At the request of Chuteman, here is an abbreviated report of our recent Grenadines Charter from April 5th - 14th. In particular, he wanted me to comment on my route, Mustique, Mayreau and my experience with chartering from the Moorings. This was my second trip to the Grenadines. My research centered on Doyle’s Cruising Guide, Rob Charuk’s Usual Suspects Website (with related links such as the Barefoot Chart briefing) and this Board.

Chartering from the Moorings - I am a fan of the Moorings. I have chartered six times with them (four in the BVI and two in the Grenadines) and have always had a very positive experience. Scott Cundy runs the Moorings base, which is located adjacent to the Tamarind Beach Hotel. He does a great job. He is a very knowledgeable sailor and a big fan of the region.

Scott is assisted by Karen DeRoche, who is extremely competent and has a good, dry sense of humor. Try and get Scott to give you the chart briefing if it is your first time down there; my chart briefing this time was adequate, but if you are a first timer, Scott’s briefing has more detail and local knowledge. I contacted Scott prior to the charter and he sent along some helpful tips on how to make sure I could get out of Canouan early. I had a 505, which is a good boat for the area which is known for its generally higher winds, and accompanying sea state, than the BVI. The Moorings has about 25 - 30 boats now based in Canouan.

It is extremely convenient to stay at the Tamarind the night before taking possession of the boat. The person I correspond with there is Valeria Crabuzza. She is efficient and accommodating. Some of my crew stayed at the Crystal Apartments to save a little money. They are apparently adequate, but there is no question the Tamarind is better appointed.

Route -- My basic plan was to head North first, getting the weather work out of the way. I also hoped to alternate between locations where water was available and where there was none available, thereby refilling my tanks at advantageous times. The first day proved too windy to head North to Mustique, my planned first stop, so we ran South 5 miles to Salt Whistle Bay from the Moorings base, anchoring on the South (actually more West) side of the Bay, about half way out and in front of the dinghy dock. No boats anchored to the stern of me; that would have put them on the reef.

We stayed in Salt Whistle the next day and the day after we headed North to Bequia. My biggest lesson learned this trip is that with the prevailing winds, Mustique almost always requires true close hauled sailing. That is a mistake with a charter boat and a novice crew. My decision to go to Bequia first and thereafter Mustique was a good one. The downside is that you arrive in Bequia (if you leave from Canouan) with full water tanks, instead of running them down first in Mustique. That is a concession that that you just have to make, due to the wind and sea state conditions. The sail to Bequia from Salt Whistle was a close reach for about 24.5 miles and we did it in a little over 4 hours. It sure beat tacking to Mustique. We moored on one of African’s moorings, near the ferry channel and in front of the Whaleboner. He is helpful and, like most people in Bequia, really understands boats. It was a short dinghy ride to everywhere from the mooring, perhaps a five minute ride to Princess Margret Beach. We used Daffodil Marine to refill our tanks. They were on time and efficient. Great service.

From Bequia, we motor sailed around the point and between Ile de Quarte and Pigeon Is. and then close reached to Mustique, where we picked up a mooring from Slick, the Harbor Master in Britannia Bay. [color:"red"]PLEASE NOTE: we approached from the North and never saw the spar that is supposed to mark Montezuma Shoal. I asked Slick about this and he explained that the spar had rotted away and was now temporarily replaced with a small red buoy. It is really hard to see.[/color]

From Mustique, it was downwind to the turn to Tobago Cays and then a close hauled motor sail to the passage between Petit Rameau and Petit Bateau. The Range is still useless and you don’t see it until you are right at it. We anchored between the Horseshoe Reef and Baradel, as it was pretty crowded and the sea turtle sanctuary encroaches on what used to be some of the prime anchoring spots South (actually West) of Baradel. Depth is an issue where I anchored and I was by far the largest monohull tucked in where I stayed. From Tobago Cays, we motor sailed to the tip of Mayreau and then sailed downwind (avoiding Grand Col Reef) to Clifton. Here we tied up at the Anchorage YC. Usually you have to med-moor here, but they were slow and gave me the end tie. I watered the boat here. Six of my crew disembarked. It is really easy to get people to the Airport from the Anchorage. The Anchorage runs a shuttle or it is a 4 minute walk if you don’t stop to pet the goats. From the Anchorage we sailed back up to Salt Whistle and anchored in about the same spot. The last day we close hauled back to Canouan, right before we took the hitch in to Charleston Bay, we saw a pod of four whales. Not bad.


Mustique - I like Mustique. There were no mules available because there were a lot of families on the island and the kids had rented all of them. Instead we hired Johnny for a taxi tour and he dropped us off at Macaroni Beach, later picking us up at a predetermined time. We had dinner at the Firefly, which is always a highlight. Stan was out of the country, but Elizabeth was there and came over to our table to talk for a few minutes. I had canceled our first reservation over the phone at the Moorings when I realized we weren’t going to sail to Mustique on our first day and she was most appreciative. Some of my crew wandered over to the Cotton House for drinks one afternoon and were made to feel very welcome at the beach bar. They hitched a ride back to the dinghy dock. According to Slick, Mustique is considering installing more moorings, but they have not yet done so. Because we were there in April, the field was not crowed when we arrived, but it can fill up during the busier months. [color:"red"]PLEASE NOTE: we approached from the North and never saw the spar that is supposed to mark Montezuma Shoal. I asked Slick about this and he explained that the spar had rotted away and was now temporarily replaced with a small red buoy. It is really hard to see.[/color]


Mayreau -- We anchored in Salt Whistle twice. The Bay filled up with over 20 boats both times; the second time I was certain that a 43 foot Beneteau was over my anchor and would cause a problem. The owner was a good guy and we worked it out so that he moved a little forward when I left the next morning. The Bay was really at capacity; Doyle says the most he has ever seen in there is 22 boats and I think we were close to that. It was the only anchorage that was really crowed the whole trip. We taxied over to Righteous Robert’s and I proceeded to get drunk with the proprietor (as is my duty as skipper). Dinner was fine and Robert is a fun guy; but he is still very old world when it comes to his own staff; especially women. I joked with my crew that he wasn’t very Righteous when it came to his own staff and that maybe we would try Dennis’ next time.

Miscellaneous -- There appeared to be a reduction in Boat Vendors in the Cays. Part of this is due to the fact that I was there a little later in the season (although the Cays were pretty full) and the also fact that they now have to pay an additional monthly fee to the now established in fact (and not name only) Park Service. Also, much to my surprise (and also to the crew who had been there before), Mr. Fabulous was banned from the Cays. No one would tell me if it was a permanent ban or what the infraction was. If anything, the Boat Vendor scene was almost too tame. I guess civilization has made it to World’s End. On the very positive side, the turtle sanctuary seems to be a big success.

If you have any questions about the Boat Vendors, Rob Charuk’s downloadable guide is still pretty up to date. Further questions can be answered by Walter. I always enjoy speaking to him and find him to be a class act all the way. If you deal up front with no misunderstandings (i.e. EC or US? Block or Cube?) and honor your deals (don’t buy ice from someone else if you already ordered from a different vendor who has not yet arrived) you will have an enjoyable time. If you act like yuppie with a sense of entitlement, you’ll get what you deserve, a lot of grief, and you’ll also miss out on one of the things that makes the Grenadines so special.