Pilgrimage to Chinook Wind ….. March 2012

13 March 2012

A little over two weeks ago we waved a cheery farewell to fellow kiwi cruisers Dick and Ann Oliver on Chinook Wind as they set sail from Prickly Bay, Grenada – heading west towards Panama, the Pacific and finally to New Zealand. They had just spent a few weeks on the hardstand in Grenada, working long days on their boat. Chinook Wind was looking great and ready for her journey to New Zealand.

We first met Dick and Ann this season in Rabat, Morocco.  We learnt they had bought Chinook Wind in America, sailed across the Northern Atlantic to the Azores, onto Portugal then Spain, where they had turned around to start heading for home.  We have crossed paths with them many times this season, including a great time in Graciosa in the Canary Islands.  We left Las Palmas on the same day starting our Atlantic Crossing and shared some rather nasty seas and weather with them down to the Cape Verde Islands.  We didn’t catch up with them again until Grenada.

It was with much horror and disbelief when we listened to our morning cruisers net a fortnight ago at 9am and heard Dick call in under “Priority Traffic”.  We have a few sections on our Single Side Band Radio net - Priority Traffic, Boats Under Way, Boats Anywhere then Info.   We have around 20 yachts that participate on a regular basis, it’s a great way for us all to keep in touch and to know who is where.  For those of us that have volunteered as ‘net controllers’ and run the net one day a week, it is always a huge relief when nothing is heard under that section. 

Alan on fellow kiwi boat Tuatara takes Tuesdays net and received Dicks distress call.  Dick reported quite calmly that they had hit a reef around 60 miles east of Bonaire at 11pm Monday night, the boat was high and dry and intact, they were uninjured and for the time being reasonably safe.  They had put out Mayday Calls but had received no response so then had deployed their EPRIB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon).  This distress beacon was registered and the rescue process was finally put into place.  Venezuelan Coastguard made radio contact with Chinook Wind  early morning and advised help was on its way to them at Ave de Barloventa, within Las Aves Island Group, part of Venezuela. 

Another one of our net controllers, Rob off Ventana who speaks fluent Spanish offered to call Venezuelan Coastguard via satphone for an update on the rescue and quickly confirmed that it was underway and help should be there by 11am.  We later heard a Swedish yacht assisted in the rescue,  Dick and Ann could basically only take with them what they could swim to safety with.  They were taken to mainland Venezuela by Coastguard.  (A side note to this is that this was the same Swedish yacht that was then refused a park permit in Los Roques!)

Today, two weeks after that fateful day, Balvenie in company with fellow kiwis David and Brenda on Bandit slowly made our way up the inside of Ave de Barlovento reef and found a sandy spot in which to anchor.  We covered the final distance to Chinook Wind by dinghy but still could not get right to the boat.  We anchored the dinghies and swam the remainding 100 metres across the shallow reef through the coral heads to the wreck.  She is a very sad sight, lying on her side, stripped of almost everything, inside and out.  I imagine that during the next lull in the winds all remaining hardware will also be removed. It was an emotional few minutes we spent with her alone in this isolated location. The hull will lie there at the mercy of the seas, a very sobering sight to all long distance cruisers and especially to those of us that pass this way.

Dick and Ann had flights arranged by the British Embassy to San Francisco and have been staying with their daughter there. They are both well, we are thinking of them and we send our love to them both.

Under the Radar in Los Roques ….. March 2012

 06 - 12 March 2012

Our second overnight sail saw us move on another 130 miles westward from Blanquilla to Los Roques.  Still in company with Bandit and both flying the same sail plan for the journey, our speeds were very evenly matched and we were within close sight of each other all night long.  The winds were still up around 20 – 25 knots but the seas slightly calmer until we closed in on “The Rocks”. Big chunks of land in the middle of all this ocean always stir things up somewhat.  We opted out of attempting either of the two narrow reef passage entrances into the lagoon, definitely not a game to play going downwind with big following seas. We settled for the slightly further but much more sensible option of going around the top of the main island of Gran Roque. Once we were in the lee of the island the seas flattened but the winds accelerated….. 30 knots plus in front of the beam – time for more salt water over the boat.  But it was a short sail to the main township where we found a sandy spot in very shallow water and dropper the hook. Phew !!.

