 60 Barfi Fudge 61 Kurma Candy 62 Gullup Jamoon 63 Chicken Foot Souse 64 Jeera Pork 65 Milk Fudge 66 Cocoa Pods 67 Grapefruit ** 68 Grilled Jerk Lamb 69 Festive Rice 70 Green Fig Salad 71 Jerk Pork 72 BBQ Pigtails * ** 73 Fried Fish

 *Rose’s favorites
 **Dan’s favorites

The PEOPLE We Meet…

The top reason we cruise is to see the islands on a laid back schedule. A secondary perk of traveling the Caribbean at a leisurely pace is meeting all sorts of people from many countries. We hold a natural comradery with most Americans, of course, although the Captain has a thing for Texans that I won’t get into. The British we’ve encountered are a playful, happy lot and we always enjoy their company. The South Africans often seem to be organizing a party or know where one is and they tend to know where to get the best value for 6TT for $1 US dollar. The Germans and Dutch we’ve met are lovely people who speak perfect English and welcome a good time. The Canadians have sailed long and hard to get to these warmer latitudes and are delightful.

But some cruisers are haughty blokes. On the way to shop last week, one cruiser gent proceeded to preach to me that “We cruisers don’t use plastic grocery store bags. We bring our own assortment of sturdy, reusable shopping bags.” I wanted to scream (! * @ & # !!!) because I’ve been using reusable bags for over ten years before we started cruising. Instead I took a deep breath and smiled, saying- “Yes, I do too.”

So we’re shopping at the mall (YES, there are malls in Trinidad that closely resemble those in the USA) and I happened upon a great sale on swimsuits. I went to find Lilly who was in the clutches of the cruiser gent’s wife. Lilly seemed eager to leave with me…Unfortunately, the wife followed us to check out the swimsuit sale. I showed Lilly a group of cute suits I thought she’d fit and like. Then the wife started saying “You really should buy bikinis because it’s so hot in the Caribbean!” Lilly and I glanced at each other long enough to send an unspoken message- INHALE DEEPLY, EXHALE DEEPLY…SMILE.  What the wife didn’t know is that Lilly only likes one piece suits and I have generally only worn bikinis FOR-EV-ER! Could our shopping trip get any more annoying?

Another time, I put out an all-call query on the VHF radio seeking recommendations for getting a canvas dinghy cover made. I got three responses and one cruiser said I could have one that he didn’t need any more. We were in the middle of a project on board ES, so I told him we might not be able to come to see the cover that day. Dan and I went to check it out the next day and were told that M from s/v For-A-Lie (not real name) came and took it! I was totally teed off! M had to have eaves dropped on our conversation on another radio channel to know that it was even offered to me. I repeatedly called M on the radio with no response. So Lilly and I dinghied over to For-A-Lie and confronted him. I don’t think we looked that intimidating, but M readily admitted that he indeed had the cover and handed it over. The cover was in decent shape and fit our dinghy fine after I used some Sunbrella remnants to sew in an extension.

Ninety-nine point nine percent of the people we meet while traveling are the salt of the earth-like our dear friends on Tiger Lilly. And every now and then, the Lord just throws in a few odd ducks to pepper our life up a bit.

NOTE: After listening to this morning’s Cruisers’ Net, I can confirm that ALL of the odd ducks mentioned in this piece are from the same country. 

TRINIDAD

Micheal, the trailer driver (center), paused to see just how
close ES was to those other yachts.  (It was too close for me to look!)

Funny- in nearly 39 years of marriage we never lived in a gated community until this month when we had Exit Strategy hauled out for some deep maintenance here in Trinidad. We spend 15 days living on the hard in Peake Marina right in front of our best cruising buddies on Tiger Lilly. The marina complex is not only gated, but also has 24-7 security patrols. We figured it would take a maximum of 7 days to complete the task, but once hauled, an initial inspection resulted in the recommendation for sand blasting some spots on the keel, followed by five (yes, 5) coats of epoxy, a coat of primer, and finally two coats of antifouling paint. While on the hard, we had the vessel washed, waxed, and polished. We also had our refrigerator box enlarged, refinished the head seats, laundered all the curtains, plus Dan hoisted me up the mast twice-first to retrieve the windex gauge and then to reinstall it. The sewing machine was pulled out to add length to a dinghy cover a fellow cruiser was recycling and, as long as the machine was set up, some mending was done for both Exit Strategy and Tiger Lilly.  Time passed quickly with most things we needed being easily accessible at reasonable prices from anyone of three chandleries within a short walk. There were many opportunities to also be distracted from our work here, as many other cruising acquaintances planned activities to fill our dance cards.






