The Grenadines
Another day another country….so different to The Pacific!
11 Mar to 23 Mar 2012
Union Island
Love reading the quirky signs here
Union Island was a windy days sail north of Carriacou and our first official stop in the group of island named The Grenadines. We caught a fish within two minutes of setting the line and had a good sail, so it was a successful day. It's a bit of a tricky anchorage, shaped like a horseshoe between two reefs and FULL of charter boats and a constant flow of yachts checking in (to head north) and checking out (to head south). We were really only there to deal with the officials but had a nice walk around the cute colourful town and stocked up on fruit and veg. I lied blatantly to the customs official when he asked if we were there to watch the cricket (the Aussies were playing the West Indies), he was so enthusiastic I didn't want to appear unpatriotic. Personally I'd rather spend the day scratching my nails down a blackboard.
Mayreau
Too close for comfort
Mayreau is a lovely little island 12 miles north of Union and is the unofficial gateway to the Tobago Cays Marine Park. We planned to stop in a quiet little bay (named Saltwhistle Bay) in the north of the island and head around to the cays early the next day. It was pretty crowded when we arrived as there were 15 boats, both anchored and on moorings. We normally take our time in anchoring but for some reason our timing was out. Our anchor dragged across soft weed so we had to re anchor while everyone stood around ogling us (I truly hate this part of the yachting culture - staring blatantly) and to top it off Ian caught a massive fish at that fact moment. Oops, we forgot to take the fishing line in. and caught the one of the boat boys' engine. Luckily they were quite amused, wanting to know if we'd 'caught' anything. All in all, we were a great advertisement for 'how not to anchor' and for paying the boat boys for one of their expensive moorings! But the fun didn't end there. We arrived at lunchtime, and by 6pm there were 40 boats in this tiny bay, the size of three football fields. It turns out there were two convoys of charter boats heading in opposite directions, all meeting in Mayreau for that night., with a huge party planned. It was quite literally spitting distance to the next boat and waaaay to close for our comfort, but by this late stage it was more of a hassle to leave (we would've had to get other boats to move before we could lift our anchor up) than it would be to stay. Thankfully the wind stayed down, the music blared up and everyone seemed to enjoy their night.
Tobago Cays
Need I say more???
Laani, the next day: 'Tobago Cays couldn't possibly be as beautiful as the San Blas island were'….I was happily proven wrong. We dropped the hook with a metre underneath us in crystal clear water, between a turtle and a sting ray. Bliss! The water was so clear, and shallow that you could see the tracks left by our anchor as we settled. Turtles? We were surrounded by these solitary souls munching on the grass beneath us, but this never seemed to dull our excitement at seeing them. They are fairly calm and graceful, and as long as you don't get too close they seem quite happy to have you follow them. Tobago Cays is a Marine Park and the only place so far we have been charged for anchoring (about $4 each per night) but was well worth it. There is a turtle feeding ground sectioned off by the island, thick with sea grass and turtles but there were almost as many under and around our boat. We had a glorious couple of days kayaking, snorkelling and swimming in every direction as well as some hammock time. Our new friends Sally and Dylan (Orion) were also there, it's so nice to have mates going the same way as us for a change!
We saw Tobago Cays at it's best before the wind picked up and we decided to sail north to Bequia, anchoring in Canouan for the night en route (half of this island was developed into an exclusive resort, owned by Donald Trump). Our sail up to Bequia the next day was fairly gusty and we had what seems to be a usual sail combo (two reefs in the main and furled headsail) for us here in the Caribbean. Does the wind EVER ease here???
We saw Tobago Cays at it's best before the wind picked up and we decided to sail north to Bequia, anchoring in Canouan for the night en route (half of this island was developed into an exclusive resort, owned by Donald Trump). Our sail up to Bequia the next day was fairly gusty and we had what seems to be a usual sail combo (two reefs in the main and furled headsail) for us here in the Caribbean. Does the wind EVER ease here???
