Bequia, pronounced Bek-way, was a great place to be, and all the cruisers made it a lot of fun.Lots of mangoes, bananas etc. An active crowd, they were. Really a great bunch of cruisers.
Organizing walks all over the island, games evenings,very happy hours and, of course, there being a bunch of South Africans, a couple of braais on the beach. (BBQ in your language, Pasqual!).
And then dinners aboard Banjo were a treat.We did quite a bit of snorkeling and it's always good to see a lot of juvenile grouper around. Some of the species which I'd never seen before.
Exquisite colors.It bodes well for the future.
I'm very particular about what I put into my fuel tank. About what I put into me? Not so much. Rum, Gin etc. I radioed the water barge to come out and I topped up with water before I left. Not diesel here. It's the dirty stuff, from Venezuela, I'm told.
Those of you who know me, know that I love to cook, and catch fish.I'm becoming pretty self sufficient with regard to catching my own food. Fish and crustaceans. So I'm always baking, cooking etc.
Prepared food out here is pretty expensive, as most of it is imported from the USA.
So I buy the raw ingredients and do it myself. Chicken and pork are affordable out here. I therefore BBQ quite often. And I also enjoy rice and beans. So it's quite easy to put a meal together.
I think that I would have provisioned quite differently in the states, knowing what I know now. Although, in saying that, I have to be aware of how old things are getting.. They might have a shelf life of years, but they eventually start tasting like the packaging they are in.
I'm still searching for real Caribbean cuisine. Jerk Chicken or pork? Maybe. But it's not very exciting. I'm being honest here. I like spicy foods.
I upped anchor and headed off to Mustique., along with Fair Winds and Banjo. It was only a three hour passage, but I only got to actually sail for about an hour or so.
I got back winded between the islands, so the motor was running quite a bit. Caught a very nice small tuna, which I seared tonight, and took across to Fair Winds as an appetizer. Judy did a very nice curry too.
This is one of the most beautiful islands I have ever been to. It is manicured. No garbage, litter etc. Lots of tortoises too. Very cool. Home of the rich and famous. Mike Jagger, Tommy Hilfiger, and for a short while, me.
There's good snorkeling here. It's a no take zone. So only look and see. We had three nice nights here but the last night was very rolly. A swell came in and if you were inclined to get seasick, this would have done it for you.
By now, we all had made a bunch of new friends, fellow cruisers, and we are all heading in the same direction. The third morning saw us heading out of the bay, and aim for Mayreau.
It was meant to be a four hour sail but with the currents etc, it took us six. And I caught another tuna on the way. All Good. Some of the "flotilla" went on the leeward side of Canoua, And the rest of us went on the windward side.
Salt Whistle bay is a beautiful little anchorage. Small, but typical Caribbean. Golden palms, powder beaches. Late in the afternoon, familiar boats arrived. Veritas and the trawler, Partners, with Richard and Lavinia aboard,
who I'd met in St. Kitts. Needless to say, there were drinks ashore, with the old and new gang. We all dinghyed into the beach and it was great to catch up.
This morning I did a bit of work on the boat, then we all, 8 boats, upped anchor, and motored across to Tobago Cays. It's very special here. If you are reading this, have a look at Google images of this place. Exquisite, it is.
Beautiful Caribbean Islands is the only way to describe this little group. It's where Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed. I feel very, very fortunate to be here. Who would have thought? John and Joanne, on Out of Africa,
once again, organised a beach BBQ on on of the little islands.
Watching weather reports is a part of daily life out here. Especially this time of the year, with it being hurricane season and all. A tropical Storm, called Chantel, was moving into our area.
They travel across the Atlantic, from West Africa, and tear through the Caribbean, often turning into hurricanes. So once again, we all upped and headed across to Union Island, southern most of the Grenadines.
We are anchored in Chatham Bay and have had a great time here. Games evenings ashore, dinners etc. We took a walk over the island today and it nearly killed me. It's steep! Made it though and that's a good thing.
Two of our crowd, Capice and Moon Rebel, left this morning, for a bay around the island, and Fair Winds and I are sailing for Carriacou tomorrow.