Captain Dan was transformed to BLUEBEARD as he sanded the bottom.

 




The new Micron 66 antifouling is a stunning shade of blue.

But the longer we were here, the more concerned we became about safety. Lilly and I walked many mornings at 6:30-8:00 to avoid the extreme heat and we felt safe unless we encountered the occasional pack of stray dogs. I carried pepper spray, but never had to use it as the mongrels stopped and retreated whenever we (Lilly mainly) turned to face them and sternly yelled, “NO!” We took one walk part way up a mountain road and intended to walk it all the way on another day, however a Trinidadian resident and  friend of Tiger Lilly’s strongly advised us against it.   






This area is rich with oil.

A Howler Monkey

Once ES was launched, the Captain and I high tailed it for calmer, cleaner waters among the nearby out islands of northwestern Trinidad. We spent two nights in Grand Fond Bay on Monos Island in the company of four other boats, followed by one night in Sanders Bay on Chacachacare Island. The solitude of Chacachacare was a pleasant surprise as we were the only vessel there. However, one can see Venezuela from the anchorage and we had read about incidents of “pirating” over the years. It was a peaceful piece of paradise there, but its history made me nervous, so Dan agreed to lock up the companionway for the first time since we began sailing. That night I had quite a vivid dream about a pirate attack that scared me awake in my dream, and then I really woke up and was about to shake Dan to man our self defense devices when I realized it was only a dream. 

        

 

We’re currently in the Trinidad & Tobago Sailing Association (TTSA) anchorage just south of Chaguaramas off the mainland. This morning the local news was laden with discussion that focused on the new travel advisory issued for American travelers by the USA for Trinidad! It is customary for a vessel to fly a flag astern to indicate one’s nationality. The Captain removed it this morning without prodding.



Lilly & I were high scorers in Mexican Train Dominoes,
i.e. BIGGEST LOSERS!

The Bamboo Cathedral on the way to Marguaripe Beach.

              
PS for MY FAMILY: PLEASE DO NOT TELL MOM THE DETAILS ABOUT TRINIDAD’S SAFETY STATUS.

SUMMER “CAMP” 2012 IN GRENADA

My dear mother insists that the island is called “Greh- NAH- duh”, but we haven’t heard any of the islanders or cruisers pronounce it that way yet.  It is the island of “Greh- NAE- duh” and it has been our summer “camp” of choice for the 2012 hurricane season. You may have been wondering why I haven’t posted on this blog for so-o-o long.  Check out our weekly “camp” options for activity and you’ll soon understand.  Those coupled with my 2 month trip back to the Midwest for a much needed visit with family and friends has kept me very occupied.

SUNDAY
Weekly:

• Church Bus to Baptist Service
• Hitch ride to Catholic Church
• Mexican Train Dominoes at Secret Harbor Marina 
• Musicians Jam at Whisper Cove Marina
• Beach BBQ at Hog Island

 Monthly : Jumble Sale (Cruisers’ Rummage Sale at Secret Harbor Marina)

MONDAY 
Weekly :

• Yoga Class
• Walk-Hike Group
• Half Price Pizza Night at Prickly Bay

TUESDAY
Weekly :

• Shopping Bus Trip
• Walk-Hike Group
• Mexican Train Dominoes at De Big Fish
• Volleyball at Secret Harbor Marina
• AA Meeting at USG Campus

WEDNESDAY
Weekly:

• Burger Night at Clarks Court Marina
• Walk-Hike Group
• Salad Bar Night at De Big Fish