Bequia
Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary
Bequia has 'just the right amount of backwards and forwards' (a very apt quote from one of Ian's mates who has spent a lot of time there). On one hand they are making the most of their beautiful waterline: brightly painted restaurants and bars with sandy floors and shells line the beach front, behind a little path running along the sea, shaded by enormous old fig trees in front of several very convenient dingy docks. Once the path runs out you are walking on beach sand to the next little part of town, past the beach with all the fishing boats dragged up, the men relaxing in the shade under of the trees, smoking joints, selling their carvings and crocheted rasta hats and preaching 'one love'…….The bay is huge so there is plenty of room for everyone, and we were in a prime spot close enough to town and in front of a lovely beach (swimming/kayaking distance). The water was beautiful and clear anchorage wasn't overcrowded and there was constant wind, so plenty of charge. And our friends on Orion were a short swim away too. Happy days!
Bequia (like Carriacou) has a rich boating history and Bequians are well know for their boat building skills. They still build traditional boats on the beach, but it is their incredible model boats that have become extremely popular with tourists. The intricate details on these exact copies are incredible. We met one lovely man (who also ran the Maritime Museum and gives you a very personal tour) who can boast making a model of the Britannia????????????, which was then presented to the Queen on her visit. The price of his models range from $1000 to $5000 and sometimes take 12 months to build, working for 12-14 hours per day. The detail will amaze anyone, even those who aren't into boats!
The turtle sanctuary on the east coast was an interesting stop, run privately by a former spear fisherman/ diver (and looter of the seas). This old guy had an epiphany years ago when a turtle laid its eggs in the middle of the night, practically on top of his tent. Somehow at that moment he realised that he had taken enough from the sea (he says he lives comfortably) and needed to give something back, before it is too late. So he began trying to save turtle eggs and fumbling his way through raising them to an age (usually 4 or 5 years) where they stand a chance of surviving. The ratio of eggs laid to surviving turtles is pretty poor, something like 3000 egg: 45 adult turtles. In the tanks we saw everything from tiny turtles no bigger than my hand to his original 'pet' turtle named Busybody who is about 35 years old. Busybody has two holes drilled in the rear of her shell so his children could take her on a lead when they went snorkelling (yes, bizarre!).
Another interesting part of the Bequian culture is whaling. To preserve this traditional part of their culture the two Bequian whaling boats are granted a licence, with a quota of 2 whales per boat for each year. Luckily (for the whales) one of the teams didn't pay their licence fees for this year, so at least two whales stand a better chance of being left in peace in their feeding ground (a channel between Bequia and Mustique). The whalers are permitted only to use traditional methods, no engine on their boats, no electronic tracking systems and no souped up guns. They row everywhere in their traditionally built boats, with harpoons attached to the bow. We've been told that every part of the whale stays on the island (i.e.: it's not exported to the whale hungry Japanese) and is for local consumption, which feeds local families for months. While we were there the news spread over the island like wildfire that a whale had been caught. We hiked over the island to see what the outcome was, for me a it was a strange and confronting walk. Yes it would be 'interesting' to see, a rare insight into local traditions. On the other hand I disagree with whaling and don't understand he need to harm such a beautiful and majestic creature. We arrived in the fishing harbour and were told by disappointed locals that it had got away. I decided keeping my happiness on the inside would be the best approach, and tried not to think about how injured the poor thing could be.
We finally got to experience our first steel drum band and arrived at this lovely beach bar to a very subdued bunch of teenagers drumming quietly away and trying not to yawn. Well, that was definitely NOT what we had in mind! People were having dinner and chatting amongst themselves, ignoring the band. We snagged some empty seats up the front and tried not to catch the bands contagious yawns. Thankfully, once dinner finished it really kicked off. One skinny 14 year old was absolutely brilliant and his constant movement was incredibly infectious. He looked like a little Energiser bunny (do you remember those adverts for batteries??) and really made us smile. They had everyone dancing, including some very interesting locals that popped in (one was seriously a pimp/local drug dealer dressed in white satin with big black dreddies sticking out of the hole in his slanted white hat and missing most of his teeth; and the other looked was a drunker version of James Brown muttering at anyone who got in his space). All in all, very entertaining.
Bequia (like Carriacou) has a rich boating history and Bequians are well know for their boat building skills. They still build traditional boats on the beach, but it is their incredible model boats that have become extremely popular with tourists. The intricate details on these exact copies are incredible. We met one lovely man (who also ran the Maritime Museum and gives you a very personal tour) who can boast making a model of the Britannia????????????, which was then presented to the Queen on her visit. The price of his models range from $1000 to $5000 and sometimes take 12 months to build, working for 12-14 hours per day. The detail will amaze anyone, even those who aren't into boats!
