Chillin' in the Grenadines - The Tobago Cays

We headed south from Bequia to the Tobago Cays.  It was a solid upwind sail with the warm trades blowing 18 knots. 

With a boat there is always something to fix and some things are more urgent than others. A few days previous, when we entered Bequia, our instruments started to fail. This was frustrating as everything, including the radar, was new last year. There were no electricians available in Bequia and although Roger spent a full day working on the instruments, trying all the suggestions the internet provided, he could not resuscitate them. Luckily we have two iPads with a charting application on them. Before GPS and electronic charting, we only had a paper chart and a compass. With just those basic tools, Roger and I navigated much of Georgian Bay for many summers. Roger's sea-faring father, old Johnny Walker, scoffed at all the fancy electronics Roger loaded on our racing boats. He would say; "A chart, parallel rules, a compass and the North Star are all you need".  Thus we did not let this electronic setback keep us in port. 

Tobago Cays is a unique anchorage.  It is a national park with 4 small uninhabited islands, surrounded by the Horseshoe Reef which creates a large relatively calm anchoring field.  Apparently we weren't the only ones wanting to spend Christmas week there.  When we arrived the 'entry way' to the marine park was jam packed, so we we had to dodge and weave our way through a maze of million dollar yachts, that were swinging back and forth in the wind and current, while keeping just far enough off the beach as to not go aground. Despite what Johnny Walker used to say about relying on electronics, a depth meter sure would have been handy at this point. From there, we headed out into the larger anchorage closer to the protected turtle area.  From this vantage point, it feels like there is nothing between you and the open ocean.  It is stunning to behold but it can be a little unnerving as the rain and wind squalls come blasting through. 

Turtles were constantly popping up their heads, so Pirate was kept very busy on bow watch.    I was even able to catch a quick video of one while we were snorkeling.

A local, Mr MandyMan, came out in his little boat to greet us as he had been in touch with African, the gentleman that had sold us on using his mooring ball back in Bequia. MandyMan wondered if we wanted to go ashore for a beach BBQ.  While lobster is popular, we put an order in for ribs and headed over to the 'dining area' just before sunset.  The hurricane also went through the Tobago Cays, so there were downed trees and the BBQ area, had only just been rebuilt. Between the heat of the Caribbean evening and the heat of the BBQs coals, the local chefs were truly earning their Eastern Caribbean dollars (EC's). Even with the setback from Beryl, there were lots of guests arriving for the BBQ that evening and despite the at capacity dining, we scored a prize table right on the beach. 

 

Beryl made landfall as a Cat 4 Hurricane July 1 in Carriacou, a Grenadian island just south of the Tobago Cays.  The local people all had stories about the hurricane. Most lost the roof to their homes, as well as many of their possessions. Our chef told us that it was absolutely frightening and all she had after the storm were the clothes on her back.  However, they are resilient and working hard to bring business back so we were happy to support them. Right after Beryl, many of our fellow cruisers banded together, loaded their boats up with clothing and supplies and sailed up to the worst hit islands to aid the locals in their time of need.

The next day, we took the dinghy to snorkel on Horseshoe Reef.   Pirate joined us on our excursion too. 

And as the sun set on another beautiful Caribbean day, the Walker's got some private beach time.