This trip was a one-way bareboat charter from St. Lucia to Canouan in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This was our eighth charter with the Moorings and our first charter in the windward islands of the SE Caribbean. As a beginning note I would like to state that I have been extremely impressed with the consistent quality of the Moorings fleet and customer service, from Tortola to French Polynesia, Baja, St. Lucia and Canouan. Notwithstanding the minor issues that arise with any charter (or any boat in general), we have always received a first class product with the Moorings.
This year we chartered a Moorings Beneteau 43.3, “Capriccio.” The three-cabin layout provided ample room even with 7 total onboard. The saloon converts to a bed but we didn’t find this necessary as some of our crew enjoy sleeping on deck under the stars. The one complaint about this vessel is the lack of refrigeration capacity. Instead of a separate fridge and freezer this boat has one fridge with a small icebox inside. The Moorings did loan us a cooler (they almost always will if you ask) which helped to save room in the fridge. The 433 also has dual steering (unusual on a boat of this size), but the instrument layout was frustrating (autohelm and engine controls on one side, depth and speed on the other).
The crew arrived in St. Lucia from Boston, New York, and Washington DC. Half flew into SLU (Castries) which is very convenient and only a short taxi ride to the Moorings base at Marigot Bay. The other half, including myself, flew into UVF (Vieux Fort) on the other side of the island. This entails an approx. 1.5 hours taxi ride to Marigot Bay. There are other advantages to flying into SLU as well, such as significantly shorter customs and immigration lines. However, you can fly direct to UVF from cities such as Atlanta and Miami, whereas flying to SLU will probably mean a layover somewhere like San Juan.
The Moorings base at Marigot Bay is very nice. It is a small base with the boats med-moored along a single dock. There’s a small grocery store on site (we provisioned ourselves at a larger grocery a short taxi ride away), a bakery (good breakfast), and several other stores. The pool at the base is also very nice. We slept aboard the first night and found the bay to be relatively comfortable and breezy (unlike some evening start locations). Marigot Bay is also incredibly scenic and worth touring in its own right. We received an excellent chart briefing from Alex at the base.
After our first night aboard we set sail for the Pitons. We had originally planned to anchor at Hummingbird Anchorage for the first night, but instead we decided to go straight to the Jalouise Anchorage between the Pitons. We didn’t regret our decision. This location is magnificent. The Pitons, perhaps the signature feature of St. Lucia, rise directly out of either side of the bay. Petit Piton is particularly striking. The hotel on shore, the Jalouise Plantation, was also a nice surprise. They have a beautiful beach and facilities, and their front desk was very helpful in arranging tours. We also had fun renting Hobbie Waves from their watersports desk.
We decided to spend 2 nights at the Pitons anchorage in order to have a full day to explore the area. We hired a local guide and awoke early the next morning to hike Gros Piton. Gros Piton, at about 2619 feet, is higher than Petit Piton, but it can be hiked rather than climbed to the summit. The hike is strenuous and I would advise anyone considering it to get an early morning start to avoid the worst of the midday heat. Even if you are accustomed to hiking in the mountains, you might not be prepared for the heat and humidity of St. Lucia, so bring plenty of water. You will also be hiking about 2.5 hours continuously uphill on rock and dirt trail, so bring sturdy shoes. Depending on your speed it should take about 2 to 3 hours to the summit, and less on the way down.The initial hiking is through dense foliage with few views, but the trail opens up towards the summit with fantastic views towards Petit Piton as well as the interior of the island. At the conclusion of our hike we toured the local town as the base of the mountain before returning to the anchorage by water taxi.
Our second afternoon at the Pitons we took a water taxi into Soufriere to clear out of St. Lucia before departing the next morning for SVG. After visiting Soufriere we were glad we chose to stay at the Pitons and avoid the lights and noise of the bigger town. However I should note that we arrived in the mid-afternoon at the Pitons and picked up the last available mooring ball. During the winter high season we probably would not have been so lucky, and because this area is a marine reserve anchoring is prohibited. I recommend arriving as early as possible if you want to pick up a mooring between the Pitons.
