Waiting for Weather Window in Grenadines
05 February 2018 | Clifton Harbour, Union Island, St. Vincent & the Grenadines
We are moored behind the reef almost encircling Clifton Harbour. The harbour is crowded mostly with boats heading to and from Tobago Cays which appear to be mostly charters from Martinique. The harbour is also one of the most important kite surfing centres in the Caribbean with colourful parafoils darting across the reef at all hours during the day. The water in the harbour is turquoise and multi-hued over the reefs.
We have decided to wait here for some moderation in the brisk northeast trade winds. The author of Caribbean Passagemaking says a good rule of thumb is that sailing with Force Five or more forward of the beam will be too wet and hard to be comfortable for long. After circling the globe in parts that were unavoidably uncomfortable we are now looking for relative comfort in our passages so we wait. Today winds are in low 20 knot range with gusts up to 30 in the many brief squalls that passed through. Our next stop is likely to be Martinique about 120 nautical miles north of us.
Life here in Clifton Harbour is expensive being geared to tourism; however it does mean you can buy food items that you would find in Canada or France. Many imported food items cost twice as much as you would pay in the originating country. Local fruits and vegetables are also dear i.e. $2.50 CAD for a mango and $4 CAD for a medium sized cucumber.