St. Lucia and St. Vincent, Skipped for The Grenadines

Sailing past St. Lucia and St. Vincent, both islands look lush and in some areas such as the Pitons in St. Lucia, truly spectacular. While our travel buddies headed from Martinique to St. Lucia to reunite with Diane and Ken of Annie II, we skipped to Bequia (pronounced Beck-way). Customs and Immigration in St. Lucia would have presented some difficulty for us with Australian passports and also because we have Daisie Dog on board. We spent some time with Ken while Annie II was under tow by Spectra from Luperon to Puerto Rico and we were sad to miss the reunion.

Basil's Bar sits over the water at Mustique

A small section of Balinese carved ceiling at Basil's Bar. Unfortunately I was not able to climb over the other diners to get a better shot.

We rely on Noonsite for cruising safety and security reports. Unfortunately St. Vincent has a reputation for not doing what is necessary to protect the safety of cruisers on the mainland. There are so many wonderful places to visit that we don’t see any need to place ourselves or our boat in such areas.

Gingerbreads are a feature of Mustique architecture, as well as an abundance of Bali carvings, doors and garden sculpture. We wondered if we had crossed the Pacific!

The Grenadines includes Bequia, Union Island, Mustique, Canouan, Tobago Cays, and various other small islands. As July 1 and the forecast of unsettled weather approached, we moved through the area more quickly than we would have liked. These are the areas we’d like to return to with our sons when the hurricane season is passed.

The most expensive mooring ball in the world? At Mustique the moorings are $75US for 3 nights minimum.

Every island has it’s own unique character. Our favorites include Conception Island (one of the out islands in The Bahamas), Saba, Guadeloupe, Mustique and Tobago Cays. While mountainous islands and deep water anchorages are the norm in the Northern Caribbean, throughout The Grenadines we anchored or moored up close to reefs and sandy cays in crystal clear water, reminiscent of the gorgeous waters of The Bahamas. The Grenadines are spectacular for swimming and snorkeling straight over the side of the boat. We swam with turtles and so many kinds of fish we couldn’t count them all.

Tobago Cays mooring. A chance to swim with turtles.