We had heard and read of several versions of just how to deal with visiting Venezuela’s offshore islands.  Unfortunately they do not offer check in facilities at any of the island groups we were planning to visit so legally we could only stay one night to rest, fly our quarantine flag, then leave.  The other option was to sail the extra 80 odd miles to the Venezuelan mainland to check in and then sail back to check out, not such an appealing option as mainland Venezuelan waters have a reputation for being somewhat lawless and unsafe.

However we wanted to explore this reef and island paradise for as long as we could and had heard that we may be able to get a park permit for around US$120.00 for 5 nights or 14 nights depending on what mood they were in,  even if we hadn’t checked into Venezuela.  We were prepared to give it a go and see what they gave us.  Then Bandit swung by a Swedish yacht anchored next to them who had just been ashore and were quoted US$900 for a 5 night pass, when they tried to negotiate they were then told they couldn’t have a pass at all, could stay two nights maximum and could not move from where they were anchored – mmm, time to rethink our plan of action.    A speedy decision was reached and our anchors were up in a jiffy and we were out of there – we were going to risk it and “sail under the radar” for as long as we could.

Our first island stop was Crasqui, the light was good and it was back to eyeball navigation in reefy waters, last done coming up the Red Sea.  The charts were slightly out although gave a fair indication of where we were but there is no substitute for having someone on the bow or better still up the mast to spot the best passage in. The deep blue water clearly identifies the path to follow. The lighter shades indicate shallower water and once these shades become familiar, eyeball navigation is not so daunting.

We stayed only a night in each anchorage in our quest to remain undetected, we moved on to Augustin Island, then up to the wonderful long sandy beach on Sarqui.  Then we found escape from the wind and stayed a couple of nights at what quite possibly was the best anchorage we have ever been to.  Tucked in close to shore and nestled behind the mangroves on Cayo Remanso we had the totally sheltered lagoon of Isla Carenero at our back door, the all round shelter was first rate and the view was awesome, especially for the moments when the sun came out and showed off every colour of blue imaginable for the miles across the lagoon, just priceless.  The snorkelling was very good also, just off the back of the boat – so easy.  It was certainly a spot you could while away days and days – another time!

We had one more stop at Elbert Cay the furthermost west in the Los Roques Group, we were joined by an American yacht at sunset then they left at dawn, we only saw 5 other yachts in the group during our stay and amazingly they were all headed east.  Just why you would sail to windward in these seas at this time of year totally mystifies me!  The Venezuelans seem to be doing well at keeping foreign yachts away, we are baffled at why.  It would never become over run as it is difficult to get to, why not welcome the few boats that get out and venture this way?  Maybe their policies will change, one day. 

The islands we visited were beautiful, the sands some of the softest and whitest, the water some of the clearest and the colours were just magical, oh and I mustn’t forget the pelicans - marvellous.  Unfortunately we had more than our share of cloudy days and the winds were constant at around 20 knots, day and night.  No matter how stunning paradise is, when the wind just never lets up and the land is only about 5 feet high you do start to feel somewhat windswept and long for peace!   

We managed to stay 6 nights in Los Roques, it was a wonderful place to explore but we were always looking over our shoulder, was that boat in the distance a fishing boat or coastguard?  We never felt at ease and would have been much happier had we been able to legally check into the country, purchase our park permit, relax and enjoy this outstanding group of islands and reefs.

Next up we were heading for the reef chain of Las Aves, we were on a pilgrimage to visit our friends Dick and Ann’s yacht Chinook Wind, laying high and dry having been abandoned just a couple of weeks earlier when they struck the reef in the middle of the night. 

We would be proceeding with extra caution.

Heading West to the Venezuelan Islands ….. March 2012

03 – 06 March 2012
First stop the island paradise of Blanquilla.

It was a fast 173 mile overnight sail running before the strong trade winds from Prickly Bay in Grenada. The night watch was busy with ships getting in our way and the occasional rain squalls.  We sailed in company with fellow kiwis Brenda and David on Bandit, they are a Moody 46ft and our boats are quite evenly matched, after all those miles and different sail plans we arrived within minutes of each other.   They however, had a far more normal arrival than us, e.g.  sails down, motor on, into the bay, anchor down and relax.  We went for the slightly more challenging option when Olive the Volvo cut out as I was engaging gear, just after we had rolled in our sails, and she just couldn’t be convinced into starting again.    

