Grenada - Cariacou - Bequia - St. Vincent

We left Grenada on Sunday morning to pick up some guests in St. Vincent. We had checked the weather and it was suppose to be pretty calm and good wind, so it should have been an easy sail. We had booked ourselves into the Prickley Bay Marina to get some fuel, but someone was faster than us and had occupied the fuel dock over night and was refusing to leave for another couple of hours. We did not have the time to wait around that long, so we decided to go to fuel up in Port Louis. Luck was on our side, when we discovered that the fuel was cheaper there, which saved us lots of money. Just before lunch time we were ready to make our way to Cariacou, where we would stay for the night, before heading to Bequia the next day. Pick up point for our guests was Young Island in St. Vincent, which was only a few miles further up north and would only take an hour to get there.
Once we got out of the harbor we had once again realized that you cannot even trust the weather reports and that you have to be prepared for a rough ride all the times. Luckily we have got a captain that does not get seasick and always knows what he is doing. While our JUCA was pouncing through the waves and rough seas, the kids and I were lying seasick in the Master bedroom. Luckily I had prepared everything else pretty well, but I forgot to close the hatches properly so we took in a bit of water from all sides. I finally managed to secure and close everything, before lying down and observing my breathing and trying to calm down my stomach. After a couple of hours the worse was behind us and we could already see Cariacou. It is always a miracle to me how quickly my system recovers as soon as the waters calm down. We discovered a great Pizza place (yes they do have great Pizza at the end of the world), and thereafter settled down for a quiet and early evening.
The next morning we left the anchorage early to get to Bequia in a decent time to stock up a bit on ice and fresh fruit and vegetables, doing the last preparation for welcoming our guests and for Julia and Carlos to have a play with their friend Luana on SV “Shaitan”. We had the most beautiful sail you can imagine, dream wind from the right direction and blue sky. We saw some dolphins and this experience compared to yesterday shows us the duality of life very clear. By lunch time we arrive in Bequia and settled down in beautiful, crystal clear water. We were greeted by Louana and Iris with a warm welcome and the kids are happy to have each other again. While the kids are playing and jumping in and out of the water I get ready. I have to admit I am a bit worried about all the cooking and having to serve eight people on the boat, but nothing what a bit of Reiki and Pranayama can’t fix and I tune into the next week of spoiling guests on our JUCA.
We left early in the morning and arrived in time in Young Island. We had to wait for an hour before we finally greeted our guests David, Emina, Sally and Jasmine on Board. It is an absolute delight to meet the family the girls are friendly and open and there is an instant connection between the children. We secure our dinghy and tie off the mooring ball and heading towards open water and our first destination on this trip; Bequia. We have got the perfect sailing weather with dream winds and calm sea, we even see lots of dolphins crossing our path. Admiral Bay is greeting us with blue sky and the water is not just crystal clear but also very calm. While I prepare lunch the kids and adults are enjoying a swim in the beautiful water. After lunch Julia, Carlos and I join the family for a trip to the turtle sanctuary and the whaling museum. We are appalled about the fact that the community on Bequia have got permission to catch Whales and still slaughtering four whales per season….how can that be possible that people are still so ignorant these days ? Nevertheless the drive through the country side is beautiful and represents the peaceful Island life of Bequia. Back on JUCA later that evening we are enjoying each other company and chatting till late into the night while the kids watch a movie.
The next day one part of the crew is going for a trip to the firefly plantation, while Sven and I do our chores….running the generator to make water, to cool our fridges down and to wash some towels and what else there is. I prepare lunch and tidy up the boat, so that we can leave the Bay of Bequia as soon as the rest is coming back from the land visit. The plan is to leave for the Tobago Keys by two in the afternoon.