We’ve spent the last few weeks meandering our way southwards to Grenada. The weather is now much calmer than on our northbound passage and this has given us the opportunity to visit spots that were too exposed for pleasant anchoring. From Tobago Cays we doubled back to Cannouan where we explored ashore. The tiny island appears to be split into three. The north is privately owned with billionaires’ resorts and residences, and the south is a lavish marina with private residences. The middle is populated by lovely Caribbeans. Wealthy benefactors have ensured the rebuilding of the island after Beryl – apparently $25 million was donated to replace all the roofs and damaged buildings and the schools are pristine. Perhaps this is why the streets are also unlittered and the locals incredibly friendly.
Whilst enjoying a great pizza and good Friday evening vibes we were bemused to have a film crew setting up all around us at the Pizza Train. Apparently filming an episode of ‘Below Deck Down Under’ starring ‘The Real Wives of Salt Lake City’ and featuring the super-yacht Katina, we beat a hasty retreat!
We headed off to Saline Bay on Mayreau where we had moored before. This time there were just four yachts in the bay and it definitely feels like the end of the sailing season. We headed to a favourite beach on the eastern size of the island only to find it was swamped with huge drifts of sargassum seaweed choking the bay. The huge mats of drifting weed have multiplied massively over the past decade due to warmer seas and fertiliser run-offs in South America. It’s a real problem for yachts crossing the ocean as it tangles around propellers and blocks engine water inlets. Now we could see what a massive problem it is for the islanders as their beautiful beaches are covered with smelly weed.
Returning to Merryn, we found that Katina had dropped anchor in the bay near us. We were entertained by all the activity as they ferried film equipment and props ashore for more filming. This time it wasn’t pizza with the locals but a lavish picnic on the beach where they had hung fairy lights on all the trees with a formal dining table beneath. Hmm…I’m almost tempted to watch an episode…not really!
We escaped the film set and headed down to Union Island and Clifton Bay. There we were moored just inside a long stretch of reef but again the Sargassum had created mayhem. Going ashore to check out of St Vincent and the Grenadines our dinghy was ‘beached’ in a dense mat of weed extending out 20m from the dock. We couldn’t use the outboard so had to drag ourselves towards the shore using a line. You definitely didn’t want to fall overboard, very smelly and full of rotting fish and vegetation 🙁
Still it was well worth the trips ashore. It was good to see that, over the past few months, a lot of progress has been made to clear up after Beryl and now many more houses were repaired and had new roofs. Nonetheless, there is still huge amount of clearing up to be done so we were glad to bring some business to the islanders. We found the lovely rebuilt hut at The Cove and the beautiful resort of Sparrows – white sand, turquoise water and an excellent lunch of locally smoked marlin and Tahitian fish salad.
Departing Union Island we headed to Paradise Beach on Carriacou where we checked in to Grenada. Again there were far fewer boats than when we were there before but one of them was Seabbatical. We rejoined our fellow Atlantic voyagers Sabine and Erich and their son and daughter-in-law for a fine feast at Paradise Beach Club.
We celebrated Jonathan’s birthday quietly aboard enjoying the spectacular bay and views over to Sandy Island before the short passage south east to Petite Martinique. Here we were the only visiting boat on the tiny un-touristed island that is home to mainly fishermen. The small community still has a lot of work ahead with many houses still without roofs. The devastation felt even more recent here than on the other islands as so much debris remained, along with a wrecked yacht on the beach and the destroyed dock. Despite this the fishing boats were brightly painted and bearing names filled with hope. Let’s hope that we can visit next year and that things will have improved.
