The Pitons as we sailed away at dawn
The main street of Bequia
Admiralty Bay anchorage
Bequia waterfront
Dinghy dock in Bequia ("Sparkle", our dinghy, is the yellow one)The morning we left to sail to Bequia was peaceful and calm. The Pitons had a deep bluish tint in the early dawn sky and as the sun started to rise behind the mountains it cast bright gold rays behind the billowing clouds. It was an incredible sight. We had a long day ahead of us because we were passing the island of St. Vincent and heading straight to Bequia – a 10 hour sail. St. Vincent has a recent history of crimes against yachts so we decided to not take any chances.
As with many of our recent sailing days, this day brought us perfect wind and seas. When we were sailing in the lee of St. Vincent marveling at the beauty of the island, and commenting on what a shame it was that most of the yachts just pass it by, we spotted another large pod of dolphins heading in the opposite direction. The young dolphins were jumping completely out of the water! We tapped the side of the boat and about 10 or so came over and swam along with us for a short while. Before long they headed in the other direction to join their pod again. What a blessing!
We were excited to arrive in Admiralty Bay, Bequia since we had heard so many great things about it. But the next morning on the weather report we heard that a possible tropical storm was heading our way, so we knew we couldn’t stay long to explore. Hurricane season was definitely here, and tropical waves were already arriving every three or four days. Our time in the Grenadines was going to be limited this year!
We took the one day we had to go ashore and see what we could see, get a few groceries, and visit the fruit and veggie market. The market was a hoot! We got there and were immediately surrounded by the Rastafarians who have stalls there, and boy were they pressuring us to buy from them! We chose some tomatoes from one man and then others wanted to know what we were going to buy from them. Each one kept trying to steer us in the direction of their stall and then to their friend’s stall, telling us we needed to buy something from their friend. So, we bought one thing from each one…tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, and even a shopping bag made locally out of a chicken feed bag. By the time we escaped the market we were friends with them all!
Bequia is a tiny island, but there were tour bus/taxis everywhere. The competition was fierce. We wanted to visit the whaling village where it is still legal to take a whale, and the turtle sanctuary, but there was not enough time. Instead we wandered around the streets of the tiny main town past the schools, the cemetery, local restaurants and markets, while we shared the streets with goats, chickens, and dogs. What a quaint and peaceful village!
The next morning we sailed out sadly on our way to Union island for a quick stop-over, and made a promise to ourselves to spend more time in Bequia next year.
As with many of our recent sailing days, this day brought us perfect wind and seas. When we were sailing in the lee of St. Vincent marveling at the beauty of the island, and commenting on what a shame it was that most of the yachts just pass it by, we spotted another large pod of dolphins heading in the opposite direction. The young dolphins were jumping completely out of the water! We tapped the side of the boat and about 10 or so came over and swam along with us for a short while. Before long they headed in the other direction to join their pod again. What a blessing!
We were excited to arrive in Admiralty Bay, Bequia since we had heard so many great things about it. But the next morning on the weather report we heard that a possible tropical storm was heading our way, so we knew we couldn’t stay long to explore. Hurricane season was definitely here, and tropical waves were already arriving every three or four days. Our time in the Grenadines was going to be limited this year!
We took the one day we had to go ashore and see what we could see, get a few groceries, and visit the fruit and veggie market. The market was a hoot! We got there and were immediately surrounded by the Rastafarians who have stalls there, and boy were they pressuring us to buy from them! We chose some tomatoes from one man and then others wanted to know what we were going to buy from them. Each one kept trying to steer us in the direction of their stall and then to their friend’s stall, telling us we needed to buy something from their friend. So, we bought one thing from each one…tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, and even a shopping bag made locally out of a chicken feed bag. By the time we escaped the market we were friends with them all!
Bequia is a tiny island, but there were tour bus/taxis everywhere. The competition was fierce. We wanted to visit the whaling village where it is still legal to take a whale, and the turtle sanctuary, but there was not enough time. Instead we wandered around the streets of the tiny main town past the schools, the cemetery, local restaurants and markets, while we shared the streets with goats, chickens, and dogs. What a quaint and peaceful village!
The next morning we sailed out sadly on our way to Union island for a quick stop-over, and made a promise to ourselves to spend more time in Bequia next year.
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