 |
| SE coast of St Lucia |
With Rodney Bay being
at the northern end of St Lucia, and the international airport at
Hewanorra at the southern tip, we decided the best way to get from
one to the other was a hire car. The cost of the car for the day was
roughly equal to the taxi fare but provided much greater flexibility.
For the outward journey we crossed the island from west to east, as
far north as possible, just south of Castries the major port of the
island, and then on my return leg, a week later, we negotiated the
much more tortuous route across the south of the island and all the
way up the west coast. Both took us through astoundingly beautiful
countryside and provided some breathtaking views.
 |
| Departing Rodney Bay marina |
The funeral, for which
I had had to return to UK, all went off smoothly and exactly a week
later I was boarding my return flight to St Vincent, via British
Airways. After two more days in the marina, sorting out a few minor
repairs, it was time to move on; poor Christoph, my crew, had been
stuck onboard in the marina for 10 days!
On the 25
th
of May we motored out into Rodney Bay to anchor for the night and
then the next day, following lunch, we set sail for the anchorage at
Marigot Bay.
 |
| Departing Marigot Bay |
It was an easy 9 mile sail and despite the slightly
variable winds in the lee of St Lucia we made reasonable time
arriving at 1530. A quick recce of the inner part of the anchorage
revealed it to be full of moorings and rather noisy hence we chose to
anchor in the outer part with a dozen or so other craft.
Next day we took the
dinghy in to take a closer look at the inner area and to have a bite
of lunch ashore. Although very touristy it was nonetheless a pleasant
enough place, very picturesque and still displaying a degree of
original charm. It was not however a place we were tempted to stay
long term! By 1530 we were back onboard and shortly after we sailed
off the anchor towards the anchorage at Anse de Piton, one of the
landmark features of St Vincent and the feature after which the local
beer is named (must be good!).
 |
| The Pitons |
We ghosted into the anchorage, just as
the sun was setting, and were met by the usual collection of local
boat boys offering to find us a mooring; there were more moorings
vacant than there were full! Notwithstanding this we engaged a pair
of brothers who dutifully assisted us in picking up the mooring of
our choice for the princely sum of EC$20, i.e. £5. Although this
payment is totally optional, (i.e. it has nothing to do with the
mooring dues), it seemed like a way to repay their politeness,
support their initiative and contribute to the local economy.
 |
| Anchored under Petite Piton, St Lucia, in the rain! |
So
impressed were we with the surroundings of the Piton anchorage that
we decided to stay two days, enjoying the swimming and snorkelling in
the local waters. The smart hotel at the opposite end of the bay was
all but undetectable other than the boats on moorings lying off of
it.
Two days later, on the
morning of the 29
th of June, we motored the mile or so
from the Piton moorings into the bay at Soufriere in order that we
could do some re-victualling and get our clearance out of St Lucia.
 |
| Anchored under Petite Piton, St Lucia |
Again we were met by boat boys keen to assist with the choice of
mooring and guard the boat for us; at a price! The whole checking out
process was expeditiously completed by the most sociable and
efficient Customs Officer I have met so far; after which we were able
to enjoy a final morning in St Lucia, chatting to the locals and
sharing a beer or two before heading out for the 34 mile crossing to
St Vincent. The forecast was not great, 20kts gusting to 50kts but in
the event it was a much more sedate crossing; initially under double
reefed mainsail and No 2 genoa but finishing with the full mainsail
and No2.
 |
| Soufriere, St Lucia |
The only minor downside was the frequent torrential rain
showers but even they had their upside producing some splendid
rainbows. Sing-alongs to "Singing in the Rain" and "Somewhere over te rainbow" seemed to
suddenly become popular!
On arrival off St
Vincent we headed for the anchorage in the bay at Chateaubelair. Our
arrival was just as the sun was setting but notwithstanding the late
hour we were still met by the welcoming committee of boat boys in
small boats or on paddle boards (of sorts – mostly old
windsurfers!).
 |
| First view of St Vincent |
Within 15 minutes we were securely anchored at the
north end of the bay, close to the coast, in a well sheltered spot
recommended by the boys (another EC$10!), their services also
included advice on where to find Customs and Immigration and the
various shops and bars in town (not that there were many!). Given the
hour we decided to defer clearing in until the next day; however,
unbeknown to us our arrival had been spotted by the local Customs
official who, next day, took umbrage at our slow presentation of
ourselves at his waterside office. We were again escorted to his
office by a kid, but this one was of the goat variety, a delightfully
friendly goat apparently a pet of the locality.