The turtle sanctuary on the east coast was an interesting stop, run privately by a former spear fisherman/ diver (and looter of the seas). This old guy had an epiphany years ago when a turtle laid its eggs in the middle of the night, practically on top of his tent. Somehow at that moment he realised that he had taken enough from the sea (he says he lives comfortably) and needed to give something back, before it is too late. So he began trying to save turtle eggs and fumbling his way through raising them to an age (usually 4 or 5 years) where they stand a chance of surviving. The ratio of eggs laid to surviving turtles is pretty poor, something like 3000 egg: 45 adult turtles. In the tanks we saw everything from tiny turtles no bigger than my hand to his original 'pet' turtle named Busybody who is about 35 years old. Busybody has two holes drilled in the rear of her shell so his children could take her on a lead when they went snorkelling (yes, bizarre!).
Another interesting part of the Bequian culture is whaling. To preserve this traditional part of their culture the two Bequian whaling boats are granted a licence, with a quota of 2 whales per boat for each year. Luckily (for the whales) one of the teams didn't pay their licence fees for this year, so at least two whales stand a better chance of being left in peace in their feeding ground (a channel between Bequia and Mustique). The whalers are permitted only to use traditional methods, no engine on their boats, no electronic tracking systems and no souped up guns. They row everywhere in their traditionally built boats, with harpoons attached to the bow. We've been told that every part of the whale stays on the island (i.e.: it's not exported to the whale hungry Japanese) and is for local consumption, which feeds local families for months. While we were there the news spread over the island like wildfire that a whale had been caught. We hiked over the island to see what the outcome was, for me a it was a strange and confronting walk. Yes it would be 'interesting' to see, a rare insight into local traditions. On the other hand I disagree with whaling and don't understand he need to harm such a beautiful and majestic creature. We arrived in the fishing harbour and were told by disappointed locals that it had got away. I decided keeping my happiness on the inside would be the best approach, and tried not to think about how injured the poor thing could be.
We finally got to experience our first steel drum band and arrived at this lovely beach bar to a very subdued bunch of teenagers drumming quietly away and trying not to yawn. Well, that was definitely NOT what we had in mind! People were having dinner and chatting amongst themselves, ignoring the band. We snagged some empty seats up the front and tried not to catch the bands contagious yawns. Thankfully, once dinner finished it really kicked off. One skinny 14 year old was absolutely brilliant and his constant movement was incredibly infectious. He looked like a little Energiser bunny (do you remember those adverts for batteries??) and really made us smile. They had everyone dancing, including some very interesting locals that popped in (one was seriously a pimp/local drug dealer dressed in white satin with big black dreddies sticking out of the hole in his slanted white hat and missing most of his teeth; and the other looked was a drunker version of James Brown muttering at anyone who got in his space). All in all, very entertaining.
