RoRC Soundings from the Islands

Carriacou's carnival held in February called Jou Ouve, Juve © RoRC Alastair Hill

"Last year I lent a hand to pull the boats onto the land, They've been lying there for nineteen months or more, And I wonder will they lie there evermore".

These few lines from one of my favourite Newfie songs by The Irish Descendants seem to resonate as we didn't get down to the Caribbean in the Fall of 2020, instead, we over-wintered here in Calgary. By the time we get back to our boat later this year, it will have been exactly nineteen months and two hurricane seasons later... here's hoping we do actually get down to the Caribbean this year!

So, continuing on the theme of where to sail in the Eastern Caribbean, this time I'm writing about passages southwards from St Lucia. Let's say you plan to arrive in the Caribbean on the ARC. After the usual compulsory stop in Martinique to provision, an overnight passage south can be made to Bequia. We usually depart St Anne in the late afternoon so we can see the fish traps off the south end of the island. Stay a few miles off St Lucia to keep out of the wind shadow, especially at the southern end, then approaching St Vincent the NE trades bend around the top end of the island and give you a fair angle to approach into Admiralty Bay in Bequia as the sun comes up.

From Bequia, there's a daily ferry service to Kingstown, St Vincent. If you want to stock up on island-grown produce, Kingstown has the best market in the Eastern Caribbean and is well worth a visit. You may be able to find Ugli fruit, it's a cross between orange and giant grapefruit and tastes great. "Oil down" is another local favourite, basically a meat and veg stew cooked in coconut milk. If that doesn't cure your hunger then there is always an endless variety of rotis to accompany a cold beer.

Heading on south, it's a day sail down to Carriacou with a lovely wind angle courtesy of the trades. This is one of our favourites and a special occasion on Carriacou is the carnival held in February called variously J'ouvert, Jou Ouve, Juve. This is a really unique Afro-Caribbean experience that starts well before dawn and mixes bacchanalian street dancing, oil-soaked, costume adorned helmet-toting locals, bizarre stick-fighting rituals between Shakespeare-quoting adversaries, (very) loud music and numerous marching bands throughout the day. It's really hard to describe but well worth experiencing! Go early and wear an old t-shirt and shorts in case you get oily. Drop anchor off Hillsborough so it's a quick dinghy ride to the town dock, or you could anchor in Tyrrel Bay and take the bus. If you anchor off Hillsborough you won't need an alarm clock as the thumping vibes will end your slumber, also the holding is coral rubble and not good for your chain, so if it's windy use Tyrrel Bay and take the bus.

The carnival this year was cancelled due to Covid, so Carnival 2022 will be extra special! Carriacou is friendly and welcoming, has some nice hiking and good scuba diving, especially in times of light winds when you can dive the small islets on the Atlantic side around the corner from Tyrrel Bay which offer some nice drift dives and more fish life thanks to the ocean current that is more noticeable there.

Here's hoping we will be reuniting up and down the islands with others come late 2021!

This article has been provided by the courtesy of Ocean Cruising Club.