After spending two nights at the Pitons, we departed very early (approximately 5:45AM) the next morning for Bequia, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We decided to head straight for Bequia rather than stop on St. Vincent mostly to conserve time for the southern Grenadines. This, of course, necessitated a very long day of sailing. In the winter months you would probably make this sail on a beam or broad reach, but because the winds had shifted to the southeast we were close hauled for the entire 11 hour sail. Some may prefer otherwise but I greatly enjoyed the brisk wind and pounding through the swells. The winds picked up and became quite gusty as we approached the northern tip of St. Vincent, at which point we double reefed the main. In the lee of St. Vincent’s high mountains the wind died almost entirely for a time, only to pick back up again on the leg from St. Vincent to Bequia. Overall this was a long day but definitely a highlight of the trip for me. It was great to put Capriccio through her paces and enjoy the day at sea. We timed our start well in order to arrive in Bequia about an hour before sunset.
As we approached Admiralty Bay on Bequia, Kenmore Henville approached in his dinghy to take pictures of Capriccio. We all thought he was nuts driving around in the chop and stopping directly in front of our boat, but he did take some great pictures. I bought a CD of 4 images and I’m very pleased with the results. If he takes pictures of your boat I recommend that you at least take a look at his samples when he comes through the anchorage. At Bequia we dropped anchor at Tony Gibbons Beach. The holding here was fine and there is plenty of room. It is also a bit on the outskirts of town and not crammed into the middle of the busy harbor. We had no problem clearing customs and immigration here (they are both in the same building) though we did have to pay an overtime charge for clearing after 4pm. Bequia proved to be a good place to stock up on a few additional provisions. We explored town a bit and had dinner at Noeline Taylor’s Porthole restaurant, which is just a short dinghy ride from Tony Gibbons beach. The restaurant had a real home cooking feel and was very good. The crew would definitely recommend that you try the callaloo soup.
The next morning we did our first two scuba dives of the trip, with Dive Bequia. Dive Bequia is located about halfway between Tony Gibbons Beach and the main dinghy dock in town. You can’t miss them because they have a big dive flag out over the water. We enjoyed our dives here (a reef and a tugboat wreck), and it was also nice that Dive Bequia agreed to an earlier than usual start time so we could get moving for the afternoon.
After scuba diving in the morning we had another longish sail south to Salt Whistle Bay on Mayreau. Salt Whistle Bay has a gorgeous pristine beach that was my favorite of the entire trip. We arrived shortly before sunset and quickly set our anchor. This is a small anchorage and you need to watch out for the reefs on either side as you enter. There is a small hotel on shore, but it is so well hidden behind the palm trees that you can barely notice it from the water. The bay also abuts a narrow headland that you can walk across to come to a long and even more secluded beach on the other side. In short, you must not miss Salt Whistle Bay! We enjoyed this location so much that we decided to place our geocache here. The Donenfeld-Wagner Cache is located atop Mt. Carbuit, which rises from the northeastern edge of the bay. If you visit this beautiful location I encourage you to go and try to find it. You can find details for the cache here:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=88f0e128-04bc-4095-b6f3-0714c966fa6aThe following morning, before departing Salt Whistle Bay, we also hiked up the short road leading to the settlement. This is a small town with a real local flavor, and definitely worth visiting. We stopped at Island Paradise to grab a drink and chat with a few of the locals about life on the island.
After visiting the settlement, we departed Mayreau for a short motor to the Tobago Cays. The approach to the Cays is straightforward if you follow the chart and guidebooks, though I almost guarantee that you will not see the range markers on shore. As you arrive in the Cays you may see some boats anchored in or just outside of the cut between Petit Rameau and Petit Bateau. I recommend that you continue through the cut (there is plenty of water even though it doesn’t look like it) and anchor to the south of Baradel. This location is a little more exposed, but the holding is good, the reef keeps down most of the chop, and you will be more centrally located and closer to the best snorkeling. When we arrived a small wave had moved through the previous night, and the winds were still blowing pretty good, but we were comfortable at this location. The water at the Cays comes in spectacular shades of blue and is clear enough to see the bottom at great depths. We explored three of the four islands easily accessible to the anchorage and enjoyed the myriad of beaches and short hiking trails. The Cays are part of a marine park and you will need to pay a small fee, but it is well worth it to keep this area pristine. You will be approached by a number of boat boys at the Cays offering everything from t-shirts to fresh fish to beach BBQs. For the most part everyone is friendly and not too pushy. We bought fresh fish from a boat boy here and it made for a great dinner aboard the boat.