Monthly : Book Swap at Island Waterworld Chandlery

THURSDAY
Weekly :

• Yoga Class
• Walk-Hike Group
• Volleyball at Secret Harbor Marina
• Cooking Class at True Blue Resort
• AA Meeting at USG Campus
• Movie Night at De Big Fish Restaurant

FRIDAY
Weekly:

• Walk-Hike Group
• Shopping Bus Trip
• Pizza Night & Live Band at Prickly Bay Marina
• Bus to Fish Friday Festival in Gouyave

Monthly: Free Jazz Concert in St. George

SATURDAY
Weekly :

• AA Open Meeting at Secret Harbor Marina
• Cruisers Bus to Read with Children in Mt. Airy
• Shopping Bus Trip to St. George Farmer’s Market
• Bus to HASH event (NOT hashish)
• Potluck Dinner at Clarks Court Bay Marina
• Pizza at Hog Island Beach Bar

Monthly:  Bus to "Taste of Grenada"


FOR UP-TO-DATE LISTINGS, SEE THE GRENADA CRUISERS NET FB PAGE .

CARRIACOU-The Little Sister

Our sail to Carriacou- the lesser known “Little Sister Island” of Grenada- was an easy go. Our vessel, a Bavaria Cruiser 46, is well constructed and designed for blue water sailing. Generally, we’re not in a hurry to get anywhere, but have found that Exit Strategy often cuts through the water at a faster pace than many boats. Along the way, we passed three boats that left the last anchorage before us.
Carriacou had a sleepy feel to it. No cruise ships dock there, but it is a stop on the inter-island ferry route. The people were friendly and the road along the coast begged to be hiked. Well- we did take a local bus to the end of the line at the northeastern point to see how they build their pirogues (wooden boats). But then we walked an estimated 6 miles around the point to the western coast and back in to the main town of Hillsborough. The road was partially paved, yet no vehicles or people passed our way, so we couldn’t have hitched a ride back if we wanted to!   We picked up a National Park mooring at Sandy Island to snorkel and explore. While ashore, a fierce squall suddenly slammed down on us, pelting bits of sand on our bare legs. We took what shelter we could from a few small coconut trees. We had an unobstructed view of a seasoned windjammer ship (s/v Diamante’) drag anchor beyond our vessel. The captain of the ship was kind enough to dinghy us back to our boat when he arrived to rescue his guests, as the current and chop may have been the end of us if we had swam. Tyrell Bay was a short trip around to the south coast of Carriacou. This area was home to a live aboard community, as well as some cruisers who dodge hurricanes for the season, complete with a handful of boat vendors. We wondered if anyone in the vicinity could spell after we encountered several versions of TYRELL on both official and hand painted signs:  TYRREL…TYREL…TYEREL… (Most charts show it as TYRELL BAY.) As a side note, we were told that the actor Morgan Freeman is from Carriacou.  (I wonder how he spells “Tyrell.”)