 |
| Anchored in Chateaubelaire, St Vincent |
After some reading of
the local regulations (which of course you are expected to know
before you arrive in the country!) and much feather smoothing, we
were in. From here on all went well. We met up with a local who had
just returned home from 10 years service in the British Army and he
was a font of local knowledge, from where best to eat to the prices
of properties in the locality (Christoph was heart-struck on a
derelict school for sale in the village).
 |
| Christoph's dream house, Chateaubelaire |
Two days later we
reluctantly departed Chateaubelair bay, via the narrow gap between
Chateaubelair Island and the mainland of St Vincent. From here it was
a 4 mile sail to Cumberland Bay our next port of call. It was another
place to fall in love with. A tranquil bay with a quiet beach backed
by a few bars and restaurants; the local cricket ground was behind
the beach and a very small local shop up the hill.
 |
| Anchorage at Cumberland Bay |
What more could
one wish for? This time, because of the steep profile of the
shoreline we were constrained to anchor in 20m and tie back to the
palm trees on the shoreline. We had chosen the quieter southern end
of the bay. No problem, that is what boat boys are for!
 |
| Cricket match and anchorage at Cumberland Bay |
Another EC$20
but probably good value as it saved us swimming ashore onto a sea
urchin festooned foreshore. On day two in this idyllic place there
was to be a charity cricket match between St Vincent and Trinidad in
aid of the people of Dominica who are still struggling to recover
from the damage caused by hurricane Maria almost a year ago. It was
an interesting afternoon spent trying to explain the rules of cricket
to Christoph; he is Swiss and has never watched a game of cricket in
his life; let alone played the game! Trinidad won but given the
spirit in the ground that was almost an irrelevance!
 |
| Anchorage at Cumberland Bay |
On our final day we
opted to have a coffee ashore in what had become our favourite venue;
the “Rough and Rugged Bar”. As we said our goodbyes we were
presented by the lady owner with pineapples, one each, which I have
to say were the sweetest and most flavourful that I have ever tasted.
 |
| Rough & Rugged, Favourite bar at Cumberland Bay |
Thank you. On departure we headed south for one mile to Wallilabou
Bay, where some of the shore scenes of the Pirates of the Caribbean
were filmed. The difference could not have been more stark! We
motored into the bay, took a long look, and motored out again.
Commercial and unwelcoming are the two words that spring to mind!
From here we sailed south to Layou bay where we anchored for a late
lunch (and to grab some free Wi-Fi for weather forecasts) before
moving on again to the deserted bay at Petit Byahaut.
 |
| Anchored in Petit Byahaut |
This anchorage
is small, enough for two boats at maximum, but we had it to
ourselves. There is no road access but behind the sandy beach are the
remains of an old campsite which we later found out was established
by a German group who ran it for several years before it folded, only
to be taken over by some Americans who also finally gave it up five
years ago; it is now all but reclaimed by nature and not much
remains. The anchorage however is delightful and we again spent two
days anchored in this idyllic spot before heading for our last stop
on the main island of St Vincent, Young Island anchorage.
 |
| Lost campsite at Petit Byahaut |
Young Island anchorage
is the nearest pleasant anchorage to the capital of St Vincent,
Kingstown. Although anchoring in Kingstown Bay is possible it is far
from welcoming with extensive commercial traffic and little space
available. We gave it a miss! As we approached the anchorage we
called the local agent,“Charlie Tango”, on VHF Ch68 and arranged
a mooring for the two days we wanted to spend there. Our plan was to
spend day one visiting Kingstown and doing various bits of
administration (like getting a St Vincent data SIM card – a process
which alone took over an hour and a half!) and re-victualling. Day
two was to be a conducted tour of the East Coast of the island guided
by Jimmy, Charlie's son.
 |
| The moorings and anchorage off Young Island |
With”Sparrow”, one
of their employees, providing the water taxi service and Jimmy acting
as driver it was to be a day of sitting back and letting the others
do the work. Jimmy took us the length of the east coast of St Vincent
pointing out all of the notable places en route. We covered
everything from lava flows (now used as a source of sand and building
material), to natural salt pans and tunnels cut by hand of slaves to
facilitate export of molasses. It was fascinating to see all of these
sights first hand and by virtue of Jimmy being mixed race, (his
father is Portuguese) we were able to have a frank and open
discussion on the wrongs of slavery. Jimmy had not realised that many
more slaves were transported to Arabia than were shipped to the
Americas, the difference being that those male slaves, unlucky enough
to be transported east, were almost without exception deprived of
their manhood and thus there were virtually no descendants. That said
slavery in any form should have been seen as abhorrent from the
start, most especially amongst the various religions who gave it
their support.