Well we are a sail boat and although we have never sailed in to anchor before it is a reasonably straightforward manoeuvre – on a good day!  Things didn’t go quite our way, we were restricted to using only the staysail as the headsail pole was still deployed, the designated anchoring area between the coral bommies was directly to windward, it was gusting 30 knots, we had a daisy chain of anchored fishing boats in our way and then the staysail sheet jammed in the block and had to be cut free rendering the staysail unusable too.  David had dropped their dinghy and come to assist but there was just too much wind for him to tow us into shallow enough water.  Eventually one of the fishing boats came to our rescue (after we had sailed by his stern very closely yelling apologises in Spanish!), they took our line, towed us in and went away very happy with a bottle of Mark’s most treasured Mount Gay Rum for their troubles.  


Of course our troubles hadn’t gone away, we were safely anchored but Olive still refused to fire.  These symptoms were very reminiscent of last year back in Spain when we needed our only other tow, that time into a marina, the Volvo men arrived, went through everything and eventually the injector pump was removed, sent away and repaired.  Here we were now in the middle of nowhere, a little island north of Venezuela, having just spent two weeks in Grenada where anything could have been fixed – the engine had run every day there for the refrigeration without a hiccup, c’est la vie!!  And so began another chapter in Skippers book of “Maintenance in Exotic Places”.   The engine was bled, filters were changed, injectors were tested, the lift pump changed – the list of checks went on until he had exhausted his repertoire, Olive kept on sounding like she really wanted to start for us but just couldn’t.

Worked stopped for a wonderful stroll along the beach, the sand some of the softest and finest we have ever squished between our toes.  The water clear, the bay was now empty as the fishing boats had gone to enjoy their rum – just Balvenie, Bandit and the local pelicans dive bombing to catch their supper.  We cracked open the bar, dug holes in the sand and nestled in to watch the sun dip in the west. 

Despite our misfortune it was a wonderful place.  We did however go to bed and discuss our options - try to sail into the anchorages between here and Bonaire but many were reef anchorages - just try the easy ones - sail straight to Bonaire for repairs timing our arrival for when Cuttyhunk and Awaroa had arrived so they could help us in – stay put and apply for Venezuelan residency!!! 

Next morning reinforcements arrived, David joined Mark and they went through everything yet again.  David was adamant that Olive was only a machine and him and Mark humans therefore much smarter than an engine, thereby it was just a matter of solving the problem.  An excellent line of thinking and his persistence paid off.  After bypassing much of the fuel line with a direct feed into a fuel container held higher than the engine she kicked over and the sweet sound of Olive purring away filled the air.  Very hesitantly she was turned off, pipes all reconnected and started again, presto – more purring, and long may it continue!!!  A huge thanks to David for his support , expertise and help.

So we ended up with some time to enjoy the island, the shoreline was magical, a selection of interesting shells littered the northern end -  the sandy beach was up there with the best.  The snorkelling was good, it was probably the best we have seen so far in the Caribbean.although the water is still not that warm and 10 minutes is about my maximum,   We have been previously spoilt with snorkelling in Papua New Guinea which will take a lot to beat and also parts of the Red Sea;  our expectations are high but we will keep looking!  

We enjoyed fresh fish for dinner, our fishermen friends had brought us a fish, we declined the one in the photo and went for a smaller option which just did two nights dinner and one lunch, let’s not be to greedy! 
Life was good again.

The Spicey Green Island of Grenada ….. February 2012

14 – 27 February 2012

We might have been behind Cuttyhunk on the race from Carriacou down to Grenada but we all shared the prize of a bottle of rum in true kiwi style.  Our stopover here in Prickly Bay on the southern coast of Grenada seems to have been one big social whirlwind.  Never before, well possibly back in Musket Cove, Fiji (our first stop after leaving Auckland in May 2004), have we had 5 New Zealand yachts in one anchorage.  We are the A, B’s & C’s of Kiwi cruisers, Awaroa with John & Helen, Balvenie with Mark & Amanda, Bandit with David & Brenda, Cuttyhunk with Chris & Irene and Chinook Wind with Dick & Ann - now where else in the world would you find that but in a little bay in Grenada in the Southern Caribbean.