UNION ISLAND, The Grenadines

Clifton's Waterfront The town of Clifton on Union Island was eerily quiet for a Sunday afternoon. We've found that it is not unusual for businesses to be closed on Sunday mornings, but grocers, restaurants, and bars are routinely open by 1 PM. A man relaxing in the cool shade of a wild almond tree heartily welcomed us to the island and informed us that everyone had gone to attend the funeral of a local custom's agent who recently died in the line of duty. The whole island plus ferry boats full of people from other Grenadine Islands came to mourn the loss of one of their own. Just another example of how small and closely knit is the fabric of the Grenadine Islands. We met Tiger Lilly along the way and started to wander up the deserted streets. A drenching rain began to fall and Captain Dan & I sought shelter in Jennifer's Bar & Restaurant. Lilly & Tom marched on up the hill and smack into the middle of the funeral procession. They slowed their pace and were so taken with the display of sincere communal mourning that they stayed to attend the entire service. The islanders were dressed very formally, yet they warmly encompassed our friends who respectfully joined their funeral procession dressed casually in their usual cruiser attire.* Nurse Shark in tank at resort The anchorage in the bay at Clifton was a little unnerving as vessels have to maneuver between two quite visible reefs and drop a hook in exactly the right place, setting it well in order to ensure it stays put.  We did so and the captain snorkeled on the anchor to be sure.  But the first mate didn’t sleep well at all listening to the constant trade winds and the surf rushing over the coral at our bow and stern.  We stayed there only one night. View from windy mountain top Chatham Bay is tucked into the western coast of Union Island. We spent a few days there after it was recommended to us by our Polish cruiser friends Chris & Gosia, s/v Aldebaran. It is a quiet anchorage with a few restaurants that only open if reservations are made. One day we set out to hike the path indicated in our guidebook. Eldon, a local fisherman, saw us searching and backtracking, so he introduced himself and led us to the trail. The hike was more of a climb over rocks, around barrel cacti, and through a sheep pasture. The view from the top of the mountain was exhilarating and the wind was strong enough to tip us backward onto our heels. And then we met BUSHMAN. Bushman was the caretaker of a Frenchman's farm that was situated at the top of mountain. He said that although the property was privately owned, we were welcome to walk around or picnic there. The farm was the cleanest farm I've ever visited. Bushman seemed thoroughly enthused to tell us all about the animals and gardens. Certainly, our interaction with the local folks are among the most memorable on our travels and liming for a bit with Bushman. Pretty clean, huh?

 

*For Tiger Lilly’s in depth account read http://www.sailblogs.com/member/tigerlilly/

MAYREAU (MY - row)

We learned how to "dress the boat" for festive events...You fly every flag you have! 

The last time we had a specific date to be somewhere while cruising the Caribbean was when we tried to rendezvous with family in St. Kitt's in early March.  You may remember reading that we were delayed four days due to a ripped headsail.  Well, we'd like to think that we've gained more experience sailing in heavier winds since that time, and so we agreed to meet friends in Mayreau at Black Boy & Debbie's Bar for a pigroast on the beach,  graciously hosted by Willie and Mark of s/v Liahona.

s/v Tiger Lilly was "dressier" due to her circumnavigations.

For more details on the fun see Mark & Willie's blog entry:
 http://svliahona.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/piggin-out-in-saltwhistle-bay/

We arrived three days early and were faced with an overcrowded anchorage.  So we dropped the hook with our aft fairly close to a reef that lined the southern shore of Salt Whistle Bay.  Mark encouraged us to move forward and squeeze Exit Strategy's 46 feet amongst the crowd, but we stayed put.  Many of the vessels there were charter boats that left before the BBQ, so we happily moved forward to take a mooring for the night. The pigroast was a grand potluck event in cruiser style with everyone bringing a favorite dish to share and their personal plates & utensils.  (In fact, one can readily tell who is not a cruiser when outsiders show up at a fest, such as this pig roast, and politely ask, "Where are the plates?")

Mayreau is rimmed with gorgeous sandy beaches and ever-clear water. It is another small island of the Grenadine chain, so Lilly & I were able to walk every road in about two hours.  Every turn we took onto a worn path was rewarded by superb views of the neighboring Grenadines.

We always try to attend Sunday Mass if we can find one on the island we're visiting.  While in Mayreau, the Captain & I went to Mass at the smallest Catholic Church yet.  On Saturday, a man at the church told us that Sunday Mass began at 8am... We arrived at 7:45am... The priest arrived and told us that mass began at 8:45am... A duet of bells and a howling dog rang at 8:30am...and Mass finally began around 9am.
(Think "island" time.)

The TOBAGO CAYS

We've begun to feel like these Grenadine Islands are all starting to run together.  It's not just Captain Dan & I that feel this way.  Our friends have been experiencing the same disorientation and contrary to what you may think-  its NOT the RUM. These islands are smaller than many we've explored, so we're covering them at a much quicker pace.  We're relying on our photos help keep us focused.  And now we know why so many cruisers enjoy coming here...

Tiger Lilly wanted us to follow them over to Petit Tabac to anchor behind
 the "World's End Reef"; we declined.

