Is this the start of the rainy season?

Is this the start of the rainy season?

Friday 17^th and Saturday 18^th  May 2024

On the first night at Sandy Island, it rained overnight.  The second night was dry but rain began about seven this morning.  We wonder if this is the start of the rainy season?  I naively thought that it would be cooler once the rains began.  Ha! Perhaps we are just seeing some enhanced squall activity...

Our plan for the morning was to motor north to a cove called Anse La Roche. The guide-book suggested that there was good snorkeling.  Also, if there were no swell from the north, the anchorage would be suitable for an overnight.  The current conditions have swell coming from the east.  We set off expecting to stay overnight.  When we arrived at the cove, there was only one other boat anchored.  We backed quite hard on the anchor and were pretty convinced it was solid.  That seemed important as there were a lot of rocks some 300 ft behind us!  After watching the GPS trace for quite a while, we set off to snorkel.  Mike heroically rowed the dinghy to the beach.  Without the engine, it’s a lot easier to pull the boat up onto the sand.  We donned the snorkel gear and set off along the north coast of the cove.  Indeed, the snorkeling was good—quite a lot of fish, including clouds of tiny minnows, so dense that the visibility was diminished.  

Returning to Cotinga, we realized that the wind had dropped and the boat was broadside to the waves.  While I was ferreting in the canned goods cupboard for items for lunch, I started to feel distinctly unwell.  We took the decision to leave and return to Sandy Island.  As we were rushing around, trying to get the anchor up while starting the water maker, things went a bit pear-shaped.  We only realized that the auto-pilot was not engaged, once we were struggling to get the genoa flying well.  That was nearly a disaster, as we went closer to the rocks on the edge of the bay that we would have intended!  The wind was quite gusty (8 - 21 knots) and I was still feeling marginal. Thankfully, the strong winds meant that the trip back to Sandy Island was pretty quick. We did manage to snag the mooring on the first attempt, but, weren’t able to pull in enough line to make it easy to thread the second line.  A little forward thrust from the engine was required.  Eventually, we were set.  It’s strange that this open anchorage seems to have less motion than that little bay.  

Gloria      

Sunset from Sandy Island. ("split tone" Black and White). 

The "Dainty Dog" dragged up the beach on Sandy Island. I made a solo trip to shore but the sunset wasn't great. Interestingly, we had one good and two lame sunsets for our three nights moored off Sandy Island . The dinghy and outboard together weigh ~ 130 pounds, but add in the fuel tank and anchor for a total of ~ 160 pounds and it's a struggle to haul it up the beach. Add in my camera gear and thats 260 pounds ... I exaggerate (a bit!).

The beach on the lee side of Sandy Island (15 s exposure, 200 mm lens, tripod)

The only other boat in Anse La Roche. We thought this was way too close to La Roche! We saw a dinghy on the beach and were concerned that nobody was aboard teh catamaran and they were dragging. It turns out there were people on board, they checked their anchor and seemed certain all was well. They too retired back to Sandy Island for teh night.

When we returned from our day trip to Anse La Roche the foil boarders and kite boarders were in action

Foil boarding

Kete boarding

Exploring Carriacou

Exploring Carriacou

Wednesday 15th - Thursday 16th May 2024

We have been looking forward to visiting Carriacou for a long time. We got as far south as the Tobago Cays when Simon was visiting us in the spring of 2018, and we hoped to sail the remaining 10 or 15 miles to Carriacou, but the prospect of poor weather and the need to get Simon back to St Lucia to catch his flight prompted us to cut short our plans. We had a marvelous genoa-only sail down from Chatham Bay on a broad reach and when we turned into Tyrrel Bay, we were a little surprised to find it quite crowded, with maybe 100 boats at anchor. It’s a large and well protected harbor and we had no trouble finding a space for ourselves. 