The social engagements began the night of our arrival, we had caught up again with Bandit and they had booked a table ashore at the local cruisers hangout De Big Fish for their live music night. The table of 6 quickly turned into 13 with more and more boats we knew popping up, more hellos, more salty seadog stories were told, we heard all about the fish that got away, the best anchorages – all the usual cruiser yarns, but we fitted in time for a few dances, it was, after all, Valentines Day!

We have filled our days here easily.  Grenada is a beautiful lush green island covering 133 square miles. Much of it very hilly with dense tropical rain forest. The hundred thousand or so locals live mainly on wooden pole houses, perched on the side of hills and in valleys, there isn’t much flat land here so the houses are dotted everywhere in amongst the bush.

We spent a full day on an island tour.  11 of us set out at 9.30am in a minibus with driver and explored the island, and gosh there was lots to see.  We took in the gated “Beverley Hills” type suburb where the expat community live in their large houses overlooking many of the small bays on the southern coast.  Certainly a different lifestyle to many of the locals but it all seems to mingle ok.

We headed north past the main town of St George’s on the east coast, just one cruise ship docked….a quiet day.  We stopped at a small spice garden, Grenada is known as the spice island and it seems they can grow anything here (except an abundance of fresh green vegetables - maybe they just don’t like their greens!!)  All manner of plants grow side by side, coco, bananas, pawpaw, guava, turmeric, nutmeg, plantain, jackfruit, breadfruit, citrus, sugarcane, taro, passionfruit and many many more.  The different sizes and shapes of trees work well together, the larger ones providing a canopy and shelter for the smaller. 

However on September 7th 2004 no amount of shelter could save Grenada’s main export crops of coco and nutmeg, or 90% of its buildings.  Hurricane Ivan struck with tremendous force and ripped through the small island, leaving a lasting path of destruction.  It has taken time but Grenada does seem to have bounced back as best they can. The nutmeg, coco and banana export businesses were devastated – replanting and rebuilding takes time and most say it will never return to pre hurricane levels but they sure seem to be making a huge effort to get the economy going again.  

We visited the Nutmeg Factory, where all the nutmeg is dried, sorted, graded and bagged up for exporting. They now export less than a quarter of the volume of nutmeg post ‘Ivan’.  There was no automated machinery in the factory, labour is cheap, everything is done manually.  After the nutmeg factory we headed for the hills to enjoy the cooler air and a chance for the braver of us to cool off in some crystal clear waterfalls.  Then it was time to take in some of Grenada’s history.  We stopped at the northern town of Sauteurs for an excellent lunch in a local restaurant with an amazing view, then a walk up the hill to the local church and cemetery.  At the end of the cemetery perched on the edge of a high cliff is a memorial  named Carib’s Leap . A reminder of a terrible event that took place back in 1651.  The local Carib families leaped from the cliff to their certain deaths 130 feet below rather than be taken as slaves by the invading French. A grim piece of history and another fine example of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man. We don’t seem to be learning do we !!!.  

It was mid afternoon and still so much to see on this little island.  We went barrelling down the runway at the old airport, whizzing past a couple of wrecked Cuban planes, left over from the 1979 Revolution – quite a chequered history for such a small island.  Then it was time for a sweetener, the Chocolate Factory. Our tour guide was outstanding, very informative and lots of fun.  He explained several of the local fruits (photo above) and how you prepare them, opened a coco pod for us and had us all trying the thick creamy substance that covers the coco beans, we saw the beans draining and then had the pleasure of walking backwards and forwards over the drying coco beans in the sun to turn them over and loosen the shells.  But the best was saved till last, Hot Chocolate and Pure Grenada Chocolate tasting – yummy!!!  We missed the video on the making of the chocolate process (housed in a different location) so we could get to our next stop of the Rum Factory before closing time, but alas there was to be no rum tasting today, despite a valiant effort we were too late. 

We meandered back down the island, stopping at Great Etang Lake on one of the highest peaks, then we weaved our weary way back to Prickly Bay arriving not long before dark.  It had been a long hot day and there was nothing for it but to relax at De Big Fish Cafe for a couple of refreshments.

The evenings have been busy with regular live entertainment ashore in the shacky beach bars. Anything from solo sax players to rock bands to steel drums bands, all providing great music. Our friends Phil and Monica on their lovely catamaran Miss Molly hosted a crowd of us for  our own music night, great fun!  Musicians missing from the photo below were Chris from Indy Plus on lead guitar and vocals, his wife Sue on pennywhistle and their twin boys on percussion.

