Union Island - Devastation
Wednesday 20th - Thursday 21st November 2024
Our departure from Carriacou was somewhat nerve-wracking. When we came to check-out, the customs officer wanted the forms we had been given when we first checked-in with Cotinga back in May. Of course I had tidied out our document wallet whilst at home and the required forms are either back in Sudbury or buried in a land fill. I had to call Clarkes Court Marina, back in Grenada, and have them email me confirmation of our haul-out and re-launch dates. They sent the information over immediately, but then came the problem of how to get that to the customs agent when there is no internet up and running on Carriacou. Thankfully WhatsApp worked fine and I was able to forward the necessary documents and we were cleared-out to go. We had a lovely sail up to Union Island and dropped anchor in Clifton Harbor to deal with the check-in process for St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The damage to the island of Carriacou caused by Hurricane Beryl was all too easy to see. Many houses still had tarps over their roofs and some structures were totally destroyed. However, it appeared that a lot of progress had been made on repairs and there was a sense that life was returning to normal with the supermarkets open and some cafe / bars back in business. We had heard that the damage to Union Island, about 5 miles further north, was more extensive. But when we arrived in Clifton we were shocked to see the devastation. Customs and immigration was open, but working out of a basement in one of the few relatively undamaged buildings. We could not see the original customs building that we visited back in May. It seemed to be completely gone, as was the building that housed the popular Turtle Bar. We could see the floor and the bar of the restaurant where we had lunch on our previous trip, but the walls and roof were gone. None of the shops are open and there appears to be a tent village just outside of town, where we presume people are living. Construction work is ongoing, but there is still a tremendous amount left to do. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is not a wealthy country and we wonder where the finance to rebuild will come from.
(I did not carry my camera ashore in our brief visit to Clifton and it would have felt uncomfortable wandering around conspicuously taking photos of the destruction. However, Jo had her phone with her and took a few shots that are shown below.)
We left Clifton in the mid afternoon and motored round to Chatham Bay on the west side of the island. This is one of our favorite anchorages in the whole of the Caribbean. It still looks beautiful, but the little beach bar and restaurant that we enjoyed so much in May has gone. There used to be a small hotel / restaurant comprised of a few cottages nestled in the trees mid-way along the beach. At first we thought the buildings were still intact and in fact appeared more visible because the surrounding vegetation was blown or washed away. However, it turns out that everything was totally destroyed and what we were seeing from the boat is new construction. I spoke to the manager and she said the eye of Beryl passed over Carriacou, but the worst winds were experienced on Union Island. Every building on the coast of Chatham Bay was leveled to the ground. She said they spent the first two months after the hurricane simply removing trash and debris from the beach. Now they are rebuilding and actually hope to have the restaurant open by mid December, with tents to provide coverage for customers.
We tried snorkeling, but the visibility was so poor that we barely saw anything. This may be due to runoff from the cliffs with all the rain in recent days. Walking along the beach was more interesting, if somewhat sobering. Whilst there is evidence of landslides on the surrounding cliffs, the vegetation is already growing back strongly. Overall Chatham Bay remains a magical place.
Mike
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Leveling hardcore, presumably the sub-floor of a new building before the concrete is poured.
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