Studying Google maps for the location of Customs and Immigration, I noticed that of 7 reviewers, 6 had given them 1 star … so my expectations were limited! However, I have to say that the lady and gentleman that I met were very pleasant and helpful and the whole procedure for checking-in to Grenada went smoothly. No complaints here! 

Whilst at anchor, we were approached by a local man in a small boat about the prospect of a taxi tour of the island the following day.  John seemed like a genuine guy and we decided to take him up on his offer. We met up the following morning outside the marina and were joined by a fellow sailor, Gary, who we had met previously on Union Island. The tour was interesting and fun and lasted about 3 hours. It was a good way to get an impression of the island as a whole. Carriacou is part of Grenada and gained independence from the Britain in 1974. This year marks 50 years of independence and there were red, yellow and green decorations all over the island. Wooden boatbuilding was historically an important part of the lifestyle and economy, and whilst some of that remains, it doesn’t seem to be as prevalent as it once was. There appears to be a lot of small boat fishing and in the wet season people grow fruit and vegetables. However, this year the rains are late. It is hot and very dry at this point and we saw fields that were dug over ready for crops, but nothing will be planted until it rains. Carriacou does have a large desalination plant and many houses have water storage tanks, so in some ways the island is well prepared to deal with the drought. We heard that on the main island of Grenada, where the drought is also extreme, water generation and storage is less prevalent and there is actually a water shortage. Overall, we were came away with a very positive impression of the island and its people.

On Thursday, we took a quick walk around the town of Tyrrel Bay and bought some extra provisions. Then we pulled up our anchor and motored a couple of miles north to Sandy Island. This area is part of a Marine National Park and is absolutely gorgeous. We picked up a mooring about 100 yards off the beach in crystal clear turquoise water. Gulls and terns are everywhere, and the views are spectacular. We took the dinghy into shore and beached it, before setting off to snorkel the north-east corner of the island. Whilst some of the coral looks quite beaten up, we did get the impression that it was starting to re-grow and some areas looked good. As we proceeded across the reef we reached a drop-off to deeper water. I love the areas where you have contrasting depths. We saw a lot of fish, including a large puffer fish. It’s notable how you see more and bigger fish in areas that are protected from fishing. 

On our return to Cotinga, Gloria snorkeled over our mooring and declared it “solid”. From the surface all the lines looked stout and brand new. I gather it looked good below as well. We paid $62 ECD for two nights on the mooring (i.e about $12 USD per night). In fact, this is all a park fee and if you anchor you pay the same price. It’s a deal. 

Sunset from Cotinga was spectacular

Mike

12 29.000 N, 61 28.990 W

Looking south towards the main island of Grenada (barely visible in the distance behind the house)

A dragonfly photographed over a freshwater cistern / spring

A renovated fishing vessel with newly laid wooden hull

John our driver / tour guide. A quiet, gently spoken man and a big fan of Ronald Reagan!

Tyrrel Bay from one of the many small docks along beach

Cooking fish over a wood fire on the beach in Tyrrel Bay

Sorting and cleaning fish from their recent catch (on the beach at Tyrrel Bay)

A young boy playing on the beach Tyrrel Bay (I did have permission from his mom to take photos)

A spectacular sunset. Sandy Island is the palm covered island on the right and the sun is setting behind Mabouya Island

Sunset from Cotinga, off Sandy Island, Carriacou

A day off the charts

A day off the charts

Monday 13^th and Tuesday 14^th May, 2024

Monday started with a “walk” across Union Island to Clifton—the only place to check out.  We had planned to repeat the walk we’d done on Sunday, but when we landed on the beach, a guy approached us with advice about the best route to Clifton.  He showed us a path that would lead up to a main road.  According to him, it was a much better way than the route we were proposing.  It may have been shorter but it was definitely steeper! By this point it was about 10 am and the day was promising to be quite warm.  Once we reached the main road, we started to descend quite steeply.  Visions of the return trip were dancing in my head.  After what seemed a pretty long haul, we arrived at customs in Clifton.  Check-out went reasonably smoothly (even though we were missing some necessary form!) Then we retired to a cafe for a cold drink.  

Perhaps I was suffering from a form of heat stroke, because I agreed to go back via a different, longer route through the town of Ashton.  Holy Moses! The day was showing no sign of cooling down and there was a distinct lack of shade along the road.  The climb up out of Ashton seemed challenging enough; then we rejoined the steep main road from earlier.  There were moments when I was convinced that I couldn’t finish the walk.  At one point, Mike took my backpack as well as his own! Once we started to descend, I was able to carry my backpack again.  

When we arrived back at the beach, sweat was dripping copiously from my face.  It had been a 7 or 8 mile roundtrip walk and we decided that it was about time to have some lunch. The restaurant beckoned.  After chicken / fish and chips, we returned to Cotinga for a swim followed by some rest. Mike decided to make us a light dinner out of a packet of “spicy Chinese soup”.  That packet should have had a health warning.  The first hint should have been that Mike made some rice “to go with the soup”.  It’s hard to say if the excessive heat came from the lake of hot oil floating on the surface or from the hundreds of (small) pieces of chili pepper.  A lot of rice and plenty of water were required to consume even a very small bowl of this stuff.  I started to wonder if having failed to kill me off with the hike, Mike was trying to wipe me out with that soup.  We both remembered that we had come close to making this soup for Rod.  He had a lucky escape!

This morning we hoisted the anchor shortly after nine.  We sailed to Carriacou using just the genoa.  It was an easy sail with some good winds.  We anchored in Tyrell Bay and checked into Grenada. This  should be the last check-in for a while.   

Gloria

12 27.392 N, 61 29.396 W

The town of Ashton as we descend from the col separating this town from Chatham Bay

We did get some good views of the island and the waters surrounding it

There are some very impressive properties on the island - this one on the road leading over to Chatham bay

There are also plenty of ramshackle dwellings

Sunset as spicy HOT Chinese soup brings tears to my eyes!

Our nearest neighbors in Tyrrell Bay, Carriacou ... shot from the cockpit of Cotinga

A passing squall and associated clouds made the sunset more interesting. This tug is moored behind us in Tyrrell Bay

A panorama of our first sunset in Carriacou 

Clouds as sunset

Close to Perfection

Close to Perfection

Saturday 11th - Sunday 12th May, 2024

Perception of perfection changes with perspective! We had such a bad night in Clifton Harbor that pretty much any subsequent anchorage would have seemed good. But I don’t think that the relief we felt in finding flat calm waters in Chatham Bay accounts for my entire impression that where we are now is as close to perfection as we have found in the Caribbean. But lets step back a bit …

Clifton Harbor is protected from the prevailing easterly wind and waves by a solid reef. A smaller reef in the middle of the harbor effectively divides it into two sections, east and west, and we chose to anchor on the west side, closer to town. We dropped hook in 25-30ft of water and felt pretty secure. The anchorage itself didn’t feel too bumpy when we arrived (at low tide), although we had read some negative comments. After spending time ashore, we returned to the boat on Friday afternoon to find it rocking and rolling. The tide had risen by about 2 feet and the waves were sweeping across the reef and around the edge, creating a nasty cross swell in the anchorage. It was so bad that after eating dinner (steak and salad, which we really enjoyed!) we pulled out the bunks in the main cabin, took a couple of Stugeron (anti-seasick tablets) and called it a night. In the morning we took a very quick dinghy ride to town to pick up bread and milk, and then hauled up the anchor and headed west. 

It was only a 3 or 4 mile sail to the west side of Union Island and within an hour we were anchored in Chatham Bay. The Bay is quite large, maybe a mile wide and fringed with white sand beaches and wooded mountains behind. The water is crystal clear and there is essentially no swell. The winds can blow quite strongly, but with 100 feet of chain out in 20 feet of water, over a sandy bottom, we felt perfectly safe and comfortable. At various points during our trip we have wondered what the Caribbean might have been like before it got really popular. Chatham Bay has no paved roads, just a small dirt track, that connects it to the rest of the island. There are a few bars / restaurants on the beach, but these are really of the laid back, wooden shack variety. Whilst there are many cruising boats here (perhaps 25 today) there is room for many more. The whole place is beautiful and has the feeling of place from time past. 

We went snorkeling in the afternoon and saw more turtles (green and hawksbill) as well as lots of fish. There were several grouper, trigger fish, trumpet fish and trunk fish, to name but a few, and we also saw a golden spotted snake eel. The corals and plants looked beautiful under the bright sun, in crystal clear water. We ate well and slept well last night!

This morning we took the dinghy to the beach and hiked up to a viewpoint overlooking the Bay. It was quite lovely, and as a bonus we saw a Mangrove Cuckoo. We returned to Cotinga for a couple of quiet hours and a late afternoon swim, where we were delighted to see a Spotted Eagle Ray swimming below us. This evening we are heading back to the Sunset Beach Bar for drinks, dinner and a live steel band!

Mike

12 36.183 N, 61 27.047 W

https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/Cotinga/?

Chatham Bay, Union Island, St Vincent and the Grenadines

We have an unobstructed view to the west, but the sunsets have been disappointing. I think with so much humidity the sun just descends into a bank of mist on the horizon

The Dainty Dog, tied to a line on shore and with a stern anchor to keep her off the beach

A couple of boaters snorkel from the beach

An inquisitive Mangrove Cuckoo

Overlooking Chatham Bay

Dinner at the sunset bar

Red snapper, rice, potato, plantain and salad ... delicious!

Outside the Sunset Bar

Chatham bay at night

The Sunset bar and restaurant

New Territory

New Territory

Thursday 9th and Friday 10th May, 2024

Last night we made preparations to move on from the Tabago Cays.  The engine came off the dinghy, the ladder was stowed and the snorkel gear was put away.  After our jobs were done we sat on the fore-deck watching the turtles and enjoying the gorgeous views. Knowing that we would be moving on to Union Island, I found myself a bit anxious about going to new places, where there would be more uncertainty about, well, almost everything. We will see how this next section goes!

After breakfast, we got going.  Our route re-traced the path we had taken into the marine park.  Basically we headed west until we rounded the north end of Mayreau, then altered course to a more southerly direction.  The anchorage we were headed for was off the east side of Union Island, protected by an extensive reef.  All went well, we decided to anchor off the town of Clifton rather than be further out near the reef.  (Actually, there is a small section of reef in the middle of the harbor as well.)  With a nod to caution, we spent some time aboard making sure that the boat was staying in position!

A trip to shore for lunch was the next order of business.  We wandered through the town until Mike spotted a likely looking restaurant.  There were a few groups eating already (we take that as a good sign).  Lunch was good and featured no less than three starches - potatoes, spaghetti and lentils - as well as chicken or pork ribs. What more could you want?

We spent an hour or two wandering around Clifton in the afternoon. It’s an interesting town, pretty in a way, with friendly people. It looks like fishing and diving for conch shells might be the biggest business, but it is also a kite surfing center. There are plenty of fruit and veg stands and we bought some fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and a large mango. 

After we returned to Cotinga, we noticed that all the “boat boys” were shooting across the anchorage at great speed.  I thought they were behaving like nuts. Mike suggested that maybe a boat had gone onto the rocks.  In fact, a large catamaran from a charter company was stuck on the reef in the middle of the harbor.  The boats converged on the catamaran and somehow managed to turn the cat and push it off the reef.  We imagine that they tried to pick up a mooring and failed to snag it, drifting back onto the reef behind without realizing the peril.     

Gloria

A busy scene at the fisherman's dock in Clifton. We got chatting to a couple of guys on one boat who had not had a great day ... they had lost the propellor off their outboard motor.

