Trip Report Part 2: Carriacou and the passage to Grenada

We had planned to go to Chatham Bay, another place we missed on our last trip, but having dawdled for close to a week in Bequia and the Tobago Cays, we headed to Carriacou.

We stopped in Clifton just long enough to clear customs, get some cash, top off our water and buy some beer. I remembered this to be a busy, rough & tumble place, and it still had the same ramshackle look at the docks, but quieter, as was every place we visited on this trip. With the streets deserted, I felt a bit uneasy as I walked alone to customs. Then, a bit more nervous after visiting the ATM machine, I quickly made it back to the dock at the Anchorage Yacht Club. I have no reason to believe that Union Island is not a great place, but the vibe here is different and, inexplicably, puts me on edge. Our stop in Clifton took all of 30 minutes and I was glad to be on our way.

We weaved our way out of the crowded harbor and raised our sail just past Palm Island. By noon, we were anchored in Hillsborough Harbor, Carriacou.



Carriacou

Hillsborough looked like a vibrant town, lots of people bustling about, groups of animated school children of all ages, in their crisp uniforms, were scattered up and down the street.

The guest houses and restaurants mentioned in the cruising guide appeared to be closed for the season. The shops were of the hardware and houseware variety. We strolled through town and tried to find a place on the beach for lunch with no luck. It’s a pretty beach, mostly fishing boats and a container ship in the harbor, no tourists in sight. We motored over to Tyrell Bay for the night.

Tyrell Bay is a working harbor with lots of boats. Mostly liveaboards, cruisers and commercial vessels from what I could tell. I only saw a couple boats that looked like the typical charter boat. We had dinner at the Twilight. The food was good, and the service was exceptional – the outboard on our dinghy died that morning, so the proprietor came out to the boat to pick us up! I highly recommend this place if you are ever in Tyrell Bay. Try the curried lambi.

Next day we hopped on the dollar bus and headed to Paradise Beach. This is yet another gorgeous stretch of white sand and clear turquoise water. Again, not a soul on the beach.



There was only one bar open (Hardwood) that served a delicious plate of braised chicken and local side dishes along with a tantalizing view:



A small gift shop called Fidel had some of the nicest local crafts and jewelry that I saw on this trip. Had I known I wouldn’t find anything better in Grenada, I would have bought many more things here. The dollar buses are a good way to get around the island. The locals, including the ex-pats, are colorful and interesting. One, a retired German engineer from Munich, took no time at all to fix our sputtering outboard.



Carriacou's attributes are its old-world simplicity and authenticity. It does not have Bequia’s charming ambience, and I saw little here that was designed to attract tourists, but then I never felt that what I was seeing was, in any way, a façade…the people are open, friendly and genuine, there is no artificiality, which is what makes Carriacou attractive and worth a visit.

On to Grenada

After 2 days in Carriacou, we headed out early for Grenada. Despite warnings of a potentially rough passage, the sail to Grenada was an easy broad reach with full main and genoa. The seas weren’t any bigger than what we had in the Grenadines. We reached the northern shore of Grenada in about 3 hours. The sail down the west coast took about as long. After a brief squall as we passed Grand Anse, the sky cleared and the wind picked up making for a lively trip around the southern tip of the island.



Our destination was True Blue Bay, and we arrived shortly after noon, feeling pretty pleased with ourselves for, once again, having made it without screwing anything up. We had lunch on the boat then went ashore to check out the resort.



My sisters, whom I planned to meet at True Blue Bay Resort, had not yet arrived. We parked ourselves in the Dodgy Dock Bar, ordered the first of many "Kick 'em Jenny" cocktails, and awaited their arrival.

Thus began the land portion of our trip.