The Tobago Cays are a group of small, deserted islands protected from the sea by Horseshoe Reef. Beyond the reef there is nothing but the Atlantic and Africa. It is quite an experience to see squalls approaching from miles away, watch the waves on the outside of the reef build and yet be anchored in calm water inside the reef even though you are fully exposed to the ocean winds. There are numerous small beaches and the water is beautiful and crystal clear. The Cays are a national park although there is nothing like the reception centers and free moorings seen in other parks in the Caribbean. Anchoring is permitted in sand only, no jet-skis are allowed and fishing is prohibited so it is a wonderfully peaceful area.

We had left Canouan at 10.30am on the 7th June and after a pleasant sail were anchored behind the Horseshoe Reef by noon. The weather was not ideal and although our anchorage was peaceful the windy conditions and the resulting swells made for poor visibility for snorkeling and diving. We stayed in the area for two peaceful nights and then, as yet more bad weather was forecast, we headed to Union Island to wait out the blow.

We returned to the Cays on June 15th and again anchored behind Horseshoe Reef, this time close to Baradel where the sea-grass off the beach is home to several green turtles. This time conditions had improved sufficiently for us to be able to get into the water and enjoy good visibility. We spent a long time snorkeling with the turtles and then took the dinghy outside the reef to snorkel there. The fish life and the coral were quite spectacular and we spent most of the day in the water. We had a great time!

In the late afternoon we took the dinghies over to Petit Tabac, a small low lying island just outside the Horseshoe Reef. We were back in 'Pirates of the Caribbean' territory. In the movie this was the island where Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swan were abandoned, and where Jack's stash of rum was burned by Elizabeth. No sign of any fire damage now though! On this occasion it was Jake and Carl (Mystique) who clambered up the palm trees for coconuts and for once Dave's feet stayed firmly on the ground. We spent an hour or so on the island, enjoyed a quick 'sundowner' and then headed back to Baradel. We needed to be able to see our way in through the reef in reasonable light. There is a small gap through which dinghies can pass, but it is not possible to take the 'big boats' through the reef. Even so, missing the pass in the dinghies would have meant a very long ride around the reef to get back to the boats. We made a quick stop at Baradel to join some other friends who were enjoying the sunset on the beach and then made our way back to Magic.

The following morning we reluctantly left the Tobago Cays. It was June 16th and although it was still very early in the hurricane season we were starting to take a hard look at the weather due to the number of tropical waves we had already seen pass through the island chain. It is these waves coming off the west coast of Africa that form into tropical storms and hurricanes under the right conditions. Nothing ominous had formed as yet, but the season was starting to develop and we needed to be further south. Our next stop would be Carriacou and Grenada but first we wanted to take a look at the small islands of Petite Martinique and Petite St. Vincent.