A local man cleans and pounds conch meat (lambi in french)

Local boats on the beach near the kite boarding center

The anchorage off Clifton, Union Island

A father and son (I presume) heading out on a paddle board, in the protected waters behind the reef

A couple of Ruddy Turnstones by the harbor

Local boats raced to assist a catamaran that had drifted back onto the reef in the center of Clifton harbor

A tryptic of photographs of the paintwork on on one of the local boats

A dyptic (yikes ... that doesn't sound right ... dipstick!) created by rotating two images of the transom of a local boat

Tobago Cays

Tobago Cays

Tuesday 8th - Wednesday 9th May 2024

Crystal clear turquoise water and white sand beaches characterize the Tobago Cays. Having secured a mooring on the windward side of the two main islands (Petit Bateau and Petit Rameau) we figured we would stay several nights. The National Park rangers gave us a 4 for the price of 3 deal, and for $270 EC (~ $100 US) we got 4 days of mooring and entrance fees. As mentioned previously, we went swimming with turtles on the first day, and subsequently, I have tried to photograph these lovely animals directly from the boat. This was a bit frustrating as my camera lens (70-200m) is so beaten up that the coupling between the camera and lens doesn’t always function correctly. I’d wait for a turtle to pop up close enough to the boat and try to time my shots, but half the time the lens won’t focus or set the aperture or fire at all! On other occasions it all seems to go fine but the photo is completely black. Some swearing might have been heard around the mooring field, but I did get one or two reasonable shots.

It’s only a short dinghy ride out to Horseshoe reef, that fringes the park, where we found several red mooring balls to tie up the dinghy. The snorkeling was good, with excellent visibility and a lot of fish. The reef was a bit mixed. Some of it is pretty beaten up, but other sections had some nice corals. We did have to be a little careful of currents as these seemed quite strong.

On Tuesday evening, we were picked up by Willie in his boat “Free Willie” and taken ashore to Petit Bateau for a beach barbecue. Many of the small boat operators offer these barbecues, and on the face of it, they all appear to work together. However, they are in fact separate and we saw a variety of food at different tables. Interestingly, Willie told us lobster was not on the menu because May 1st is the start of closed-season, however, we diid see (illegal) lobster on other tables. We chose to share one fish (red snapper) and one chicken dinner, which came with savory rice, roast potatoes with cheese and onion, sautéed plantains and vegetables. It was a lot of food and delicious! The meal finished up with banana bread for dessert. We had our own table, but chatted to a friendly Australian couple on the adjacent table. We also introduced ourselves to a large group on another table because Gloria said they were moored next to us. We had a nice conversation with them, only to find the following morning that they weren’t the people on the boat next to us. They probably thought we were nuts! It was almost boaters midnight by the time Willie dropped us back at Cotinga.

Wednesday became something of a photo-session. We went back out to the reef so I could take photos looking back towards the islands with good light, and we also took the opportunity to snorkel again (see pictures of Gloria below). In the afternoon, I took the dinghy to the beach and hiked up to the top of Petit Bateau, which is not far, and was rewarded with panoramic views of the anchorage.

The only downside of our present location is that it can get bumpy on-board. The reef protects you from the worst of the swells, but from time to time, for reasons that aren’t altogether clear, it can get quite choppy. Still it’s a small price to pay for such a wonderful location.

Mike

12 37.962 N, 61 21.397 W

The windward mooring field in Tobago Cays as seen from the summit of Petit Bateau. The two small islands are Baradel (turtle snactuary) and Jamesby, on the left and right respectively.

The view from our mooring towards Baradel and the Horseshoe Reef.

A Green Turtle off the side of Cotinga.

Willie taking us from Cotinga to the beach barbecue

The beach on Petit Bateau, with Petit Rameau in the background

My beautiful wife!

The beach barbecue

Out on Horseshoe Reef looking back towards Petit Bateau and Petit Rameau

Looking out to sea

Who knew Gloria had such long legs!

Cotinga on the mooring at Tobago Cays

 The large catamaran behind us