carricou and bequia

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Bequia to Carricou


More diving, a beach barbecue, swimming. Bequia was as ever great fun. Then on to Carricou.
Carricou is an island about 30 miles north of Grenada, we visited there two years ago, it was very tranquil and sweet. Nothing much seems to happen there. It is a very green lush little place, with little volcanic peaks, a small capital town of Hillsborough, and some very photogenic houses. We had a great sail down there, the wind on the beam, perfect sailing. We anchored in Tyrell bay, a big wide anchorage, safe and clean, fringed by mangrove swamps. As we anchored the man on the next boat said’ Hello Eleanor’ It was peter and veronica’s friend, they had told them we were coming! We went round for a drink that evening, Michael and Anne, they were very good company. Alan Bruce and I went to the turtle dove restaurant in the corner of the bay. The dinghies on the dock were surging horribly, quite a big swell, the floating pontoon was rolling around so I crawled over it to get in to the dinghy.
In the morning Alan and I canoed, yes, really, into the mangroves. The canoe is remarkably stable, it was lovely to just quietly get close to the egrets, and birds. The colours are so vivid, deep leafy green and dark water. Lots of little jelly fish swam around the canoe. We saw a kingfisher. The mangroves cover a big area, it was quite a long canoe back. Alan and Bruce and I went ashore, it was really hot as we walked along the edge of the bay, a few restaurants, supermarket and atm. We tried twice to get the money out but no luck, so not much to buy food with. We went diving that afternoon on the headland, it was a very pretty dive with plenty of coral and fish.

Michael and Anne came round in the evening and we had conch fritters, which were nice, and a few drinks. Then a great big roast dinner. Well it was Sunday. That night the anchorage was calm, and we were glad we had taken Peters advice and anchored in the northwest corner.

Monday.
Up early and off to Union Island. Wind on the nose, not used to this windward stuff. As we approached the anchorage we saw Tracey and Ian on Loon, have not seen them since last year. We spoke across the boats, and then on the VHF. We went into Union Island, and went ashore in Clifton. This is a small village really, but the people were friendly, and we had a little shop. The fruit and vegetable stalls were so colourful and the blues and greens in the water breathtaking.There is not a lot there, but there is a bank. We went to lunch at the hotel, which was good. Tracy and Ian came down to the boat to see us, it was great to see them. We are going to meet them tomorrow in Mayreau.

Tobago Cays
These are a series of small islets, with sandy beaches, surrounded by reef.
Last time we came here, it was so windy, and it seems so again. The sea was rough and Alan and Bruce decided to dive on the reef. I was not too happy about this as there is supposed to be a current and I would have to be in the dinghy. Those big waves frighten me. Anyway we went all the way to the edge and Alan could not swim against the current so then came home, everyone fed up. My opinion of Tobago cays has not improved. It is full of boats, in hospitable, and crowded. In the daylight the beaches look so perfectly desert islandish. The sea is blue and little palm trees line the horizon.

Last night was horrid, the wind has blown and blown, we watched TV for a while and then had a very unsettled night, we had moved the anchor over earlier as we were drifting too close to a Spanish boat. Now we have wind gusting up to 30 knots, it is rough here, and as soon as we have our breakfast we will be going. This may be a fantastically beautiful area but when the wind blows like this, it is very exposed, with reefs very close behind you and in front of you it feels very unsafe to me. We are going to speak to Ian and Tracey at 9am after we have finished listening to Chris Parker on the single side band.
Bruce of course, has slept like a baby, and never even noticed us getting up in the night to check the anchor!
MAYREAU
We sailed up to Saline bay in Mayreau.
This tiny island has only had electricity for about 20 years, the bay was a perfect crescent and the cruise ship Club med was anchored off the beach. Little white tenders carrying the passengers ashore. We went for a walk and a very very steep hill up to the tiny village, which seemed to consist of a few bars, restaurants. At the top of the hill and the island some children tried to sell us shells. There is a small very solid looking catholic church. This really was the start of the island, and beside it is a rain catchments slope which was built to provide water for the 300 people who live here. There were a few cruise ship people walking up and down the hill, and we saw Dennis hideaway, mentioned in the pilot book. There did not seem to be any vehicles, although after a while we saw a car. Who knows where they would go on this tiny island. Alan and Bruce did a dive on the headland, they made a mistake though, because there was so much current at the end they were clinging onto rocks to get back to the dinghy. There was nothing I could have done, back on the boat. They saw stingray, nurse shark, a and a few little lobsters.
That evening we went up to Dennis bar, he talked to us, a very personable guy, he has some children in Newcastle, and tried living there for a while. His bar was lively, and the food ok, but the bill came to £100 for the three of us, a combination of our exchange rate and taxes etc on the drinks and food. Still it was fun, even though Bruce was slightly incoherent by the end.


Next day we drove round to Chatham Island, we are loon a tics looking for Tracey and Ian on Loon. We found them,. They had been calling us but the island was in the way. We anchored behind them and went ashore, halfway down the beach we bumped into each other, very good to see them. We went ashore for a few drinks at the beach bar. An American charter boat had his clientele involved in silly games etc, but we were too British to join in with that! The next day Ian Tracey and I walked to Clifton, it was a lovely day, great walk across the island, and a trip in a bus. We did our internet stuff and had some food from a little stall, we shopped and then came back on the bus, cost 5 dollars each, so not exactly expensive.

Alan and Bruce, Claire and Jamie went snorkelling, and tried to catch some of the bait ball with a cast net, not successfully. Bruce and Alan had another dive and in the evening we had a beach bbq with blackened chops etc. Still it was fun, we made a great big fire, after all it dropped below 30 degrees we were cold!

This morning up at 6 to travel to Bequia, we are just rounding the headland now, it has been a very rough trip, but just banged on into it, Bruce has only just woken up, he has a great capacity for sleep in huge seas, and 30knots of wind on the nose. It is 10.30 am . pos 12.59.636, 61.17.489 west.
More later.

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