Most important part of the report- WINDS! The winds were wonderful! Consistent 15-20 knots. We sailed from Wallilabou to St Lucia during a storm where we encountered 30 knot gusts with swells of 8-12 ft. What a fun ride!!!! We loved the winds and now being back in Dana Point we are going to be disappointed when we go back out on the water! The Windward Islands spoiled us<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />
Pitons- Picked up a mooring ball,snorkeled around(a few of us were stung by some jelly fish however they stings were not painful and the redness disappeared quickly). Jalousie Plantation is beautiful and we enjoyed walking around the resort. They were very accommodating and gave us huge bags of ice for free! We decided to have dinner at the resort. The dinner was expensive and the portions were small but typical for gourmet dinners, however the quality of the meal was pretty good. The water is pretty rolley but we like it that way, makes for some great sleep!
Bequia- Left Pitons @ 6:30 and had a great sail to Bequia we arrived around 3pm. Kendel(?) came out in a dingy about one mile from the entrance to Admiralty Bay and took pictures of us coming in. He took some great shots and it is amazing to watch him take photos and maneuver a dingy at the same time. Some of the pics were great and although a bit expensive they are worth the money! We anchored pretty far from everything in the southwest corner of the bay even though there were plenty of mooring balls. Anchoring so far made for a long dingy ride to get to the restaurants but in the end we were very happy with our location. We were even happier after we found out a few boats were broken into while the crews were at dinner. We believe because we were so far from everything it would have been harder for the thief’s to get in and out of our vessel quickly. We decided to go to the Whaleboner for dinner (we prefer small local places in order to taste local food) Angie cooked us a decent meal (fish pizza) however she did everything on her own so it took a long time for our meal, we didn’t mind because she did her best to keep our beers coming.
Chatham Bay,Union Island- What a gorgeous bay! Anchoring was a breeze and we had good holding. Snorkeling is average at best in the bay but the beach is one of the best around. Having a beach BBQ from Shark Attack is WELL worth every penny! We made the mistake of eating at the resort in Chatman Bay- Aqua, the food was barely palatable and pricey. The next morning Shark Attack came to our boat and offered a beach BBQ, we explained we would be in Tobago Cays by evening time but would LOVE to have some of his food if he would deliver. He accepted the offer and at 6pm that evening, we saw Shark Attack coming in to Tobago Cays with delicious hot food!!! It was such a treat not only due to the quality but because of his promise to bring the food and the extra lengths he went to deliver!! If you go to Chatham, get a BBQ from Shark Attack and skip the resort! (Although the resort is beautiful to visit and have a drink)
Palm Island- Just an afternoon lunch stop but beautiful and everyone enjoyed snorkeling there.
Tobago Cays- What can be said that hasn’t already been said, Tobago Cays is HEAVEN on earth and Walter is the Man!!! There are loads of mooring balls and lots of boats but it did not feel crowded. Snorkeling with the sea turtles is so fun! We saw loads of colorful iguanas while hiking on Baradel. The best part for our group was taking a dingy and kayak over to Horseshoe reef and snorkeling. As one crew member said, “It may not have been ‘world class’ snorkeling but it was as close as you can get!” If you don’t have an underwater camera for snorkeling at Horseshoe reef- Get one!
Canouan- This stop was not on our itinerary however we are SO happy we stopped! Upon arriving a dingy from the Moorings came up on our vessel (we chartered from Moorings) Edwin offered us some help with a mooring ball and wanted to know if we needed anything. We asked for some ice and new linins. He quickly returned with everything we needed and let us know we could take showers at the base! The island has some great markets to get provisions and the people are so kind. We asked about a good place to eat (since we were striking out with Doyle’s recommendations) and Edwin suggested DQ BBQ by Phyllis. We called ahead (her number was mentioned in Doyle’s book but as a blurb) and let her know we were coming in. The meals were $18-22 EC and the quality was superb! The place was full of locals and the music made it even more fun. Phyllis had our table ready for us and served our food promptly with a smile! All this being said, it was the people who made this stop one of our BEST.
Wallilabou- An important comment about Wallilabou is to anchor or moor making sure to have a stern line. We used a mooring ball and set a stern anchor which worked great for us. Some had a bow anchor with a line tied to a tree. Both methods worked well. The boat boys for the most part are helpful but there were two on one boat who were extremely rude but in our entire time in SVG these guys were the only rude people we encountered. Randolph was nice and sold us some of his beaded necklaces, they were not the best quality but he was a sweet young man and it was nice to buy something from him. The Wallilabou Anchorage Restaurant had average plus food and good service. We needed some provisions and the waitress at Wallilabou told us we could dingy over two bays (to the south) to find a small market and fish market at the dock. We went over and were met by a group of guys who were bringing in their lines and some kids fishing off the dock. One of the guys, Stanley offered to take us to the “Best” market in the town. We went with him and were brought to a tiny market attached to a small home. They did not have a large selection of provisions however we were able to find everything we needed or a good substitute. The fresh bread at the market was delicious and the owner sold us a tuna from her freezer. One of the young boys kept an eye on our dingy and the visit with Stanley and the local boys was fun!
What a great trip!! There is so much to do and see I would suggest at least a 10 day trip to really enjoy everything the Windwards have to offer!! If someone is a newbie sailor or one who wants quick sails with line of sight, go to BVI but if you want good wind and some fun adventure the St Lucia/SVG is the place to go!!! PS. Don’t forget the mosquito spray <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />
