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The New Palm Island Re$ort
Since the passing of John
Caldwell, the Palm Island Resort has been sold to new owners.
The first obvious difference is that yachties are now only
permitted to access a narrow strip of sand in front of the place.
We are no longer allowed to wander about the grounds,
although we can still leave money at the bar.
The second difference affects
those who stay at the resort, in the form of some very impressive
pricing. Guests now need to pack an extra suitcase to carry the cash
they will now need to stay here.
Bright Turquoise Waters of Petit
St. Vincent
I had only ventured to Petit St.
Vincent once before. I
remember a deep anchorage, not well protected, just off the
ultra-luxurious PSV Resort. The
Resort had one restaurant I could not afford and attack dogs
patrolling the grounds to make sure we did not venture past the 50
ft. of waterfront they allowed us to use. In other words, this was not the place for me, as I recall.
On the spur of the moment, I
suggested that we alter our plans and go back because I thought
Jeff and Silvia might want to see the resort, and perhaps spend a
week there some day. I had heard it was truly a unique experience.
The staff were kind enough to show one of the cottages.
While it was quite expensive, it was a much better value than the
new Palm Island Resort, in my opinion.
This trip, I anchored the boat
anchored much further west, in about 12 feet of crystal clear
water, with the bright white sand bottom that radiated a deep turquoise
color all around. At night, the overhead deck lights illuminated the water in
such a way that we could see the bottom.
It was absolutely spectacular, somewhat amazing given my
previous non-experience.
Petit Martinique
Petit Martinique is a small island
in the Grenadine chain just a short dinghy ride from PSV,
belonging to the country of Grenada.
I had never been there because it had never been advertised
as popular destination, and the Customs formalities required to
get there was too time consuming. To
visit legally, you have to clear out of Customs in Union, sail
over to Hillsborough to clear in to Grenada, then sail around back
to Petit Martinique. To
leave, you must then perform the reverse.
I think not.
I have heard that many simply
ignore regulations. I
did just that, got into my dinghy, and zipped across the channel
that is only a mile or so wide.
I did not go ashore, so I did not technically violate
international treaty and cannot be considered a fugitive at large.
Looking ashore from the dinghy,
this island reminded me more of Carriacou than any of the Grenadine
islands belonging to St. Vincent.
There was a large fishing vessel under construction on the
beach, beside a number of very sleek-looking racing boats. I have
been told that the locals have perfected their designs to such a
point that these boats are as competitive as high-tech
computer-designed boats built of exotic composites.
Looking at the shape of these boats, that statement could be
accurate.
Return to Gilligan’s Island
I have only been to the Mopion
Sandbank once. Basically,
once you’ve had your photo taken beside the thatched hut,
there’s really not much reason to return, or so I thought.
I previously dinghied over from
PSV on my one and only visit.
This time, I wanted to take the boat and anchor. It
would be a new experience, and that was what this trip was all
about.
It was great to see the
expressions on everybody’s face when we finally landed on the
island. They had
never seen anything like it; the lone thatched hut, the white sand, the turquoise
waters surrounding their own “deserted” (not desert) island. Cameras clicked feverishly.
I jogged one lap around the island just to say I did.
Door-to-Door Service!
The Tobago Cays anchorage is quite
windy. At night, because there are no inhabitants on the
islands, you really feel that you are on your own.
Preparing dinner can be a bit difficult, especially trying
to operate a barbecue in total darkness on the stern of your boat
in 25 knots of breeze. I
have never really enjoyed this aspect of the Cays, especially
trying to fit monster lobsters on a barbecue designed for the inside
of a dollhouse.
I would have none of this, so I arranged for Yellow Man to bring lobsters
that were already cooked. My
micro-barbecue would stay comfortably tucked away in its locker,
and I would sit comfortably in the cockpit, nursing a Rummer.
Yellow Man promised to grill the
lobsters and deliver them to our door on Tobago Cays for 7 PM.
At 5 PM, the weather turned cold and nasty as several heavy
thunderstorms rolled through.
Great, I thought, it’s windy, we’re all alone out here,
and now it’s wet and cold.
I was worried that Yellow Man would pack it in and leave us
to fight over the lone box of Kraft Dinner.
 At 7 PM, delivery time, I was
really getting worried, as I had not been able to radio him.
It was dark. How would he find us? Five minutes later, I heard a motorboat off in the distance
– it was Yellow! As
promised, he delivered 5 monster lobsters in a box.
Absolutely spectacular, these critters were piping hot,
grilled to perfection, and topped with garlic butter.
I must admit that I was real impressed with the Yellow Man
and his lobster delivery business. I will make use of this
service in the future.