The reef surrounding the Cays is dotted with mooring balls allowing you to snorkel off your dinghy. The reef here is huge, but we weren’t all that impressed with the snorkeling. The fish life is good, but much of the shallower coral is dead (perhaps the result of past storms or human contact).However, the diving in this area was really a highlight of the trip! In the Southern Grenadines we arranged to do three days of diving with Glenroy Adams’ Grenadine Divers. This is a great little operation that will come out and pick you up from your yacht anywhere around Mayreau, Union, the Cays, and perhaps elsewhere as well. We dove the deeper, outside section of the Tobago Cays reef, which is still in very good shape. However, the best dive in this area was a very fast drift dive at Mayreau Gardens. This is an absolute must! Not only is drift diving a lot of fun, but the diversity of marine life here is incredible.
We spent two nights at the Cays – diving, hiking, snorkeling, and stargazing at night under a pitch-black sky. Departing from the Tobago Cays we next headed to Chatham Bay on Union Island. Chatham Bay is one of those places that you might get lucky and be by yourself or with just one or two other boats, but there were actually quite a few there when we arrived. Still, this was a great spot with probably the best sunset of the entire trip. The other highlight of Chatham Bay was the beach BBQ. A number of boat boys operate competing BBQs from shacks set up along the shoreline (a similar service is available in the Tobago Cays). We heard that the best BBQ here is run by “Shark Attack,” but he was not available when we arrived. We used the services of another boat boy and had a great meal, though I will say it is very important to make sure everyone is on the same page as to the exact price and what that includes before you agree to anything. The Moorings also advised us to be wary of a boat boy here that goes by the name of Seki or Seko. He apparently is a troublemaker that is no longer welcome along the beach here. We did encounter him, found him to be exactly as described, and politely but firmly declined his services.
The next morning we awoke to do our last two dives of the trip. The dives were both located within the bay itself, one at the northern tip and one at the southern tip. The diving here, as elsewhere in the Grenadines, was very good. The dives were shallow and we had significant bottom time. This would also be an excellent location for snorkeling.
After diving we departed for Petite St. Vincent, at the southern end of our planned itinerary. Petite St. Vincent is directly across a narrow channel from Petite Martinique, which marks the northern end of the country of Grenada. We did not visit Petite Martinique as we did not wish to clear customs yet again. PSV is a great little island that is entirely encompassed by a luxury resort. Several crew members went ashore and commented that the island had beautiful beaches and many nice walking paths to enjoy. The entire crew also dinghied over to the nearby Mopion Sandbank, which was another highlight of the trip. The Mopion sandbank is a tiny little sand island with nothing but a single thatched umbrella on it. If nothing else this is a terrific photo opportunity, and we had the entire island to ourselves. It is a long dinghy from the PSV anchorage but definitely doable. One note on navigation to PSV – be aware that the reefs surrounding the approach the anchorage extend further south than you might anticipate. Carefully follow the recommended approach on the charts and you will be fine, but don’t try to cut directly into the anchorage without being sure of your exact location. Another aside – a French couple informed us that the night before our arrival boats had been robbed at the anchorage overnight with the occupants asleep onboard. The particular assailants were apparently apprehended, but overnight we saw several shady looking characters in unlit boats cruising through the anchorage. I wouldn’t skip PSV because of this, but I would be extra vigilant in locking your boat and removing valuables from the deck.
After one night at PSV, and with our trip coming to an end, we had an fine sail the following morning up to the Moorings base at Canouan. The Moorings base at Charlestown Bay on Canouan is quite unique, at least as far as the Moorings bases that I have been to. There are no docks, and all of the boats are on mooring balls. The bay itself is very scenic and the Tamarind Hotel adjacent to the base has a nice beach with some watersports equipment for rent. Because there are no docks and you will be on a mooring ball out in the bay, this is a very comfortable location either for an evening start or an evening on board prior to an early morning flight out. We decided to rent the boat an extra day and sleep onboard prior to our departure (this was cheaper than hotel rooms for 7), and we were very happy that we chose this option. It was an excellent way to wind down the trip, and gave us plenty of time to pack up and enjoy a last evening on board before the early, 7:15AM departure the following morning.
Overall, this was a really fantastic trip. The sailing conditions were very good, with brisk winds out of the southeast for most of the week, moderating a little towards the end of the charter. There is also a good mix between seclusion and shoreside restaurants, bars, and other facilities. As for the often-mentioned boat boys, we didn’t find them to be too much of a problem, and in some ways they can be quite helpful if you want to obtain ice, fish, or some other items. The scenery and topography of the area is interesting and varied, and the diving, particularly around the area of Mayreau Gardens, is outstanding. I hope this report can be of some assistance to those planning a charter in the area, and please let me know if you have any questions.
My pictures from the trip are at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sseana1/sets/72157605412270212/Fair Winds!
Sean