 |
| Black Point tunnel, built by hand to aid export of molasses |
Our journey with Jimmy
also took us across the central southern part of the island known as
the “Breadbasket of St Vincent”. The Vigle Highway weaves through
villages with names such as Mesopotamia, Evesham, Belmont and
Ashburton and indeed in many ways it reminded you of the beautiful
valleys of Dartmoor with the river coursing through the valley
bottom, only the vegetation was different. By 1600 we were back at
the jetty and, after a swift beer at the adjacent bar, Sparrow
ferried us back onboard. He is a treasure; next morning he arrived at
0900 with a bag of ice to send us on our way.
 |
| Kurukulla at Port Elizabeth, Bequia (aka Bekway) |
At 0945 we motored off
the mooring and set sail for the island of Bequia (pronounced
Beckway) our first port of call in the St Vincent Grenadines. By 1400
we had sailed on to the anchor in Lower Bay, part of Admiralty Bay,
which contains the only town, Port Elizabeth. Here we were to stay
for 6 days enjoying the peaceful surroundings and sitting out some
rather unwelcome strong winds from the east. Bequia is a small
island, some 7 square miles in area; the people are delightful and
our welcome was warm.
 |
| Princess Margaret Bay, Bequia |
We twice “hit the town” for provisions and
once went for a walk to the east side of the island to look at
Friendship Bay to see if it was tenable as our next anchorage, a walk
which saved us a wasted voyage, it was far from tenable in the
prevailing conditions. On day 7, early in the morning, we summoned
the water barge to top us up and then set sail southwards to visit
our next island, Mustique.
Mustique was the
favourite retreat of the late Princess Margaret and as you approach
the only anchorage allowed on the island you can see why. Manicured
lawns right down to the white sand beaches; this combined with well
laid out moorings and a small ferry slipway. That said it is
certainly not for those without deep pockets. The charge for a
mooring was by boat length, with a minimum charge of EC$220 (£50)
per day for a boat of 70ft (22m) in length, only later did we
discover that this charge allows you a further two “free” days on
the mooring!
 |
| Arriving Mustique |
After a slightly heated debate with the mooring master
as to how to tie a mono-hull to a mooring without the very smart
stainless steel fittings on top of the buoy gouging lumps out of the
side of the hull we finally agreed that we could take moorings head
and stern which had the added advantage of holding us bows on to the
slight swell entering the bay. The Mustique Company, being the owners
of this private island, control very tightly the access allowed to
non residents. The foreshore of Britannia Bay (the permitted
anchorage) and a small area to the north accommodating the “village”
of Lovell are the only areas where free access is permitted , that is
provided you pay your EC$40 (£10) per head landing fee at the
office. The beach bar was closed (out of season) and the organised
tours of the rest of the island were similarly not running. Given
that none of the facilities were available (other than a workers bar
and local shop in the village) we decided not to set foot ashore but
to enjoy the views of the island from the anchorage which we did, for
three days!
 |
| Charlestown, Canouan |
From Mustique it was on
to Canouan, another small island 14 miles to the south west; an easy
sail in the prevailing easterly winds. We departed at 0915 and by
midday we were securely on a mooring in the northern end of
Charlestown Bay. John, of John's Marine Services, rapidly appeared to
collect his EC$50 (£13) per night, we opted for two nights. As an
island Canouan has only been “discovered” relatively lately and
it shows! There is a marked lack of planning control and the view
from seaward is far from pretty. On forays ashore we were later to
witness building sites everywhere (many apparently abandoned), much
unfinished infrastructure and languishing construction machinery left
to rust.
 |
| Coconut Bar, Charlestown Bay, Canouan |
All of that said, the people were lovely and we spent a very
enjoyable afternoon, in a locals bar, hearing all of their woes over
the degree of control their government had given the companies
building the resorts on the island, they were not happy! We also
chose to dine ashore at a local restaurant; our first tasting of
Conch, the local delicacy. Judging by the mountains of conch shells
on almost every beach there is certainly no shortage! We also enjoyed
several rum punches at the Coconut beachside bar during our stay and
I even ended up being challenged to a billiards match, in another
local bar late one evening; I lost two frames to one...not bad!
On our day of departure
we headed into the village for some fresh victuals and a final look
around before heading out of Charlestown Bay and up the coast a mile
to the anchorage at Rameau Bay. Here we spent the afternoon but poor
holding, increasing amounts of cloud and with thunder storms
threatening we made the decision to return to the more secure
surroundings of Charlestown Bay, just as night fell. A good
decision! The night was horrid, rain, wind and thunder. Moving onto a
buoy again saved the necessity of anchor watches and a disturbed
night.
 |
| Tobago Cays |
Next morning we were underway early, well 0900, heading for
Tobago Cays, the most famous sailing grounds in this part of the
Caribbean.
The Cays are a group of
islands almost surrounded by a protecting coral reef. The passage in
is shallow in places but not difficult to navigate; wonders of GPS!
We sailed most of the way in, opting for the engine for the final
entrance into the strait between Petit Bateau and Petit Rameau, where
we picked up one of the Marine Park moorings. As ever we were
approached by a succession of “boat boys” trying to sell
everything from beach BBQs to 'T' shirts via ice and marijuana! We
declined all but the ice.. Moorings were a reasonable EC$65 (~£16)
per night, which included the park entry fee for two people. The
snorkelling was fantastic, multitudes of fish from the many brightly
coloured varieties in and around the coral, to medium sized rays on
the bottom and even the occasional shark (fortunately only about 4'
long). In addition we had several encounters with a turtle which
seemed to loiter in the same area as the mooring we had chosen.
 |
| Kurukulla anchored in Tobago Cays |
All
magical! On day two we decided to take a wander ashore on Petit
Bateau and from there to get a better view of the rest of the Cays,
again spectacular views looking out into the Atlantic over the reefs
surrounding the Cays.
On the morning of day
three we set off on a circumnavigation of the island called Petit
Bateau followed by a leisurely sail, downwind, under genoa alone, to
the island of Mayreau, the most westerly of the islands and by far
the largest. Here we picked up a mooring in Salt Whistle Bay, the
most northerly bay of the island, amongst a dozen other boats, and
settled for a quiet afternoon; somehow,
 |
| Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau |
in the process, we also
accepted an offer of a booking for dinner at the beach restaurant run
by the family of Alex, the boat boy who had assisted us onto the
mooring (whether we wanted help or not!). Dinner was simple but fine,
choice of fish or ribs with potatoes, rice and coleslaw all washed
down with Hairoun, the local beer, EC$65 (£17/US$26) per head.
 |
| Today's catch, Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau |
In the afternoon of the
following day we set off for the one and a half mile sail to the most
southerly bay on the island, (the island is not large!) and anchored
in Saline Bay 75m off a most wonderful white sand beach. Despite its
reputation as a BBQ venue for the cruise liners, (the beach is backed
by numerous tables, chairs and BBQ pits), were the only boat in the
bay for the first two hours before we were joined by a French
catamaran who anchored 50m away! The bay is only 1000m long.....
 |
| Saline Bay, Mayreau |
That
said by next morning we were one of five vessels anchored there so
it was not so bad and not a single cruise liner came in. In the
afternoon of day two we ventured ashore to get some victuals only to
discover the “supermarket” was closed from 1200 to 1600 thus it
was that we were forced to enjoy a beer or two at the local bar
whilst sheltering from the torrential rain and waiting for the
supermarket to open; the afternoon did not go quite as we had
planned!
 |
| Bob Righteous' restaurant |
The next day, Sunday,
was not dissimilar. Late start, quiet morning followed by a midday
walk to the highest summit of Mayreau, to get another spectacular
view the Cays and a look at the local Catholic church which has
considerable history behind it. It was not only built as a church but
also included water catchment such that it was the source of running
water for much of the population in the village; all the project of
Father Divonne, a reclusive character who eventually retired to St
Vincent but is now sadly deceased.
 |
| Catholic Church of Mayreau |
The walk was followed by an
excellent fish lunch at Bob Righteous' restaurant, an eclectic venue
serving very good food! Once back onboard we decided that we would
depart late the next morning but “the best laid plans”!
Two of the residents of
Mayreau asked whether they could hitch a lift to Union Island with us
to which we said yes; what we did not realise at the time was that
this involved towing their boat across as well! Thus it was that we
sailed off the anchor at 1400, boat in tow, heading for Clifton
anchorage on Union Island.
 |
| En route Mayreau - Union Island - with guests and boat in tow! |
By 1445 we were secured to a mooring in
the inner anchorage at Clifton, half an hour later we were ashore
enjoying a beer or two at the “Stress Out Bar” with our new found
friends before they took us on a walking tour of the island over to
the only other village of significance, Ashton. As you approach
Ashton you overlook the remains of an enormous marina development
which has never been completed . One wonders what the income earning
potential of a large marina might have done for the lifestyle of the
local people; sadly it is now mostly in ruins and only provides an
anchorage for passing yachts, just inside Frigate Island.
 |
| The redundant marina project and Ashton town |
By 1900
night was falling and so we jumped aboard a local minibus/taxi to get
back to Clifton. Here we enjoyed another beer before the four of us
returned onboard for supper. Having enjoyed their sail across with us
so much they now wanted to stay with us for the sail to Chatham Bay
the next day!
Before we could depart
next morning it was another trip ashore, this time to check us out of
the St Vincent Grenadines and to get some victuals. We set off for
Chatham Bay at midday arriving at 1330; it was a fast reach round the
south side of Union Island but a slow windless beat into Chatham
itself, not helped by the fact that we were still towing our guests'
boat.
 |
| Chatham Bay, Union Island |
It was from here that they took their leave and headed back to
Mayreau leaving us to enjoy the solitude of Chatham. We were one of
only four boats in a large, tranquil, sandy bay. Our stay overnight
was probably illegal given that we had already checked out of St
Vincent but no one seemed interested!
At 1400 the next day we
sailed off the anchor heading for our first island in the Grenada
Grenadines, Carriacou; 10 miles away on an easy beam reach. Although
Hillsborough is the capital and the most obvious place to check
in/out it can be a somewhat uncomfortable anchorage and for this
reason we chose to head for Tyrell bay, an alternative outpost of the
Immigration and Customs authorities.
 |
| Tyrell Bay, Carriacou, Grenadines |
On arrival it was obvious we
were not the only ones to have made this choice. The bay was full of
anchored boats! We wove our way in, under sail, and dropped anchor as
close to the Tyrell Bay Boatyard as we could get to make the transits
to and from the authorities as easy as possible. Here we stayed for
three days; not that we needed that long to check in but the stay
enabled us to avoid a spell of strong winds forecast to pass through.
By the 30
th
of June we were ready to depart and, if I am honest, Carriacou had
little to tempt you to stay other than a very secure anchorage.
 |
| Sunset at Halifax Harbour, Grenada |
Perhaps we were just getting island fatigue? At midday we sailed off
the anchor and ghosted out of the anchorage easily clearing Tyrell
Bay and setting course for Halifax Harbour in Grenada (not so much a
harbour as a lovely deserted bay tarnished only by the three derelict
hulks lying in there). The anchorage here is picturesque to say the
least; tucked in the northern arm of the bay you have almost complete
solitude. One fishing boat on the beach and a small restaurant
perched on a rocky island protecting you from any swell. Fantastic.
The only downside, if it can be called that, is that at the head of
the bay, hidden from view by the lush growth, is the local rubbish
tip! We were unaware of it until I looked at Google Earth!
 |
| St George's Harbour with C&N Marina in distance |
After two days in this
idyllic spot it was time to move on. We needed water and were tempted
by the prospect of a road tour of the east side of Grenada. For this
reason we headed to St George's, the capital, and berthed in the very
smart, but underutilised, C&N Marina in the “Lagoon” there.
From here it was easy to walk into the centre of St George's (passing
the very hospitable yacht club bar en route). St George's is a very
picturesque town with many historic buildings spread along the
waterfront; a delight to meander through and in the process we
visited the chocolate museum and the local history museum, gaining a
rather better insight into the history of the island.
 |
| St George's, Grenada |
On day two we hired a
car and, after a trip to the local traffic police headquarters to get
a local driving permit (a form of tax on visitors who hire cars –
several of the islands do the same), we were off on a circular tour
of the southern half of the island. Our most northerly point was the
town of Grenville on the east coast; unlike St George's it did not
seem to be anything like as well organised or maintained; it was full
of local character nonetheless. Next morning we used the car to
re-victual from the local supermarket and to visit the local
chandlery to acquire a new windlass handheld control to replace the
one onboard which was beyond repair (more of this later).
 |
| St George's, Grenada |
By 1230 we
were ready to depart and headed the short distance out into Grande
Anse Bay to anchor there and spend the coming night. It was an ideal
opportunity to fit the new controller; however....... first problem
the socket fitted in the anchor locker of Kurukulla and the plug on
the controller did not match – answer simple cut the moulded on
plug off and fit the original plug to the new controller. Done! Now
test it – down works, up does not! Check with multimeter – wiring
all good but new unit defective. Having cut the moulded on plug off
of the new ($EC 600 - £160) unit I was certain it was going to be a
battle royal to get them to make a refund!
Thus it was that next day
we motored back into the lagoon and anchored 50m from the door of the
chandler. A short row ashore, leaving Christoph to mind Kurukulla,
and I was there. Did they have a second replacement – no they
didn't. Would I like a refund – yes I would, and that was it!
 |
| Departing St George's, Grenada |
They
could not have been more efficient or pleasant. Twenty minutes after
anchoring we were on our way back out again! This time destined for
Clarke's Court Bay on the south coast.