The Windward Side of Baradal,
Tobago Cays
Anchoring on the northeast side of
Baradal, between the island and the horseshoe reef, is something
I’ve always wanted to do. The Tobago Cays can be quite unpleasant if the weather is a
little off, and anchoring outside the protection of Baradal only
adds to that discomfort. Each
time I’ve been there, I’ve decided against it, for one reason
or another.
 This time, we were only back for a
few hours to snorkel in the reef before moving on to Bequia. I put the hook down northeast of Baradal, only a few hundred
yards from the horseshoe reef, in about 12 feet of water.
The water radiated bright turquoise in the shallow depths
of the white sand bottom. It
was like a swimming pool for as far as the eye could see.
There were no other boats near us, and it was not nearly as windy or rough as I expected.
What a terrific experience!
I will definitely anchor here next time, no matter what the
weather conditions.
Bequia? “You Can’t Get There
From Here”
The day anchor on Tobago Cays
meant a late departure for Bequia.
It has never taken more than 4 hours to sail from Mayreau
to Bequia, so when we left, I anticipated we would be in Bequia by
5:30 PM at the latest.
We rounded Canouan in good time
and headed for West Cay, although I did try to gain as much
windward distance as possible.
In the past, I have seen numerous boats sail real high
(almost towards Mustique) and later reach down to shoot past us,
beating us to Bequia by over an hour.
I did not firmly insist on this plan because it would have
meant motorsailing, and my crew had a real aversion to the diesel.
I should have overruled.
As we approached West Cay, the
westernmost point of Bequia, we experienced a severe header as the
wind and current picked up significantly.
Our VMG to West Cay was practically zero as a result, and
the GPS calculated our ETA as “never.”
I regretted not being more firm about sailing a more
easterly course earlier.
I was not comfortable with an
after-dark arrival in a busy harbor with hundreds of unlit boats
on moorings. Jeff and
I began to take steps to overcome this potential problem.
We motored directly into the wind, we sailed high, we
reached off, we motorsailed.
None of these attempts improved our VMG.
We finally settled on a strategy that used full sail and
lots of tacking, maximizing our VMG, trying to stay out of the
current. After three
hours of this nonsense, we finally arrived in the harbor. It
was 7 PM and pitch dark. I had never experienced this much difficulty trying to get to Bequia
before. The thought “you can’t get there from here” kept flashing
through my mind the whole time.
I was in no mood to try to
navigate through the obstacles, so I headed the boat to the
anchorage at Tony Gibbons Beach.
I was familiar with it and could be sure we would not hit
anything. Then I
raised African Pride on the VHF and arranged for him to
escort us to one of his moorings right in front off the
Frangipani.
This trip would have only been
long and tiring had we not left so late.
Because of the added pressure of trying to arrive before
dark, it created unnecessary tension.
Most significant, we missed Happy Hour at the Frangipani.
Other cruisers we spoke with had
the same difficulties that day. We were not alone. Two things that will remain firmly
embedded in my mind as a result of this inconvenient experience:
- Never leave for Bequia from
Mayreau later than 10 AM.
- Always
sail a more easterly course (almost grazing Petit Canouan)
after clearing Canouan, even if it involves motoring or
motorsailing – it will pay off later as you approach Bequia and have
to cope with the increased wind, current, and backing wind
direction.
The Bequia Circuit
If you are socially-minded and are
looking for fresh ears to listen to your stories, you will have to
seek out establishments that have lots of sailors.
This requires more skill in The Grenadines because only a
few places are “happening”, most are not.
There is a reason for this, and once you unlock the
mystery, you will never miss a good time.
In Bequia, there is a concept
called “the circuit”, which means that on a particular day,
one bar is favored because of a Happy Hour, a
jump-up, or some special entertainment.
At this time, everybody on the entire island will be
crammed into one place, while every other place will be totally
empty. The trick is
to ask a local to tell you what is happening, and where.
Map out your “circuit”, and have a good time.
I
have always believed that the restaurant at the Gingerbread fell
into the very high priced category, and that it was stuffy and
pretentious, a place ideally suited for those between the ages of
retired and deceased. Nothing
could be farther from the truth.
On this trip, our party, which had grown to 10, was accommodated in one
corner of the restaurant and we very well taken care of.
We enjoyed a magnificent meal at a very reasonable price.
Including wine and drinks, we dined and entertained
ourselves for $100 EC per person.
A local vocal band, Ferrin, played for several hours,
and they were excellent. I
would definitely recommend placing the Gingerbread on the “must
do” list for future trips.
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