However life on a cruising yacht is not all bikinis and martinis and in between all the fun there are always the ongoing “boat jobs”. Skipper spends many hours on the blue jobs….oil changes, filter changes, ferrying fuel, servicing the watermaker…… the list never ends. Meanwhile the pink jobs are equally demanding with the deployment of the sewing machine to whip up national courtesy flags for Venezuela, Bonaire, Curacao, Aruba, Colombia, Honduras and Guatemala in preparation for the next few months cruising itinerary.  I am now an ace at cutting out stars and sewing them on - imagine my distress when I realised I had sewn 14 stars on the Venezuelan flag upside down. Bugger!!  More fishing lines have been rigged in the hope that we might catch dinner every now and again, the food lockers are bulging at the seams again and the fridge is stocked full of fresh produce.

Grenada would prove to be the parting of the ways for the mini kiwi flotilla. Chinook Wind was the first to break ranks and leave a couple of days ago  heading for Panama, and now Awaroa and Cuttyhunk are on their way too , they are stopping in the Venezuelan Islands as we will but then will also be heading towards Panama.  So for now it’s just the 2 kiwi B’s left in Prickly Bay, Bandit and Balvenie.  We will leave when the rain stops!

Chilling out in Carriacou ….. February 2012

08 – 14 February 2012
 We managed to dodge all the squalls around us while enroute from Clifton on Union Island to Hillsborough on Carriacou.   We anchored off the town and main dock in this big bay, there isn’t much of a headland to protect it from the swell but luck was finally with us and the winds were starting to abate, consequently the swells were dropping – at last!   We sat and waited out more downpours before making a run for it ashore in the dinghy, another island, another country, another check in!

After just coming from multi coloured Clifton, Hillsborough was looking somewhat on the drab and shabby side, most of the main street sure could do with a lick of paint to brighten things up but in fairness grey skies and drizzle never makes anywhere look its best.  It was clean though and the locals friendly. We did the rounds of immigration, customs and harbour master to check in.  We almost didn’t do customs, at that point it was raining hard and very dark, the little customs booth had no lighting in it and Skipper didn’t actually see the customs lady sitting at her desk against the dark background and behind the glass window - whoops!!!

We stayed just the one night then moved over to Sandy Island just a mile or so offshore.  It’s a marine reserve and there are several moorings which appeared to be free.  We packed a picnic lunch and dinghied ashore.  It’s a tiny island with the most beautiful soft white sand, just a delight to squish your toes into and even when you sit down it doesn’t stick to you, lovely.  We snorkelled off the eastern point, the coral wasn’t great but it was the best we have seen so far in the Caribbean and there was plenty of fish around.  Unfortunately it was quite choppy so our snorkels kept filling with water, never a good thing.  We tried the other end of the island but it was worse, so sat and enjoyed our picnic lunch on our own little deserted Caribbean island, magic!

We had planned to stay the night but the wind was up to 20 knots again and coming out of the east so the closest protection was over a mile away, it was getting rather bumpy in there.  The protected anchorage of Tyrell Bay was only another couple of miles away so off we went to our next new home. 

Tyrell Bay is a popular spot as it has a “hurricane hole” an almost totally enclosed shallow lagoon surrounded by mangroves.  Although this area was thought to be outside the hurricane belt for many years, Hurricane Ivan dispelled that theory when he ripped through a few years ago, causing major damage to these southern Caribbean Islands, the two boats in the photo must have been causalities  There is not much ashore in Tyrell Bay, part of its beauty, there were no “boat boys” trying to sell us lobster, fish, bread, fruit and veges (at the regular twice market value price – hey but it is delivered!), no loud music at night, not even street lights so it was all starlight and birdsong – just wonderful.

Irene and Chris on Cuttyhunk popped up again so we spent a day with them exploring.  We caught a local minibus into Hillsborough then squashed into another and headed for Windward, a village, not surprisingly on the windward side of the island.  Poor Irene had the pleasure of sitting next to the local nutter, there seems to be one on most of these buses, of course the rest of the locals just ignore them, Irene was way too polite for that and made herself a friend for life! 

