May 24, 2022, Tuesday
We left the Pitons of St. Lucia at 0715, raised sails and headed for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Chris Parker, our weather guy and Ben did it again! They picked a perfect weather window for making the channel crossing between St. Lucia and St. Vincent. We had made this crossing several times before and it had always been much sportier. Today the swells were with us, and the wind was not on the nose, for a change. The wind was from 90 degrees and blowing about 16-20 knots. We blasted across the channel at 8-10 knots passing two boats which had left 45 minutes before us. No matter what they say, when there were two boats on the water, there was a race! HA!
The sky was picture perfect blue with spotty cumulous clouds. Just as we entered the channel, we were greeted by a pod of dolphins hunting their morning breakfast. Flying fish skipped across the surface in front of them.
As we entered the lee of mountainous St. Vincent, the wind slacked for a bit, and we had to furl the jib and start a motor. Yet halfway down the island, as the wind picked up, we unfurled the jib, and headed up toward Bequia. After a most pleasant sail, we arrived in Port Elizabeth, Bequia at 1415.
Daffodil Marine Services had assisted us in obtaining our health papers. So after a quick meeting with her, we headed for customs. $27 later we were “in” the Grenadines! Yay! We had beat our insurance company’s edict of being below St. Vincent no later than June 1 by 7 days! Now we could slow down, relax, and enjoy without any looming deadlines!
I had always found Bequia to be an elixir. It was a place where everyone was relaxed, allowing me to breathe a sigh of contentment. When we previously arrived in charter boats , the cute Admiral Bay of Port Elizabeth meant island vacation had truly begun. Now it meant our long journey south from Florida had culminated in the islands where we would remain until November 31, when hurricane season was officially over. Whew, we were here!
The waterfront town was adorable as the hillsides were dotted with cute, colorful houses and the bay was bursting with fishing boats, sailing vessels, trawlers, supplies ships and ferries all of which were constantly coming and going.
After completing our entry requirements, we found an upstairs waterfront restaurant, Maria’s Café for lunch. We ordered fish ‘n chips which actually was a nice piece of grilled swordfish and fries. The lunch, view, and my BBC cocktail (Bananas, Baileys and Coconut Cream) were spectacular!
We walked around town for a bit, reminiscing about prior trips and the folks who were with us during those trips. Then we headed back to the boat for the evening.
May 25, 2022, Wednesday
Since we were not going anywhere for a few days, Ben did not need to get up at 0600 to listen to the weather forecast. He took the opportunity to sleep in and catch up on some much needed rest. I guess I needed rest too because I slept a good portion of the afternoon away. Yes, the island vibe had found us. Slow down, enjoy, relax….we were in magical Bequia!
May 26, 2022, Thursday
After taking care of some business back home, we went to explore the town. At the first dinghy dock, on the North side of the bay, we perused through a model boat building shop. It was amazing to see the lovely whaling sailboats that the guys fashioned out of a block of wood. It took 3 weeks to make a 12-inch boat by hand that was painted, varnished, and rigged with sails. They were quite the craftsmen!
We dinghied across the bay to a restaurant that we had visited before called the Whaleboner, where the bar and seats were made of whalebone, but alas this iconic bar was now closed. Nevertheless, we tied up at their dilapidated dock to follow the Belmont stone path along the waterfront.
The water in the bay was super clear with crabs running along the walkway. The crabs looked like they belonged in a Star Wars movie.
Once passed the Plantation Hotel, we began the Princess Margaret Trail over the knoll to the Princess Margaret Beach.
We found a nice beach bar for lunch, Jack’s, where we ate some fried chicken. Man was it superb! It had been a long time since we’ve had fried chicken. Not only was the food good, but the view across the Princess Margaret Beach was phenomenal. In addition, the water was so refreshing!
We had experienced intermittent showers throughout the day, and one started again just as we headed back to the boat. So we raised the dinghy and tucked into our tiny house for the rest of the day.
May 27, 2022
The island of Bequia is a whaling and fishing community as well as agricultural. It is a small island that can be covered thoroughly in about a 4 hour drive. So we decided to hire Lupin Ollivierre whose is a 6th generation residence of Bequia to show us the highlights on a two hour tour. He runs a taxi service, called De Best.
We began at the ruins of a small fort overlooking Port Elizabeth. There were only a few cannons left of the fort, but the view of the bay and ocean was beyond magnificent.
He drove us over to Friendship Bay, to the fishing villages of La Pointe, where he grew up and lives, and to the second largest town of Paget Farms.
From the cliffs above Friendship Bay you could see the islands of Mustique and Canouan in the distance.
The rugged coastline provided protection for the island and inlets for the fisherman.
The fishermen were at work today, bringing in their catch.
Lupin even hooked me up with some fresh snapper that we will have for dinner tonight!
Semper Cay was used by the islander after a whale was harpooned. They still use these small sailing vessels to hunt whales, but they are only allowed to hunt two whales a year, and some years, like this year, they do not get any. Lupin assured us that they use every part of the whale even today.
As we came back into Port Elizabeth, we were afforded more breathtaking views of the harbor.
The roads were almost as rugged as the coastline, but they were lined with beautiful bougainvillea, mimosa trees and fruit trees, as well as white oak used in boat building.
Lubin picked us some fresh cashew fruit which was juicy and tangy, and some plums. We were told to let the cashew pods dry for a few days and then roast them. So I will give this a try.
The tour was very informative as Lupin readily shared his heritage and his love for Bequia. He said, we should slow down and enjoy the Grenadines where the pace was slow, and the people were friendly.
We plan to spend a few more days on the island until the winds subside a bit. We will move across the harbor where we can take advantage of jumping off the boat and swimming to the beach. Yes, we plan to relax and enjoy Bequia’s mystical elixir.
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Thanks again for hanging in there with us!
I have no words – but I find them in your blog every time.
You’re too kind!! Come see us!!😀