St Vincent and the Grenadines

From the Pitons it was a short trip to St Vincent. We chose Wallilabou Bay since it was where the Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed. We had just watched the original movie and one of the sequels that were loaned to us by Navigator, so it was pretty cool to be in the same bay where much of the movie was shot. We saw the town and the gallows where the pirates were hanged in the movie as well as many of the props used by Disney.

At this anchorage, we grabbed a bow mooring and a local man, Randolph, rowed out and took a long line from the stern to a piling near shore. This allowed the boat to face the open sea and made this anchorage more comfortable. We gave him some of Emily’s clothes that she had outgrown since he had two daughters younger than her. He was grateful and told us later that they loved the clothes. Again the water was clean and clear and we snorkeled around the boat. There was a cool arch that had been carved into the lava rock by the sea that we explored.

Just a mile up the road we hiked to a nice small waterfall where we could swim beneath the cool fresh water. We saw the usual goats and cows tethered to a tree now and again and wonderful mango and banana trees just bursting with fruit. We found bushes that produce small pure white seeds that the locals make jewelry out of and we collected some for later crafts projects.

The next day before we were to leave, Randolph delivered a 5 pound black fin tuna to our boat. I had told him I had had no luck fishing on my own and really wanted a tuna to make sushi. He rowed out before sunrise and had caught this fish on a hand line…unbelievable! The fish could not have been fresher. Kim gutted it and put it on ice and we pointed the bow towards Bequia (pronounced Beck-way).

We anchored in Admiralty Bay in Bequia near Voyager right off a nice white sand beach. The water was clear so we snorkeled around the reefs here. In two days we saw 3 turtles around the boat and reef.

We got a tour taxi to take us and the Voyager crew around the island. The first stop was to The Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary. We met the founder, Orton “Brother” King and got a good explanation of his facility. His project involves monitoring beaches, checking nests, trying to protect mother turtles and eggs from poachers, collecting hatchlings, and taking them to the sanctuary to keep them safe during the most vulnerable years of their life.

We learned that The Sanctuary is making a big difference in the survival of these creatures. He has been in operation now for over twelve years and has already released 2000 three-year olds with his special mark (a hole drilled in the back end of the shell). Divers are seeing these marked turtles throughout the waters of the Grenadines.

Our second stop was to the The Whaling Museum. Whaling has taken place for 130 years and is part of the culture of the island. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries whale meat was a staple food for Bequia's population and provided valuable nutrition. Bequia is one of the few places in the world where limited whaling is still allowed by the International Whaling Commission. Natives of Bequia are allowed to catch up to 2 Humpback whales per year using only traditional hunting methods of hand thrown harpoons in small open sailing boats. We heard that they rarely catch their limit and last year they caught only one. Our tour guide was a 14 year old girl and she told us the meat was very tasty. We also visited several model shops where the artisans made detailed models of whaling boats and will even make a model of your ship if you have the time to wait. Maybe some Dear reader will commission a model of the Emily Grace...Christmas is coming up.

The Tobago Cays, which incidentally are not in Tobago but in the Grenadines, are one of the most beautiful places on this earth. It is an archipelago of 5 small islands set behind a long Horseshoe Reef. After our quick 20 mile trip from Bequia, we anchored behind the reef between a couple of the islands in the crystal clear, gin colored waters. We had stunning views everywhere we looked, from the waves crashing out on the reef to the white sand beaches lined with coconut palm trees of the individual cays. It is so pristine, with no civilization in sight and only accessible by boat. In fact, the Tobago Cays have recently been turned into a national park in an effort to preserve the natural beauty and abundant wildlife.

And the snorkeling in the Tobago Cays was fantastic! Before we got our anchor down, we had spotted two or three turtles around the boat. We quickly got the boat shut down and dove in. We were soon surrounded by green and hawksbill turtles. We were just floating among them, watching them eat sea grass and occasionally coming up for air. You could even hear them ripping up the grass and chewing and now understand why the locals call turtles the goats of the sea.

We dove several times over the next two days and saw a school(?) of 17 sting rays and several schools of squid which are always fun to watch. Tom has resorted to buying fish from the locals rather than waiting for a bite on the fishing rod. It sure does taste good as sushi and on the grill!

We moved to Union Island to check out of the Grenadines and to check for news on the internet. After an internet fix, it’s off to check into Carriacou and Grenada..the spice islands!

Tom