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Published: December 9th 2008
Snorkeling
Snorkeling along the reefs with friends Pete and Sari.As we had promised, we returned to the Tobago Cays. We had stopped here for a few days on our way to Trinidad last cruising season and fell in love with the place. We intended to spend lots of time there, so we provisioned the boat with fresh bread, fruits, and vegis from Union Island and set sail. Luckily the Tobago Cays aren’t far away, in fact it only took us 18 minutes to get there and have the anchor down. We quickly jumped into the crystal clear turquoise water and swam with all the turtles and rays there. What a magical place!
We stayed in the Tobago Cays for a couple of weeks, making a few runs back to Union for provisions once in a while. We anchored in the protected waters behind Horseshoe Reef and explored all 5 of the small islands that make up the Tobago Cays; Baradel, Jamesby, Petit Tabac, Petit Rameau, and Petit Bateau. All of these islands are uninhabited and very small, not more than a few acres each. But what these islands lack in size they more than make up for with pristine beauty. All have white sand beaches lined with palm trees
Spotted Eagle Ray
Swimming along with a spotted eagle ray in the Tobago Cays.
perfect for a stroll. The only residents are hermit crabs and seabirds. And the snorkeling was amazing! Such rich sea life, colorful coral gardens, and tons of fishes. We saw hawksbill turtles and spotted eagle rays just about every time we were in the water. It was fantastic!
And the diving was even better. Jay needed to finish his PADI dive certification so we set up his 4 open water dives with Grenadines Dive, a scuba operation that runs out of Union Island. The dive boat would come out and pick us up from the Rum Runner in the morning and we would be off. Our favorite dive was Mayreau Garden, which is a drift dive over an incredibly beautiful reef. The coral was alive and healthy and rich in color. And we were surrounded by thousands of blue tangs and a school of yellow fin tuna even came by to check us out (too bad we didn’t have our spear- that could have been dinner!) We even saw a couple of nurse sharks hanging out on the ocean floor and a giant grouper, over 200 pounds. Awesome! We also went diving off of Petit Tabac, on the outside
Petit Bateau
Swimming at the beach in Petit Bateau. of Horseshoe Reef, and on the wreck of the Purina, a World War I gunboat. All of the dives were fantastic and we had an amazing time! I hadn’t been diving since I was out in Australia on the Great Barrier Reef- but I must say that this was just as spectacular. And now Jay is not just certifiable, but scuba certified. We are really looking forward to this new aspect of our trip, we have so much underwater exploration to look forward too.
After fun filled days it was time to pour a couple of swifties and enjoy the sunset, which is always incredible here in the Caribbean. We had many special nights in the Tobago Cays. Our good friends Pete, Sari, and Adam on S/V Gattopadro were anchored right next to us and we shared many a good meal. Including a Thanksgiving Feast that was quite impressive, especially seeing that I had to cook it all in my small galley. Of course we couldn’t find a turkey in the Caribbean, so had pork tenderloin instead. But we still had all the traditional sides like stuffing and cranberry and sweet potatoes and twice baked potatoes and green beans.
Baradel
We took the dinghy over to Baradel to explore this beautiful island. Yum! But the best meal we had there was lobster grilled up at the beach. Mr. Fabulous, one of the boat boys from Union Island, set it all up. All we had to do was show up on the beach right before sunset and enjoy the feast. I had never seen so many lobsters on one grill- and they were huge! We gorged ourselves on fresh lobster, garlic potatoes, pumpkin salad, plantains, and avocado. Finish it off with a plate of fresh fruit, it was a meal fit for a king. You couldn’t beat the location, the food, or the company. It will always be a cherished memory and one of the best nights we have had here in the Caribbean.
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Margie
non-member comment
Times are good
Hi , you chose the best time ever to sail away from the real world.You are giving us all a taste of paradise.Happy sailing -