The passage to Clarke's
Court Bay was an easy beam reach until we rounded the SW corner of
Grenada but from there on it was wet and miserable, not only were we
beating to windward with a brisk wind and lumpy sea but we were also
drenched by frequent rain squalls as well. Two and a half hours and
16 miles later we arrived in Clarke's Court Bay, anchored at the
south end of Petite Calivigny Bay, and settled down for a well earned
cuppa! So pleasant was the anchorage that we opted to stay three
days and again missed some less than pleasant weather in the process.
 |
| St David's Harbour, Grenada |
Our next destination was St David's Harbour where we would be able to
register out of Grenada in preparation for the passage to Tobago. The
passage eastward from Clarke's Court to St David's was equally
unpleasant. We had set off in bright sunshine but that lasted only
until we had exited the bay, from here on it was a repeat of the
conditions on the previous passage; less than 5 miles took an hour
and 30 minutes motoring against a foul current and up wind (we needed
to charge the batteries – well that is my excuse for motoring!).
Our choice of St David's harbour was to give us the best starting
point for our passage to Tobago and by 1600 we were secured to a
buoy, drying out, and enjoying a cup of tea in the sunshine!
Typical....
In the previous three
months every boat we encountered who had been to Trinidad or Tobago
warned us of how difficult it was to deal with the Immigration and
Customs authorities there; for this reason I was determined to get
our departure from Grenada right. Our first foray ashore was to pay
our mooring dues to the Grenada Marine boatyard and to discover the
opening hours of the Customs and Immigration offices. Fortunately,
despite the advice in the pilot book which said that they were on
station Monday to Friday 9 – 4 we discovered that they were there
only two days per week, Tuesday and Thursday and mornings only. It
being Monday evening we had struck lucky! After a pair of Rum punches
we returned to Kurukulla and settled for the evening.
Next day, at 1000, we
rowed ashore again and headed for the Customs and Immigration office;
the Customs officer was there but no sign of the Immigration (Police)
Officer! It eventually transpired, after a lot of obfuscation, that
the Immigration Officer was absent, attending to one of his
“girlfriends”! The Customs Officer cleared us out and informed us
that he had contacted the Immigration Officer who would return in
about 30 mins. That done we took the opportunity to walk to the local
bakery, which we were assured was about half a mile away; what they
did not tell us was that it was a normal house with no signs outside;
hence we walked a further half mile beyond it before asking for
advice and being escorted back by a very helpful local. On arrival at
the “bakery” we discovered that the owner was away apparently
doing deliveries, and the premises were unoccupied and locked! We
returned to the boatyard bread-less and in less than good humour only
to find that the Immigration Officer had not returned and,
apparently, was not now answering his phone! He was obviously being
kept busy with other things! Given the situation the Customs Officer
did not want to “drop his mate in it” and so resorted to telling
us that he had cleared us out and that was enough, we could leave! I
was not happy with this and insisted that he at least stamp our
passports with the departure stamp to give us proof of legitimately
leaving. The necessary stamp was of course in the locked desk of the
Immigration side of the office! Realising that we were not just going
to disappear he had to think up another way of avoiding alerting his
mate's superiors to the unauthorised absence.
 |
| En route Chaguaramas |
Thus it was that he
delayed until past 1200 when his mate should have departed and then
telephoned from the bar where we were waiting (call not traceable
back to his office) and, unbeknown to us, anonymously informed the
Immigration Headquarters that there was a boat at Grenada Marine
urgently needing departure clearance. At that point he quickly
assured us that we were “Good to go” and departed. I had already
come to the conclusion that we would have to wait 48 hours to get
immigration clearance before departing, what I was not expecting was
the arrival of an Immigration Officer some 90 minutes later. He had
been despatched from the next office along the coast at Le Phare Bleu
marina, Calivigny, about 200m from our previous anchorage at Clark's
Court Bay! After some confusion we worked out that he had no idea
that we had been trying to clear out for four hours and we had no
idea why he had suddenly appeared out of the blue! Of course he had
no keys to the Immigration Office at Grenada Marine; it was not his
place of duty! The next question became who was going to pay his
overtime and travel bill! At this point Christoph was losing his cool
and I sent him on a short walk whilst I climbed into the Immigration
Officer's car and we headed back along the coast to his office where
the formalities were completed at a cost of $EC50, i.e. £14. He then
drove me back to Grenada Marine and we said our goodbyes hoping that
was the end of the saga but it was not; on clearing in at Tobago they
asked why, according to the stamps on our forms, we had cleared
Customs at one place but Immigration at another when departing
Grenada; fortunately they were amused by the explanation and pursued
it no further.
