I left Port Elizabeth at first light with the intentions of having breakfast at Canouan, an island about 16 miles south. The harbour was still asleep except for the few fishermen that where making there way out to sea. I made my way through the maze of boats on moorings and at anchor, out to the sea and found a pleasant east north easterly blowing at 10-15 knots. Enough to slowly move along at 3-4 knots. Eventually the engine had to come on or I would have still been out there at dark.
Canouan was a sleepy hollow with ramshackle buildings and beautiful beaches and striking coastline. A development corporation has created a resort to the north of the island which has now attracted more money to the island and the south has had a spin off effect with many luxury homes now being erected overlooking those beautiful beaches. The airport has grown out to sea with Glossy Hill on the south west corner being carved up to created the runway. I did see a few private jets take off as I passed by.
The anchorage in Charlestown Bay is very rolly during northerly swells. Well guess what, we had a northerly swell and I needed to get to shore. This also means that the docks can be untenable. I anchored out and watched these poor souls try to manage the waves as they got on and off their dinghy's at the dock. It appeared as if timing was the priority. I had determined that this was not the place to stop for the night, therefore I decided that I would row over to the said dock and try my best to safely manoeuvre myself on the dock.
As I arrived at the dock, a group of 5 people were trying to leave the dock. This turned out to be good entertainment. As four of them were on the dinghy, a large wave came in and the lady on the bow was inches away from falling in. Just like out of "Escape from Alcatraz" it appeared that every seventh wave was a doozie. When the other guys eventually moved off, I paddled furiously to get to the dock, quickly got off the dinghy and then pulled the dinghy right up on the dock. One of the locals (as normal) was there to lend assistance (always for a fee). Although the dinghy is not heavy I did accept his offer because of the possible carnage if I was slow.
On walking up the dock it became very evident why the resort had put yellow tape across the dock saying "danger". The dock had planks missing, nails protruding up to 3 inches, loose planks, buckled planks and all this plus waves were crashing from underneath and water was going everywhere.
The local town was only a short walk away, however it was clear that this place was struggling with finding its way in the "first world".
On my return to the hazardous dock I did take advantage of having a coffee and croissant at the resort overlooking the beach and surrounding area. Yes, there were more poor souls experiencing difficulties at the dock. The problem seemed to be there were always at least 3-4 of them and therefore this takes time to get organised.
When I eventually gained enough courage, I quickly launched the dinghy back to the fray, through my bags and thongs on board and then jumped in and rowed as quickly as I could to safer water. It turned out to have been done without incident and no swimming necessary.
The guide books suggest that there were two "excellent" places to stop on the south side of the island. Again as I approached I wondered why every other boat was heading straight to other islands along the chain and not checking these places out. I found one boat anchored at South Glossy Bay and no one at Friendship Bay. It became obvious later in the day, why this was the case. There are far better places, including Tobago Cays which surpass just about every other place on earth. Anyway, I spent enough time to moor the boat, prepare and eat lunch and be on my way again. I also had to negotiate the reefs along the way. Lucky for a good chart plotter to help guide me.
During lunch I noticed about forty yachts moored/anchored about 4 miles away. This was to be the "mecca" for snorkelling and ambience. Tucked in behind the Horseshoe Reef and also protected from the winds by Petit Rameau and Bateau plus Baradel (all islands) was an oasis waiting to be explored. Within minutes of arriving I was in the water to check the anchor and then off to the reef to explore the coral and the fish. Yes it is a great place to snorkel, but I am yet to see the colour we have on the Great Barrier Reef and also what I have seen in Lombok Indonesia.
Later in the day the turtle protected area proved to be a highlight. Two turtles were feeding on the bottom of the sea bed for "sea grass' and then surfacing for air before they would dive again to repeat the process. For twenty minutes of admiring their exploits, I left them to themselves and went on to explore more of the cays.
As with all places were tourists and yachties are, you will find vendors selling T-shirts, jewellery, sarongs, etc. This place was no exception. Although they were not permanent structures, vendors just used trees and line to display their goods. I also noticed that the local men prepare a BBQ lunch and dinner which I have decided to join on Tuesday (tomorrow) night.
The evening included happy hour (as usual) watching the sun go down and then relaxation on the deck with the lights from the yachts and nearby islands as a back drop.
The last day in Tobago Cays included more snorkelling at just about every point along Horseshoe Reef, together with a quick peak on the ocean side of the reef, where I was advised the diving is equally as impressive. As it was quite windy and small waves and a small dinghy don't really mix, I found the gap in the reef, found the charter boat mooring, donned the goggles and snorkel and spent all of about 30 seconds checking out the area while still holding on to the dinghy in fear of being blown away with the wind and current.
I also couldn't leave without having another look at the turtles feeding in the protected area. What a magical sight. There were probably about 14 turtles in all feeding on the sea grass and then heading for the surface for air.
Adjoining the turtle zone is a small uninhabited island which offered good views of the surrounding area together with numerous cacti bushes and a rather large iguana, similar to Australia's frill neck lizard.
Later in the afternoon it was time for some reading on another nearby island's beach which accommodates the BBQ men, the 3-4 vendors selling T-shirts, etc and plenty of shade under the palm trees. I forgot to mention the topless French lady next to me. (I don't think the local women approve of such practices).