Bequia to Dominica
We had our first overnight passage in a while up to Dominica and probably our best sail so far in the Caribbean. The wind was everything from zero (turn the engine on and motor, usually in the lee of the very high highlands) to 28 knots (2 reefs and a furled headsail), but with current helping us along most of the way. It was quite encouraging to be out and enjoying it for a change…long may it last…
Dominica - the nature island
25 Mar to 10 April 2012
The situation with aggressive boat boys trying to get your business causes a fair amount of stress and frustration when you are trying to anchor (especially after a long or arduous passage) and some islands have such a terrible reputation that it is stopping yachts visiting (St Vincent for example). We were pleasantly surprised here to find they were relaxed, courteous and respectful of our space. The boat boys have formed a groups called PAYS and organised a system here which means each 'boat boy' is designated a newly arriving yacht (if you have been here before you ask for your previous boat boy, and there are no arguments). Each boat boy then has the opportunity to sell tours, fruit or organise gas/rubbish collection etc without the threat of someone encroaching on 'their' territory. They have also organised security patrols (funded by a weekly cruiser BBQ) by dinghy at night. This group began a year or two ago after several break ins and thefts begun to reduce the number of cruisers visiting. Yachties invest far more money in the local economy (staying weeks or months enjoying local cuisine and entertainment, as well as having repairs done) than visiting 5 star cruise liners with their 'wealthy' tourists who pop in for 12 hours and are gone again. Every single cruiser we spoke with is positive about this example of working together to protect local incomes (and ourselves) and believes more islands should follow Dominica's example. Well done guys…one love…
This truly IS the nature island. You could stay a month, hiking every day and still not see everything - there mountains and valleys; boiling lakes and sulphur pools; waterfalls and rivers, much of which has been designated national park. Dominica is blessed with very high rainfall and has an abundance of fruit and veg suited to all climes (tropical, dry, cloud forest), a lot of which falls to the floor and rots. I suppose there is only so much you can eat? We hiked the East and West Cabrits one day (2 small mountains near our anchorage in Portsmouth) with their dry forests of mahogany, a huge old fort being restored, snakes and multitudes of lizards and land crabs. We took a minibus around the central to northern parts of the island with a large bunch of cruisers for a rather hilarious day, but 'you just had to be there'. Through forest, private plantations, up and down roads and tracks to Syndicate and Jaco Falls in the interior; to a place named Red Rock (I'll let you figure out why) at sunset and driving home spotting fireflies in the dark. A very loose and fun bunch of people, although I felt a bit sorry for the very polite Frenchies (no english) that also joined us, but probably didn't understand what we were laughing and being silly about. We also had a trip up the Indian River with a different (and equally enjoyable) bunch of young crew, sampling the local homemade rums (passionfruit was my fave, but coconut was also a big hit) at the little bars in the jungle, soaking in a little hot spring and eating handpicked fruits along the way…bliss! Parts of Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed up the Indian River, as has been the case in many of the islands we've been to, so we've decided we must have a movie session and try to pick all the spots out.
Another day a five of us caught a local bus (an experience in itself) to the north end of the island and a little town called Capuchin, for a 10km hike back to our anchorage. The trail led us along the beach on black volcanic ankle rolling boulders, worked our butts and thighs on steep switchback roads and through little villages (population: 25!).This was my favourite days of all so far since it was a relaxed, fun and cheap way to enjoy Dominica and interact with the locals in a small group of like minded people. We stopped frequently at rum shops along the way (mostly for the boys), chatted to fishermen and people cutting leaves for decorated their church for Palm Sunday. Everyone we passed was up for a bit of a chat and eager to know what we thought of their island paradise. Finally we stopped at a beach for lunch and a swim while Sal and I egged the boys to join a group of locals having races on the beach. Ian won his round against Dylan and Terry but was no match for a young off duty policeman. I'd guess that Ian's three beers beforehand didn't work to his advantage!
The Sunday night BBQ's put on by the PAYS group on the beach were a riot with about 40-50 cruisers, a DJ, all for the bargain price of 50EC (about $20). Did I mention it was all you can eat (chicken, fish, salad and rice dishes) AND all you can drink rum punch? Our first night we had a strategy to avoid missing out on rum punch and to ensure we got our moneys worth: we always had three glasses of rum punch in our hands. Needless to say it had the desired effect that night, but there was nothing to be desired the next morning. Our day was entirely written off and we felt guilty about wasting it. As the week went on we heard tales of two day hangovers and discussions about how difficult it was to get back to their boats (that one including us). A certain lovely man had a terrible time trying to bail out the dinghy, only to fill it full of water again every time he tried to get out (stepping on the side of it - thankfully the engine was not on, it was oars only), eventually ending up in the water, fully clothed. That person shall remain nameless, but by the THIRD time watching this I jumped down in my undies (it had been raining heavily) and proceeded to empty it for the fourth (and finally successful) time, with the nameless person safely on deck wringing himself out. The second BBQ we attended was slightly more tame (not wanting a repeat of the hangovers) but still incredibly entertaining. A great way to mix with locals and fellow cruisers.
The real reason Ian has neglected his blogging duties:
he is now fixing other people's boats...
AN IMPORTANT NOTICE TO IAN'S FANCLUB:
Ian has recently been heard threatening to woo you all with a blog update from him. I think he might require a little more encouragement though…so please feel free to beg, cajole...or threaten....