Windward is known for its small wooden boat building industry, and I can confirm that there is little else there!  We could hear some hammering going on so asked a local if we could find a boat under construction and gained permission to enter through the Private Property fence and along the beach.  There were 3 boats under construction and we were invited onboard one for a look around.  It is nearing completion and now really only needs the engine to be installed and final touches made.  The gentleman has been building it for the last 18 months in his spare time and will give it to his sons who will use it for tuna fishing, the tuna is sold to the American market, by product caught is sold to the local market.  He was amazed  and impressed that we had all sailed all the way here from New Zealand, don’t think he had received any kiwi visitors before. 

We caught another minibus back to Hillsborough, admiring the lush countryside enroute, as with most of these islands it all seems so green and fertile yet they grow very little produce, seems such a waste. We sniffed out some excellent chicken rotis for lunch at a local cafe just by the town dock, did a little produce provisioning then made our way back to Tyrell Bay, it was a great excursion – the bus ride alone in all these islands has provided much entertainment!

We whiled away a few more days then left with Cuttyhunk to do the day sail south down to Prickly Bay in Grenada.  I was foolish enough to suggest a race, and wagered a bottle of rum, sadly their Farr 44 raceboat slipped through the water just a little quicker than beautiful Balvenie, Skipper always says it’s the two sewing machines we have onboard that slow us down, I say it's all the bottles of rum - they were 2.83 miles ahead at the finish line after 35 miles, a good effort and a great days sailing in relatively flat waters and azure seas – now do we have any of those little airline miniature rum bottles onboard???????

Colourful Clifton at Union Island ..... February 2012

05 – 08 February 2012

With a stiff breeze behind us we rolled out the head sail, wove through the reefs and headed the short distance from the Tobago Cays across to Palm Island.  We were hopeful that it might just be protected enough with the reefs at both ends to be comfortable to anchor for the night.  With our sails rolled in we motored close into shore our saw our friends on Miss Molly rocking from hull to hull on their catamaran – no chance for a flat night there for us! 

We carried on the extra half a mile across to Union Island and the main town anchorage at Clifton.  With the wind steady at 25 knots, gusting 30 knots we gingerly nosed our way into this extremely busy reef anchorage, aptly named Roundabout Reef as there is a circular crunchy patch right in the middle.   Space was extremely tight especially with the strong winds so we carried on to our third option for the night.  Just 2 more miles west we tucked up with plenty of room but in very shallow water behind the isthmus on Frigate Island.  The wind still howled through the rigging but the land was just high enough to protect us at deck level, it was almost calm and we were in flat water – good things come to those that wait (and persevere).

Unfortunately there was just nothing there though, and walking into Clifton didn’t even look like an option so after a decent nights sleep we lifted anchor and headed back to Clifton.  The winds had at last eased to a manageable 15 knots, positively calm after what we had been experiencing, and the Roundabout Reef anchorage had emptied out considerably.  We tucked into a sandy spot behind the reef with the Happy Island Bar right on our doorstep.

Ashore was an absolute delight, the buildings were freshly painted in an assortment of bright colours.  The town square, not wanting to be outdone, had joined the bandwagon and painted everything they could find in candy colours too.  It was all very cute.
Colourful fruit and vegetable huts intermingled with tiny souvenir shacks, all run by the local ladies who happily sat back under the trees in shade, discussing whatever today's subject may be.  They would wander over eventually if they thought you wanted to buy something, but it certainly didn’t feel like they were trying to meet any sales targets.  Pace of life here is slow, and what a great thing that is!!

Cuttyhunk rejoined us, so the four of us enjoyed a very economical meal out at the Big City, rather an interesting name for this little place, what a great find it was, good local food at cheap prices – sure beats sitting onboard and cooking.
This was our last stop in the St Vincent and Grenadines Group, it was time to move on to the next country of Grenada and the Grenadines.  It seems someone chopped the Grenadines in half, so some islands belong to one, some to the other – makes it a little tricky when you are island hopping and they are different countries!  We had hoped to move to Petit St Vincent, recommended as quite possibly the most beautiful island in the Caribbean chain, sadly not when enveloped in heavy grey cloud and bombarded by rain squalls.  Instead we sailed south to Hillsborough on Carriacou, dodging squalls along the way, Balvenie was already nice and clean we didn't’ need any more rain!

