The 2023-24 Cruising Season has commenced! It was about time to get off the dock and head north. This was always such an exciting moment. Mona, Austin, Gage and Sara arrived in Grenada on Thanksgiving Day to begin the journey with us.
Since we were going to snorkel frequently we decided to go out to the elkhorn reef in Grenada and let everyone test their gear. The reef was quite extensive and fun to swim among. While the lacy white part of the elkhorn looked pretty, it actually was a little sad as this reef seemed to be succumbing to bleaching like so many other reefs around the world. Thus, I was glad we got to swim the reef before it was lost. The water was a little silty but it did not deter the joy of seeing this amazing reef. Take a look:
On November 27, the weather allowed us to release the dock lines and head out to Union Island where we would check into St. Vincent and the Grenadines Islands. The seas were quite lumpy as we entered the channel north of Grenada, but we still arrived at 1400 in time to check in. The customs and immigration process was quick and easy allowing everyone to reboard the boat by 1500. So we decided to continue on to pretty Saline Bay on Mayreau Island. We dropped anchor in front of our friends, Shane and Tanya, on SV Seascape. We visited with Seascape, swam a bit and watched the sunset. Then everyone decided it was time to rest up as tomorrow we would round Mayreau for Tobago Keys.
Tobago Keys
These islands with their surrounding reef were one of my favorite places in the Caribbean. The circular reef afforded relatively calm water but allowed for an abundance of breeze. There was so much beauty underwater that I could spend hours snorkeling.
There were at least 5 turtles under the boat and a smattering of starfish.
Later we took the dinghy to the outer reef to snorkel. The fauna and vegetation on the reef were beautiful and abundant.
Bequia
From the Tobago Keys were sailed to the island of Bequia. There was a snorkeling spot there that we had never been able to snorkel because of weather conditions. Thus, since it was relatively calm, we were looking forward to exploring the point between Princess Margaret Bay and Lower Bay. The weather was indeed perfect. So we ended up snorkeling two days on the reef. I saw so many fish that I had never seen before. There was something amazing at every turn. Fish, turtles and elusive lobsters were some of the major attractions. Feast your eyes!
As we left Bequia, we decided to make a stop in St. Vincent for the first time. Our friends on SV Inca Cross told us about a beautiful bay, Chateaubelair. So we chose to break up the long journey to St. Lucia with this gorgeous overnight stop. Kemroy Harry assisted us in finding a perfect anchorage spot on the northern side of the bay. We had hoped to swim and snorkel the inviting waters, but alas when we entered the water, we started getting stung by something unseen. So out of the water we went. We opted for sitting and enjoying the beauty from the safety of the boat.
We awoke early, weighed anchor, and headed north towards St. Lucia. After a riotous sail across the channel from St. Vincent to St. Lucia we arrived in cute Marigot Bay where we would spend 10 days awaiting our next company to arrive. We gave Mona and Austin a quick tour of the island before they headed back to frigid Texas on December 6.
Now, it was time to relax, reprovision and complete boat checks for the next leg of our journey. Stay with us we explore more of Martinique, and of course stop in Dominica to say hi to our friend, Whitney of Maford House Cafe.
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!!
