FROM BEQUIA TO CARRIACOU

Still being paranoid about our anchor, we picked up a mooring in Charlstown Bay, Canouan. The tourism is spreading south, we paid for the mooring as much as we did on Virgin Islands. But it was a piece of mind and we had a good night’s rest. Evening we spent with ten Slovenians, chartering for three weeks in the Windwards. There was a lot of laughter going on after a few rounds of rum punch. Slovenians are gay people.

Indian milkweed

A short trip on a jib in a strong wind took us to Saline Bay on Mayreau. Even with many boats on the anchorage the beautiful beach seems deserted but for one day every week. A cruise ship anchors outside the bay, tenders bringing people to the shore, to the picnic tables covered with white tablecloth. Lunch is being served in a shade of the palm trees. Small shacks come alive with colors, dresses and scarves on the line swinging in the wind. Vendors are patiently waiting for lunch to be over.

In a few hours beach is empty again. Vendors bag their things and leave, they don’t get a lot of business from sailors. In every town the same things are being offered, colorful dresses and jewelry made from shells. Tee shirts made in China with the same design, only the name of the island on them changes.

We met with friends from ‘Noor Daria’, they stopped in Saline Bay on their way north. They treated us again with an excellent Slovenian wine and wind-dried ham, Slovenian tradition.

Saline Bay beach

'NOOR DARIA'  with Majda and Toni

An hour of sailing on the jib again brought us to Clifton Bay on Union Island, the last of Grenadines. It is breath taking but dangerous bay with not well marked reef in the middle. The sailboat came in after dark and got it’s keel caught in a reef. Two small boats came to help tilt the sailboat to relief the keel, then pulled it away from the reef. What luck! It could not have been done with the sailboat in Bequia.

Mountains outline of the Union Island

Clifton Bay anchorage

Kite surfing

Clifton market

We supplied ourselves with fruits and vegetables that we desperately needed. Then we signed out of Grenadines in a friendly Customs and Immigration Office, a little too casual, we didn’t notice, that from the papers we got, the sign out form was missing. When we arrived to Carriacou, which is part of Grenada, the immigration officer threatened to lock Polde up for not having all the documents. Of course he didn’t, as we learned later, the island has it’s own crime to deal with.

So, now we are on Carriacou, the island with a population of 6000, probably just as many goats and over a hundred rum shops. We are taking it easy in a pleasant Tyrrel Bay. After having a problem dragging again in Saline Bay, we anchored using danforth.  In Tyrrel Bay we found a mechanic with a heavy duty press and he finally straightened the bent anchor. It is holding now.

We are taking walks, talking to the natives. We found new friends in this bay, Canadian fascinating couple Janice and Larry from the sailboat ‘Sea Bear’. Both single handed sailors on lake Ontario, they teamed up to sail Caribbean Sea. They both sailed Atlantic and Pacific, Jan all the way to New Zealand and Australia.

Tyrrel Bay

Nets resting

Larry, Jan and Polde