One More Island

Bequia

Continuing south we decided to skip St. Vincent and sail directly to Bequia (Beck-way), a small island in the Grenadines. The cruising guides had warned us about the passage between the islands. One said that the sea of white horses (whitecaps) was enough to send fear into the spin of even the most seasoned sailor. With that in mind, we reefed down and turned the corner toward Bequia. In usual fashion Berkeley East was up to the task, putting her bow down, accelerating to over 9 knots and pushing through the rough seas. As we approached Admiralty Bay, we were dodging north-bound boats when we spotted a small inflatable boat right in front of us. After some quick maneuverings to try and avoid a collision, we found out it was a photographer taking pictures. We managed not to run him over and in return, he got some great shots of Berkeley East under sail.

We found Bequia different than the Leeward and Northern Windward Islands. It is more of what people think a Caribbean island should look like, white sand beaches and a dry climate. The weather was really starting to turn, with the air warming and the winds moving to the south.

During our tour of the island we saw beautiful beaches and got a sense of life on the island. Bequia is a contrast, on one hand we saw locals trying to preserve the endangered turtles, but on the other hand some of the locals still hunt whales. We stopped at Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary, where Brother King is raising turtles and reintroducing them into the wild.

On the other end of the island, we saw the local whaling boats. Bequia is authorized to hunt up to four whales a year as long as they do it in the traditional way, in small sailing vessels using harpoons. While we were there they had killed a 60-foot humpback whale, but it sank as they did not get the mouth tied shut quick enough. What a tragedy.

While in Bequia, we sampled the local music scene and cuisine, with mixed results. The jump-up with a steel band at the Frangipan was a real disappointment, as where the margaritas at Tommy’s (we should have know the best margaritas in the island would not be up to par with those in Mexico). The reggae music at the Devil’s table was another story. Great music and a great crowd made for a very interesting night. And who would know that those slimy little flying fish could become one of the best sandwiches we’ve every had at the Salty Dog.

After visiting with some other cruisers, we decided that we must continue south rather than turn around in Bequia as planned. So we are off to Mustique. If this keeps up we will find ourselves in Venezuela soon!