We decided not to leave the boat in Trinidad and go to Grenada instead since we heard about security problems some boaters had experienced there.
We put Souverain on the hard a few days ago at Spice Island Marine. We’ve been climbing up and down the ladder on the boat as we attend to last minute details. Phil is at the boat right now working with the men on taking the mast down. This was a requirement from our insurance agency if we were going to store the boat in Grenada. It will also give us the chance to do some repair work on the mast.
So tomorrow it’s off to the airport and back home. And you know what Dorothy says, “There’s no place like home.”
The Birthday Boy
Cruising in the Caribbean is a great experience, but everything has a down side, and today is no exception. We will be missing our son’s 40th birthday. The upside is we were blessed with the best son ever. Happy Birthday Jas.
Police Investigation
We were anchored out in Petit St. Vincent off the resort. A German boat came in earlier an anchored in front of us. We were directly downwind from them. They were all heavy smokers and all that smoke found its way down our hatches and into the cabins. Boy, how we wished they’d quit smoking!
It all started as a very quiet evening. After a dinner that Al had prepared with the fresh mahi mahi he bought from one of the boat boys, and a little vino, we were off to our staterooms. The cigarette was smell still wafting it. All of the sudden we heard a bottle break, the smell of gasoline, and a small boat speed away. “Phil, someone threw a bottle of gasoline on the boat and it broke!” We rushed topside with a flashlight and looked all around. The gas smell was in the air but otherwise no problem. After a few minutes we returned to our cabin. Shortly after there was banging on our hull. We hurried up stairs and spoke to the 2 men in the dingy. They were from the German charter boat Ambassador. “Someone has tried to kill us! This is no joke! They threw a glass bottle with gasoline into our cockpit. It broke and gasoline and glass went all over us!” We told them we heard it but didn’t see anything. There were 6 people on the boat and they were going to have someone stand guard all night. We told them we would monitor Channel 16 on the VHF. The captain and crew were emotionally a mess. Thankfully no one was smoking at the exact moment the bottle was thrown. It could have literally blown the boat, and them, up.We went back to bed but going to sleep was difficult. We were all spooked. A few hours later we heard a man on Channel 16 trying to make contact with the police. Then we heard the captain from Ambassador speak to him. The people aboard the other boat, Madrid, had just returned from dinner and found the boat was broke into and all their money was gone. After a lot of talk on the VHF we found out that Madrid was the boat in front of Ambassador. The poor captain of Ambassador had been calming his nerves with alcohol so although he talked a lot it was hard to understand. We had the number of the police and Petit St. Vincent Resort. We gave them the numbers and the police were called. They would come at 7 am to take a report. Not sure if there was more to come that night or not we all slept lightly. As Souverain was pulling out this am the police boat had boarded the 2 boats for an investigation. CSI right here in PSV!
Small Island
Phil and I took off in the dingy to explore. Close by is a small and I mean small, white sand island with a palapa covered table. That’s it. Nothing else. I was really hoping no one else would be there but fat chance. Phil and I took the dingy ashore for a quick break. This place was very, very cool. If I had all the grandkids here it would have been our Christmas card. Maybe I’ll have to photoshop them in…. On the way back to the boat we took a detour and went to the other side of the island where we could see the private cottages from the resort.
We got up the morning of March 20th and decided to go to Petite Martinique. This didn’t take much planning since its only 1 mile away. However it is part of the country of Grenada and not St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We were going there to shop for groceries and get an internet connection. The water was rough, the dingy docking didn’t look good, plus we could see the amazing anchorage at Petit St. Vincent we had just left. We turned around and headed back to where we had been. Groceries and the internet would have to wait.
30 Years Later
The Rago’s were very excited to sail to Petit St. Vincent, a small private island very close by. They had been here 30 years ago with their 2 kids Alexis and Vincent. A few years later they came back and stayed with Virginia’s parents. The island is a private resort with 22 upscale cottages sprinkled around the 120 acres. Outside each cottage is a flag pole with 2 flags. If you hoist the yellow it means you need some kind of service, the red flag means stay away. When Vincent married Jana they also returned there for their honeymoon. Jana- I hear they want you to come back for your 25th anniversary!
The boat boys are everywhere and they start to swarm as soon as a new boat pulls in. They sell ice, freshly caught fish, bread, t-shirts, jewelry, fruits and vegetables. There is “boat boy etiquette” here. Always be friendly, take a peek, buy something or else tell them maybe tomorrow. Giving them a beer or some batteries is always appreciated. They’re usually a hoot too. I’ve put some other photos of them in “The Grenadines”. Make sure to click on the photos in case there are details and to see the pictures bigger.
Iguana
A mile away from Mayreau is the small group of islands called Tobago Cays. Phil, Al & Virginia went ashore to the different islands to hike where they were met by many iguanas. They were about 2 ½ feet and would hang out in the trees and eat the leaves. At one place they walked into two of them that were engaged in a battle. Not sure what the battle was over- maybe a cute female.
Boaters love Tobago since it is surrounded by reefs and has a very sandy bottom to anchor in. It is a marine park that is home to many turtles. They would surface all around the boat just long enough for you to turn your camera on and then they were gone. We stayed 3 nights but you could spend a very long time there snorkeling, wind surfing, watching the kite surfers, all surrounded by warm turquoise water. The cruise ships can’t make it inside so it was all the more private.
We stayed anchored in Mayreau for 2 nights while the winds gusted. We went ashore and walked along the beach long enough for Phil to make one of his world famous sailboats. He makes a small sailboat out of the scraps he finds along the beach and then sets it free. This one was the best ever. He had yellow fan coral as the sail, a coconut shell for the hull, flat stones for the keel and rudder, and finally an urchin shell for the cabin. He wanted to launch it right there but my camera was back at the boat. After awhile he gave in and decided to send it on its way from Souverain so I could get a picture of it. Jumping back into the dingy his foot came down crashing on top of it. He was not a happy camper- or sailor. Back at the boat he repaired it, but half of it was gone and it never was restored to its former glory, however he did launch it and it sailed away. Philip, Ford and Clay, you would have loved this one!
We spent the day sailing from Mustique to the next anchorage. The winds we’re supposed to be up tonight so we we’re looking for a protected nook to pull into for the night. Sailing downwind we only had the main up most of the time. We checked out a lot of anchorages but they were all rolly. Just one look at the top of the masts of the anchored boats told us these were not good places. The masts were flying back and forth dramatically with every wave. When it came time to take the main down it was stuck. We could let more main out but not bring it in. Phil had the manual wrench in one hand and the WD 40 in the other. Fortunately the WD 40 worked and he was able to get the mainsail in, -one more item for the repair list. The good news of the day was when we came around the corner of Mayreau we found the perfect anchorage for the night. The fish were even jumping in front of the boat. From Souverain we can see Carriacou, Union Island, Tabago Cays and Grenada in the distance.
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