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| Charlotteville |
We were now three hours
late departing Grenada which in itself was not a problem but it did
mean we faced a stronger foul west going stream as we headed south
east from Grenada, hard on the wind and on Port tack. We were
steering 135° and made good 175° for the first 8 hours! This took
us more or less down the rhumb line connecting Grenada to western
Trinidad, exactly the area where Venezuelan pirates are known to
operate! For this reason, at nightfall, we did not put on navigation
lights and simply surged along at 5 – 6 knots in the pitch black;
exciting to say the least. As we drew south of Grenada the current
eased and we made a better direction such that when we arrived off
the coast of Tobago we were only 10 miles to leeward of our intended
destination at Charlotteville where we needed to clear in. Those 10
miles, against wind and current, took three hours but eventually, at
1500, we sailed on to the anchor in Man of War Bay, off
Charlotteville. It was time to do battle with the authorities once
again. We rapidly inflated the dinghy and set off ashore only to find
that both Immigration and Customs offices were locked shut. The
supposed opening times, without paying overtime fees (which in
Trinidad and Tobago go direct to the Officer concerned!), were 0900 –
1600, and they insist that you clear in on arrival irrespective of
time of day or night. That is on days other than World Cup semi final
days! The cleaner kindly informed us that she had already spoken to
both organisations on behalf of another crew and that we should
return tomorrow at 1000. There would be no one here until then!
Thus it was that we
returned again the next day. All of that said, and despite the
stories in the online pilot/guide of difficulty with officialdom,
both the Immigration and Customs Officers were charming, helpful and
efficient. It was the system they were forced to operate that
insisted that you fill in a total of 7 forms, mostly in
quadruplicate, in the process of entering their country; not their
fault! The Customs Officer also gave me a very friendly briefing on
how the tracking system works when in T&T waters. Due to the
threat level from Venezuelan pirates operating in T&T waters they
keep a very close eye on the movements of all pleasure craft and
their crews. This means that you have to be prepared to check in and
out of Trinidad and/or Tobago each time you move from one to the
other and have to submit a detailed cruising plan for the anchorages
you intend to visit before leaving any port of entry/exit. Dates of
checking in/out are declared at the previous visit to Customs and are
non negotiable. It requires planning but it is not an impossible
constraint.
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| Bloody Bay, Tobago |
After discovering that
Charlotteville, the second town of Tobago, did not have a mobile
phone shop we decided to take a minibus/taxi south to Scarborough,
the capital of the island, where we expected to find either Digicel
or B-mobile. The hour plus drive south, along the length of the
island, was spectacular ($T&T16 = £1.80 per head). The main road
crosses the high ground separating west from east coasts before
heading south down the east coast. We dropped off in the centre of
the port area of Scarborough and here we asked at a kiosk advertising
Digicel “Top up” “where was the nearest Digicel shop”. We
discovered that it was not in Scarborough but in a shopping precinct
5 miles further west on the edge of the airport. Another taxi and we
were there. The process of buying the data SIM, discovering it did
not work in my Mi-Fi, procuring a new 4G dongle, and paying the bill
took two hours plus by which time we had seen enough of Scarborough
for one day; two taxis and an hour and a half later and we were back
in Charlotteville, arriving just as night fell.
 |
| Englishman's Bay |
After spending the
majority of the next day relaxing in Charlotteville we decided to
move, in the late afternoon, to Bloody Bay (named for the blood and
corpses that resulted from the British victory in battle over the
combined French/Spanish fleets in 1666). We arrived at 1730, anchored
off the beach and settled in. At 1900 the reportedly abandoned “Beach
Facility” came to life and for the next seven hours gave a
demonstration of the power of their loudspeakers, setting our rigging
vibrating. Very enjoyable and considerate! Why music has to be at
deafening volume defeats me; perhaps I am just getting old!
Next morning we moved
on again, not wishing to risk another sleepless night. The next bay
we wanted to experience was Parlatuvier Bay, described in the pilot
as well sheltered and with a small village behind. The only problem
was that the entire anchorable part of the bay was full of small
boats on moorings leaving virtually no space for visitors.
 |
| Englishman's Bay |
We moved
on and settled for Englishman's Bay instead, a much better option; we
had the bay to ourselves stand-fast a small bar restaurant on the
beach. So delightful was this anchorage that we enjoyed two excellent
lunches ashore ($TT140 = £13 per head including 2 beers!) and spent
two nights there before regrettably having to move the two miles
along the coast to the next anchorage Castara Bay.