Sea stars near the turtle preserve.



The reef protected anchorage off of Baradel Cay 

CANOUAN

Nick (far right) points out CCA projects on Canouan's northeastern shore
 to Dan and Tom (middle- s/v Tiger Lilly).

There is a good reason why you have probably never heard of anyone vacationing on the Grenadine Island of Canouan. It is a relatively small island whose economy largely depends on being service persons or caretakers of the exclusive residences and resorts hidden in the mountains and valleys on its northern end.  The C.C.A. is an Italian company that manages whatever needs doing on Canouan.  Tiger Lilly just happened to meet the director of maintenance when he offered the extremely hot and sweaty Tom & Lilly a ride back toward town after explaining that they wouldn’t be allowed to the past the guarded gates that lay ahead of them. 

Nick and his wife Jasmine (an interior designer) are Brits who moved to the Caribbean years ago and have had similar employment opportunities in St. Lucia and Mustique. 


Being that Nick is a C.C.A. Director, the next day he was able to take us into the gated community and we hiked Mount Royal. Straddling massive boulders 877 ft. above sea level, we scanned the exclusive development as Nick pointed out various construction projects. As a C.C.A. employee, he was strictly bound by a confidentiality clause concerning the identity of residents and could only say that most have made their fortune in financial sectors from all parts of the world. Later that afternoon, we were treated to a glorious BBQ feast at Nick & Jasmine’s house on the beach.  They made our brief stay in Canouan extra special.

Our group resting on top of Mt. Royal; (L to R) Gosia and Chris of s/v Aldebaran,
Rose and Dan, and Tom of s/v Tiger Lilly.

 

MUSTIQUE

A dazzling school of blue tangs welcomed us to the island of Mustique. Our cruising friends assumed that we were going to this island in hopes of catching a glimpse of one of its many famous residents, such as Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Tommy Hilfiger... but that wasn't our motivation.

A very "ZEN" atmosphere

Mustique is where cruisers need to go to retreat from the monotony of life on board their vessel.  In Mustique, there are NO boat boys, NO boat services, NO chandleries or sail lofts, and NO fuel docks to distract you from sitting back and enjoying life one day at a time.  Mustique offers your choice of long soft sandy shores, select reefs to snorkel and often you are the only ones there.  But IF you come to Mustique- leave your cameras on board to respect the privacy of the many celebrities who have homes on the island.

Exquisitely decorated boutiques

BEQUAI (BECK way)

Ah-h-h, the Grenadines at last!

As we rounded the southern tip of St. Vincent toward its sister island of Bequai, the wind reared its ugly face, gusting and shifting erratically.  A massive cloud hung over the boats in Admiralty Bay where we intended to anchor.  We watched a grey curtain of rain fall down before our bow and put on our foul weather jackets.  Within minutes, the sky turned charcoal-black and we could no longer see the boats in the bay.  Exit Strategy does not have radar yet, so we turned back toward the open sea, switched on the navigation lights, and patiently waited out the storm.  About forty minutes later, the rain let up and visibility was improved enough for us to maneuver the vessel back into Admiralty Bay where we set our the hook along a lovely quiet stretch of beach called Lower Bay.  After all the excitement, I was ready for a nice hot cup of bush tea made by steeping a bruised lime tree leaf in water, as Martin/Providence taught us in Dominica.  For supper we had more comfort food- chicken and dumplings, then off to bed for a good night’s rest.  The following morning rewarded us with a beautifully clear sky.  We found ourselves anchored in water that was so pristine we could easily see our large cooking pot 18 feet below on the bottom that Dan had lost a grip on while rinsing it the evening before.   (He soon retrieved it.) 

The Grenadine Islands are relatively small, but Bequai is the largest. We were surprised that many yacht services were available here and thankful that for once we didn't need any. We wandered around and easily found loads to do as our photos will attest.

Bequai is so small that even the cattle pastures have an ocean view. 

In recent years, bee keeping was revived and produces richly sweet honey.

We saw many "Gracey" dogs here.

We visited the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary and got a tour from Brother King.