I read this site a lot whilst preparing for our trip, so I thought you might like to read our report. Hope you enjoy it!
Trip Report: Grenadines 5th-15th September 2003.
We (my husband Jerry and I) chartered a 36’ Beneteau called Mugari for 10 days from Moorings at Canouan. She was a lovely yacht, and apart from losing the main halyard shackle pin we had no problems with her at all. Moorings were excellent, and provided a very efficient provisioning service. Their base is also ideally located right in the heart of the Grenadines. We chartered last year with Sunsail in the BVI (our first ever charter) and had lots of problems with maintenance and service, so this trip was a very pleasant surprise.
We slept aboard the first night in Canouan, and it was fairly windy and rolly but we were so tired from the travelling that it didn’t keep us awake! We just about managed to eat a pizza from the bar before our eyes closed!
The first morning was spent having the chart and boat briefings, the best bit of information for me was that lobster season starts on 1st September not 1st October as I had been told! We then tried to set off, but didn’t realise that the mooring buoy we were on actually had 2 lines attached to it – we were trying to untangle it and pull a line through for around half an hour before we discovered that all we had to do was untie both ends and let them go! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Blush.gif" alt="" />
We headed for Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau, on what should have been a short sail, but there was a very strong current pushing us off course and it ended up taking over 2 hours – but a very enjoyable sail. We managed to anchor successfully on our first try (we haven’t had much practice!) – we snorkelled over it and it had dug in well. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />Since the resort on the beach was closed we walked up the hill into the village in the afternoon to check out places to eat. It was a long walk, particularly since the clouds chose that moment to empty on us! Righteous Robert came out for a chat, so we arranged a lift from the beach later on with his brother-in-law. Our lift was exactly on time, and we had a great 3 course fish dinner at Robert’s, for less than EC$50 a head. We were the only ones there!
The next morning we set off for the Tobago Cays. Finding the cut between the islands to actually get into the bay was fun, but we were gaining confidence all the time. The anchoring again went without a hitch and we settled in for a couple of days in paradise. The snorkelling was excellent, as well as all the usual brightly coloured fish I saw a ray glide under the boat. I also saw a spotted snake eel in the weed, which wasn’t quite so pleasant! We bought a big lobster from Mouse, one of the boat boys, (he said it was 6lb, I would guess more like 4 or 5!) and managed to cook it in the biggest pot we could find! It was superb. I also bought a piece of coral jewellery from Cleve, a pendant in the shape of a whale. He has some lovely pieces, but I was determined to buy just a little from each of several traders, so limited myself!
After 2 days chilling out we moved on to Chatham Bay, Union, having first gone back into Canouan to pick up a new shackle and fill up with water. The water is free to Moorings customers, which is a great deal. We were going to go down to PSV but since the resort was closed we decided to give it a miss. Chatham Bay was picture perfect, a wide bay surrounded by hills. The anchoring was getting easier and by now had become a routine activity. The snorkelling around the rocks was great, and it was fun to watch the pelicans diving for fish.
The next day was our big voyage – a 30 mile sail up to Bequia. Luckily for us the seas and winds were kind, and we had a wonderful 6 hour cruise. Admiralty Bay was very pretty, and we saw more occupied boats than in all of our stops so far. We took a Daffodil mooring, and went off into the town to explore. It was pretty warm and sheltered, and we found ourselves bar hopping from one cold beer to the next! We found a temporary sanctuary in one of the air conditioned internet cafes, and caught up on our email and news from home. It was then that we discovered that England were playing football (soccer) and picked up the half-time score. We moved on, intending to go back at full-time to get the score, but found a sports bar instead, where we persuaded the barman to show the match. So we sat drinking beers with a few locals, watching our national team win a game – very enjoyable! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />We then had to go back to the boat to try to sober up before dinner that evening! Most places were closed – we had particularly wanted to try Mac’s Pizza – but Gingerbread was open and we had a superb meal (I had the fish curry which was one of the best meals I’ve had in the Caribbean).
The next day we took a taxi ride with Terence to the turtle sanctuary, stopping off at a few places on the way. Orton King, who runs the sanctuary, is a true inspiration – totally unselfish and devoted to raising and releasing these wonderful creatures. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/King.gif" alt="" />His ambition is to see some of the turtles he has released come back to the beach and lay their own eggs – but since they take 25 years to reach maturity he has a long wait!
The provisioning in Bequia is great, with a wide variety of supermarkets and stalls. We picked up enough provisions to complete our trip (I had got enough to cover 6 days from Moorings). I also bought some more jewellery (a bracelet this time) from Willy, who rowed out in his tiny home-made boat. We ate in Gingerbread again that night, and had another excellent meal (I had shrimp Creole this time and just thinking about it makes my mouth water!).
The next morning we headed down to Mustique. There was a big swell (around 10’) and it wasn’t a very pleasant sail! We moored up and hoped that the swell would die down. It didn’t! We took a taxi tour of the island with Michael, and got a glimpse of the life of the rich and famous. I got very excited when I heard Pierce Brosnan was a frequent visitor, but sadly he wasn’t in! After a couple of cocktails at Basil’s we went to Firefly for a fantastic dinner, with service to beat any in the world. We wished that we had booked a room, because we didn’t sleep a wink that night – the boat was being thrown around by the wind and waves and things were crashing around in the galley. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Sick.gif" alt="" />
Having initially planned to stay 2 nights in Mustique we couldn’t leave fast enough the next morning! I’d like to go back, because it is a lovely island, but not by boat!
We headed back to spend our last 2 nights in our favourite place, the Cays. The sail was another epic voyage, with particularly bad conditions until we got past Canouan. But arriving back at the Cays more than made up for it, with calm conditions and the beautiful turquoise sea. Unfortunately a combination of the tiredness and the fact that we were becoming quite blasé about anchoring meant that we reversed over the dinghy painter, wrapping the rope around the propeller and pulling the dinghy under the yacht! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/Blush.gif" alt="" />After a few snorkels and dives Jerry managed to cut the rope off and get the dinghy out – other than the loss of the painter itself nothing was actually damaged, which was a great relief. Once we had recovered the situation we opened a couple of beers and cooked up a red snapper bought from a boat boy called Ron. There has to be one minor disaster each trip!
After another day enjoying the beaches and snorkelling, and cooking up a couple of lobsters bought from Ron, we lay back, looking at the stars and reflecting on the last 10 days. All in all it was a great experience, perhaps even enhanced by going out of season, despite many places being closed. We were lucky not to get hit by any of the hurricanes (and our thoughts are with those that did). In fact the general effect of the hurricanes was to suck the wind out of the area, so we probably saw calmer conditions than is usual, although the swell was bad at times.
The sail back to Canouan the next day was fast and fun, and we departed for the airport after a lovely leisurely lunch at the Tamarind Beach Hotel.
We definitely want to go back!
