Sat. Nov. 26
After checking into Union Island, St. Vincent/Grenadines, we decided to motor straight to Tobago Keys as the weather would be more conducive to snorkeling for the next few days. There was a fair number of boats, but it was not near as crowded as last time we were here. We anchored right by the turtle reserve.
I felt like having a lazy day. So I enjoyed the wonderful breezes while sitting on the trampoline reading a book. The guys lowered the dinghy and tour around the surrounding islands and snorkeled in the turtle reserve.
Quality Man stopped by to sell us some t-shirts and the guys bought a couple, but I told him I needed a red tank. He said he’d have one in June when we returned. We will see…
Romeo also stopped by to see if we wanted to participate in a beach barbecue. He remembered us and SV Change Up from earlier in the year. We said we were eating on the boat tonight, but we would love some fresh red snapper. He assured us he would bring us some in the morning. Wow that would be amazing!
As we were headed to bed, Ben noticed a small fuel leak in the starboard engine. I had told him I was smelling something. I guess I was right. Since it was dark, we just turned off the fuel to the engines and would deal with it in the morning.
Sunday
The cool breezes made for a comfortable night’s rest. So everyone was up and feeling great this morning. Ben decided the fuel leak was caused by a hose clamp (seems to be the nature of the beast) and it was something he could readily fix. So John and I snorkeled towards the turtle reserve. We saw 2 turtles and lots of fish and starfish.
I even watched one starfish slowly move over a sea urchin. Usually without some reference you can’t really tell that they are moving. So this was cool to watch.
True to his word, Romeo showed up with some spectacular freshly caught snapper. We chose two large ones, which he fileted for us. Then John taught Ben how to easily skin the filets so they would be ready for fish tacos!
Since the wind and waves were supposed to pick up tomorrow, we decided to leave this gorgeous spot. The keys are very protected by the reef but if the wind really blows, it can get bumpy fast.
We motored around to Twassante Bay and picked up a mooring ball. The Mayreau Beach Club offered free balls hoping yachters would come ashore and enjoy their pools while partaking in food and drink. We were headed out the door when a big squall came over the mountaintop. So we decided to stay put for a bit and take a nap instead.
After a refreshing nap, we went ashore to have a look. The grounds were beautiful, and the people were extremely friendly. There were 3 pools on 3 levels and a really nice beach with chairs. The new manager gave the guys a tour of the property.
We decided that tomorrow we would spend the day here, but now it was time to head back to the boat and cook some pork chops, butternut squash, cabbage, and onion. Man that was a scrumptious one pot dinner!
Monday
Last night the boat rocked and twisted on the mooring ball all night long as the wind swirled around the point and over the mountain. Thus, instead of going back ashore, we chose to leave this mooring ball behind and explore more another day.
We went around the corner to Saline Bay, Mayreau where we snugged right up to the beach and dropped anchor. This was a picturesque beach, but it was crowded as a small cruise ship had brought folks ashore.
We ignored the people and donned our snorkel gear. We swam from the boat to the reef on the south end of the bay. The water was refreshing, and the snorkeling was interesting with fish and coral that was making a comeback from the last hurricane. There were lots of barrel coral, some staghorn, and yellow coral and a small purple sea anemone swirling in the current.
We swam back to the boat and gathered up sunglasses and money. Then dove back in the water and swam to the beach to find a place for lunch. Lola’s was at the end of the beach. While the food was so-so, they made a mean BBC which I enjoyed!
After thawing out some of our snapper, I made the fish tacos using the recipe that Amy shared with me. They were a hit! Check out Tips and Tools for the Fish Taco recipe!
Tuesday
As you have probably gathered by now cruising is all about flexibility because we are slaves to the wind and weather. Thus, instead of snorkeling this morning at Saline Bay and heading over to Canouan as we planned, we changed plans this morning. It looked like we had a good sailing window to make our way to Bequia which was our jumping off point to St. Lucia. So at 1000, we pulled the anchor and hoisted our sails. The wind was blowing around 20 knots from the northeast. So we had a riotous ride north to Bequia through 5-7 foot waves and sometimes larger. When the seas are this bumby, I am glad we have the sailing vessel that is designed for rough weather.
After we arrived in Bequia and anchored near the pristine Princess Margaret Beach, we all decided we were hungry. It looked like fried chicken at Jack’s Bar and Grill was on the menu for lunch.
The anchorage was fairly calm even though the seas outside were still large. We left the air conditioning on for most of the night though as showers were too frequent to open the windows.
Thursday, December 1, 2022
After a very short visit to Bequia, we had a weather window to head north to St. Lucia. John needed to fly home next week and we would be meeting friends later in the month, also in St. Lucia. We cleaned the boat bottom yesterday and got some last-minute provisioning today. So early in the morning we will raise anchor and say goodbye to the gorgeous Grenadines! No worries, though we will be back!
We pray the weather will be kind tomorrow as we make the passage between St. Vincent and St. Lucia. We hope to arrive before dark if all goes well.
Stay tuned as we explore the St. Lucia for a few weeks. If you would like to be added to the blog posting email group, complete the form below. Also feel free to leave questions or comments in the box below.
Thank you for your continued prayers for safe sailing!