We arrived in Castara
Bay at 1700 and here again the shelter from the wind and swell was
good, and the surroundings very pleasant.
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| Castara, Tobago |
A small village behind the
beach promised the opportunity to top up on some victuals and that
was exactly what we did whilst taking a stroll ashore the next day.
We combined a leisurely lunch ashore, at the restaurant on the beach
(£20 for two including 4 beers!), with a mid afternoon stroll, a
visit to the supermarket and a late return onboard. Next morning
dawned to torrential rain showers interspersed with periods of
sunshine.
 |
| Castara, Tobago |
Choosing our moment to avoid the rain we upped anchor and
motored off to our next anchorage in Great Courtland Bay, some 6
miles away. In the absence of any wind it was to be a motor boat
excursion and we rolled heavily on our way down sea as we made ground
towards the western end of Tobago. We were now only three days away
from our officially declared departure date from Tobago.
Although it was a
pleasant enough anchorage there was not much at Great Courtland to
tempt you ashore and hence next morning we motored on again (in zero
wind) south westwards to Mount Irvine Bay, our next planned
anchorage.
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| Great Courtland Bay, Tobago |
On arrival we were met by a local fisherman who very
kindly indicated the best spot to anchor to avoid both the reef and
the swell; it was just to the east of the laid moorings. We again
took the opportunity to step ashore and eat at the “surfers
restaurant” before a short walk up the hill to the nearest
supermarket for some essentials (we had run out of beer!). Supper was
a light meal onboard followed by an early night and an 0730 start the
next day. We had to be in Store Bay and in a taxi to Scarborough
early in the morning. We were a day behind schedule checking out of
Tobago and, if needed, I wanted to convince them we had been in Store
Bay the night before!
 |
| Mount Irvine Bay, Tobago |
As it was the check out was extremely easy, the
Customs officer even changing our time of arrival in Store Bay from
1800 (as I had declared) to 1600 in order not to charge us overtime
for out of hours clearance! The fact it was now 1030 the next day and
in normal working hours seemed to have passed everyone by! By 1100 we
were back in a taxi and heading back to Store Bay with all the
paperwork stamped and signed. Once back onboard we moved the mile
distance to Pigeon Point, another of the picturesque anchorages in
Tobago, for our final night before setting off next morning at 0730.
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| Pidgeon Point, Tobago |
As planned we sailed
off the anchor at 0730 and headed for Grande Riviere Bay in Trinidad,
the nearest tenable anchorage on the north coast as you head west.
With the wind behind us at 10 – 15 kts we made good time and,
despite the dog leg needed to avoid Drew Bank, we arrived in Grande
Riviere at 1445. The bay is deep but totally open to the north, hence
the swell rolls in and it is difficult to find a comfortable
anchorage where you do not roll your heart out.
 |
| Grande Riviere Bay, Trinidad |
We opted for the east
side of the anchorage not far into the bay and tucked up as close to
the cliffs as we dared. This worked well until 2100 when the anchor
cable snagged around a rock and with each passing swell tried to pull
the bows under! After 20 minutes of manoeuvring in the darkness we
managed to unravel the tangle and move slightly further out into the
bay hoping to find clear sand to anchor on, we were lucky! The night
then passed without further complications.
 |
| La Vache Bay, Trinidad |
Next morning we set off
westwards again for the anchorage at La Vache Bay, 27 miles away.
This was a much better protected anchorage, albeit the anchorable
shelf at the edge of the bay was quite narrow. We anchored on the
east side, close in, and enjoyed a night in spectacular scenery. The
bay is stunningly beautiful and unspoilt.
After a slightly slower
start next day we motored out into the middle of the bay, hoisted
sails and set off through the gap between Saut Deau Island and Medne
Point.
 |
| Departing La Vache Bay, Trinidad |
From here it was a 17 mile sail to Chaguaramas, our final
destination and planned refuge for the hurricane season. The sail
through into the bay separating Trinidad from Venezuela was
spectacular and notwithstanding the quantity of industrial activity
going on in the vicinity of Chaguaramas it still felt welcoming as we
pulled into the Customs Dock to clear with Immigration and Customs
before moving across to our final resting place, Coral Cove Marina.
All was achieved without angst or incident!
 |
| En route Chaguaramas |
The plan is now to
remain in or around Trinidad and Tobago until November when we will
set sail for the ABC Islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, where we
intend to spend Christmas. More blog articles when we leave Trinidad
…........
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| Chaguaramas, the shiprepair facilities in the approach. |
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| Kurukulla in Coral Cove Marina |