Turtle Time at the Tobago Cays ….. February 2012

30 January – 05 February 2012

We had sampled all on offer at Bequia, enjoyed our stay but it was time to move on.  On yet another very windy morning it was time to shake the cobwebs out of the mainsail (last used with 3 reefs enroute from the Canary Islands to Cape Verde Islands) and head south.  It’s 23 miles down to the next island of Canouan and we had a good race with Cuttyhunk, we did have the advantage of having a double reefed main, whereas they went for the much more leisurely option of headsail only, and although we arrived before them, by the time we had stopped to drop the main we had been caught (note to Skipper – we don’t need the main!!!!!).

The anchorage at Canouan had beautiful white sand and turquoise waters, it was just stunning.  Ashore there is a huge resort complex that encompasses over half the island. In fairness it had been designed to blend in with the environment and was hidden amongst the swaying palms.  These tiny islands are situated in the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean so even the most sheltered bays experience some ocean swell sneaking around the corner and over the shallow reef. One night of gentle rolling was enough for us.

We had a very leisurely short sail down the Grenadine chain to the next island of Mayreau.  The tiny and picturesque Saltwhistle Bay came highly recommended, however 10 Catamarans and 2 yachts had it bulging at the seams, not even room for a lunchtime stop, oh well.  We carried on to the larger Saline Bay, tucked in around the headland, managed to find a sandy spot for the anchor on our second attempt then sat back and admired our surroundings.


There was a postcard perfect white sandy beach ashore and an almost deserted foreshore.  Sun loungers were stacked in piles, there were a couple of cute thatched drinks bars that were empty, hmmmm.   The “settlement” was up an extremely steep hill, a handful of shacky bars, a minimarket, internet cafe and a wonderful stone church (with best view in town) were about all Mayreau had on offer, it was just great!   The next morning we awoke to find a cruise ship anchored outside the bay. The sun loungers lined the beach, the tee-shirt sellers lined the dock, and little orange life rafts continuously dropped droves of passengers ashore, ready to spend their day lying on the beach in paradise (it was highly unlikely any on them made it up the hill).


But of course we are lucky, we get to spend the night at paradise too.  We enticed Bandit  to retrace their steps 4 miles by suggesting a kiwi potluck dinner.  What good sports they were and they joined us and Cuttyhunk on the beach for a great evening.  The cruise ship and its passengers were gone. The beach was once again deserted. We had the place to ourselves again. We hung torches in the trees – ate, drank and talked. However, we have learnt by now there is no such thing as paradise and sure enough the persistent strong winds and squally skies meant another restless night at anchor. What do the locals and cruisers that have been here before say  ??…….. you guessed it …….. Its not normally like this !!!. Yeah right.

















All advice concurs, you should try to visit the Tobago Cays in calm conditions.  All weather sources concurred, there was to be no calm weather in the foreseeable future!! With winds gusting over 25 knots we headed west the few miles out to the Cays,  it really didn’t seem like a sensible idea but we could easily see the reefs in the bright sun, it was just very windy.  We tucked in behind Petit Rameau, one of the small islands as advised by Bandit, we had much less wind but it was a bit wobbly. However, a stunning setting none the less.The photos really say more than words can, the water colours were outstanding.
We took the dinghy ashore to Petit Bateau and did the walk to the summit (just 45 metres but what great views), enroute we encountered a local iguana, he was in no hurry to get out of our way as he relaxed in the sun. 

Next morning we moved around to the main Horseshoe Reef anchorage, the wind still howled but it was a much shorter dinghy ride from there to the reef, and although the water was choppy there was no roll.  However we didn’t end up going out to the outer reef to snorkel, the surf was breaking over it – it just didn’t look like an enjoyable option.  There is an inner reef area inside it but there were about 20 kite surfers, zooming backwards and forwards along it in the relatively flat water.  Another time maybe.

We swam with the turtles, they have a cordoned off area, because of the chop the water was murky and to be honest, after swimming with turtles in some of the remote places we have been this was similar to seeing them in an aquarium, it didn’t actually feel that “natural”.  There are hundreds of boats visiting the cays every week, if you haven’t been to reef areas or swam with turtles before it would be wonderful but we have been extremely fortunate to visit some outstanding locations, sometimes being the only boat in the anchorage – you can’t compare.