May 2007
Antigua - Guadeloupe - Isles des Saintes - Dominica - Martinique - St. Lucia - St Vincent - Canouan - Tobago Cays - Mayreau - Union Island
It was race week in Antigua. The harbour was extremely crowded with race boats, dormitory boats and cruisers. During the first night a catamaran with a race boat lashed to the side of it dragged its anchor through the anchorage. The next morning I moved inshore as close as possible to at least give me protection from one side!
Sue Tongue arrived from UK and we spent a couple of days exploring the island, refuelling and provisioning. The walk up to Shirley Heights passes through interesting vegetation and gives excellent views across English harbour and Falmouth Harbour.
English harbour is of course famous for Nelson’s Dockyard, an old British naval base. There are a number of interesting old artefacts there including the massive pillars that supported the sail loft and the capstans used to haul the ships over for careening.
Sue’s first sail was a short sail around to Indian Creek, a small mangrove anchorage with only a couple of boats in it. From there we crossed back to Deshaies in Guadeloupe, an excellent sail in perfect trade wind conditions. On this and other passages through the Windward Islands, which would generally be close hauled against an ESE or SE wind, I found that if I put one reef in the main and bore off slightly to a more comfortable close reach Gypsy Dancer would sail quickly through the passages between the islands minimizing the time spent in the adverse Equatorial Current and taking a better angle on the swell. Once into the lee of the destination island it was possible to sail close-hauled in the smoother, protected waters and usually we managed to lay the destination via a long curved track. Occasionally the leeside sections became exciting as winds went from flat calm to strong gusts as the trade winds came down through the gaps in the hills.
While in Deshaies, Sue and I walked up the Indian River – a great 2-hour boulder hop in deep shade with interesting wildlife and vegetation.
We moved on south to attempt to pick up a mooring off Pigeon Island, a place reported to have good snorkelling. The two laid moorings were both occupied and the holding and swell in the bay on the main land were both pretty bad so we went a mile further south and anchored amongst lobster pots off a small beach where we spent a relatively calm night. We never did get to see the good snorkelling!
Next stop was Isles des Saintes, the small island group to the south of Guadeloupe originally populated by French fishermen and their families. We had to tack a couple of times against the wind and lumpy current running through the passage between Guadaloupe and Isles des Saintes. There is a choice of popular and well protected anchorages with access to a range of touristy and arty shops and restaurants ashore.
Moving on southwards we arrived in Portsmouth, Dominica. Here we met our first ‘boat boy’ a rather inaccurate term for Alexis whom we employed as water taxi and guide.
He was hardly a boy, spoke three or four languages fluently and had sailed across the Atlantic twice. He took us on various trips including up the Indian River – a location used in filming ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, and around to another bay with excellent snorkelling.
A short hop down the coast took us to Roseau and then on to St Pierre in Martinique.
From here we visited a rum distillery which still used a steam engine to power the cane crushing mill.
The following day a long, hot uphill walk took us to the start of Canal Beauregard, an aqueduct along which you can walk on a narrow wall sometimes with huge drops to one side, through steep mountainous terrain. We left the pleasant shade and flat walking of the canal for an even steeper climb up to a village where we hoped to find a community taxi (like a bus service) to take us back to St Pierre. As no taxi’s appeared, the local restaurant owner commandeered a delivery vehicle and begged a lift for us back to the town.
Another short hop down the coast took us to Grand Anse D’Arlet from where, the following day, we crossed to Rodney Bay, St Lucia, anchoring out in the bay as the lagoon looked rather crowded.
Sue was due to depart the boat in this major centre of Caribbean yachting. On the morning of her departure we dinghied across to Fort Rodney with our breakfast to watch the sunrise over the bay and to explore the ruins of this old British fort and naval base. The views from here are excellent and it’s well worth the climb up in the cool of the morning when there are no tourists to contend with. Picking mangos to supplement our breakfast was a bonus!
After taking Sue to the airport I restocked the boat and readied GD for departure the next morning to the Pitons, two 2,500’ peaks sitting either side of a tricky anchorage where I picked up a mooring with the help of a boat boy. It’s a pretty unique place. Sitting between two huge peaks which rise straight out of the water with a green and mountainous terrain to the east and the open Caribbean Sea to the west. The sun set – a white gold globe against a deeper golden sky. Perfect.
I crossed next to Wallilabou Bay on St Vincent where I again picked up a mooring in the deep anchorage, taking a stern line ashore to stop the boat swinging in the restricted room. Inevitably a French-skippered, charter boat picked up the mooring next to me and despite requests to do so refused to take a line ashore although it was clear that his boat would swing into me when the wind died, which it does most mornings. Very frustrating! Eventually when it became obvious even to the skipper that there was a problem he did tie a line ashore, after which I moved my line and winched GD as far from them as possible. Next time I’ll have a longer anchor chain to give myself more choice.
Wallilabou Bay is like walking onto the main town set of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ as they have left all the set dressing in place, the bales, old wagons, purpose built jetties and ‘old’ buildings – one of which houses the customs office. It’s interesting to see how impressive the cinematographers make it look.
From St Vincent I headed south again, a short sail to Bequia and an anchorage in the delightful Admiralty Bay. There is a choice of anchorages and I picked the one off Princess Margaret Beach. Although a little further from town and sometimes a wet dinghy ride it’s quieter than the anchorages further in. The bay looks exposed, but was surprisingly well protected from swell. The town itself has a great deal to offer cruisers and live-aboards with good fruit and vegetable suppliers and a choice of chandleries and other yacht services.
I spent a few days there meeting, amongst other people, Nigel and Chelsea on Amuri Mina their 30’ steel boat on which they’d crossed the Atlantic. Nigel was a rock climber and mountaineer so we had a lot in common. He helped me out by climbing my mast for me and I assisted him with his outboard which we took apart in his cockpit. Chelsea, a marine biologist, had found work on ‘Friendship Rose’ a locally-built wooden schooner that was now used to take trippers out to Tobago Cays.
After a few days in Admiralty Bay I sailed south-westwards past Moonhole, a weird architect-designed coastal community, to Friendship Bay on the south coast of Bequia. This empty and rolly bay is probably only worth visiting to get away from the crowds in Admiralty Bay!
From Bequia a hop to Canouan and another to Tobago Cays brought me into one of the most famous anchorages in the Caribbean. Entered round reefs and through a narrow pass between islands, Tobago Cays are a group of small islands protected by a reef to the east. Anchoring in 10 feet of water on white sand in the full force of the trades and with only the reef between you and Africa is a great experience. The beaches and snorkelling are great. Here I managed to observe and photograph sea turtles grazing on sea grass, a lucky meeting with these graceful creatures.
Friendship Rose, with Chelsea aboard was also anchored at Tobago Cays and I had the opportunity to see the boat at close hand. These boats are built on the beach using traditional construction techniques and some are still used as inter-island traders.
From Tobago Cays a two short day-sails south via Mayreau took me to Union Island where I anchored in the rather crowded and exposed Clifton Harbour. I couldn’t find a place to set an anchor so I picked up a buoy offered by a local boat boy. I asked him what the buoy was attached to and he told me a large piece of concrete. When I dived on it later I discovered it was tied round the loose timber of an old wreck and the line rubbed across several edges of wood…! Union Island is the most southerly place you can check out of the Grenadines so a visit is essential really. I found out later I’d have been better off in Chatham Bay to the west round the coast. The town is lively and friendly with good fruit and vegetable suppliers.
I left as soon as possible for Carriacou, completing customs formalities at Hillsborough Bay and then anchoring in Tyrrel Bay a little further south on the last day of May.