Social Carriacou & Petit Martinique Boats

Carriacou and Petit Martinique are the two inhabited islands north of Grenada, while Rhonde island is an uninhabited island just to the south of them, They have a much lower population than Grenada and many of the services come from Grenada.

Ronde Island

Halfway between Grenada and Carriacou is Ronde Island. This was a great anchorage to stop for the night and have a snorkel/dive. Chris and Rose on Ari were there ahead of us. The anchorage is a bit rolly but worth it for the scenery and clear water.

Carriacou

Sailing from Grenada north the first inhabited island that you reach is Carriacou. The southernmost harbor is Tyrell Bay which was full of yachts when we arrived and also many derelicts and wrecks. The island is renowned for its boatbuilding with its traditional Carriacou sloop easily recognizable around the Caribbean. When we first arrived we decided to stop gave a look then anchor outside at Lime Kiln Bay. There was only one other boat slightly south of us. Nev and I set off snorkelling and found our first flying gurnard amongst the seagrass and our first peacock flounder. We also found a nest of crayfish. We could not take these as it was locals only. Nev was limited to taking photos and he was so upset that he was shaking with the first few, but he gradually got an idea of how to get good photos, however, he really did not feel it was as much fun as catching them.

It has two very small marinas, several shops, and cafes.

Towards the end of our stay at Sandy island, we went for a dive with the local guys at the two sisters. The soft corals were huge and magnificent and it was one of the best dives we did in our cruising.

Sandy Bay and Paradise Beach Bar

Sandy Island was our first stop after Tyrell Bay. It is run by the park so there are moorings but you can still anchor on sandy patches – if you don’t like the look of the moorings. they still charge you for a night’s stay and snorkeling.

Opposite Sandy Island is Paradise Beach Club.https://www.facebook.com/p/Paradise-Beach-Club-Carriacou-100063786595743/ A really lively little bar and restaurant that has survived COVID-19 by running a great taxi service. Give them a call and they will come and collect you off the boat and deliver you home afterward. They have a painting night on Wednesdays – where you can paint the name of your boat on a piece of wood and it will be attached to the wall along with all the others. This has become so popular that they are now on some walls and all the external fences. They also have live music some nights and dancing if they can get the patrons up on the floor.

Neville felt that he had to get into the floor show as well and lend a hand!

Nev’s Birthday

We decided that since it was Nev’s birthday we would have a party at the Paradise beach bar but we had had a really good time there only two days before and we had been at Sandy island too long, so we looked around for a lovely bay. The wind was still blowing 20-25kts so we needed somewhere that was sheltered and had no swell. Well, off we went to Anse La Roche. A lovely bay at the northern end of Carriacou. It had a lovely Sandy beach and bar so we settled in for lunch and a siesta.

But then we heard from our friends that it would be too rolly at night for them in a monohull so we decided to go and hide behind Jack Aden’s Island. This is a tiny island north of Sandy island but it has a big reef and was very calm. Then we settled in for the night with Ari beside us and birthday dinner on the table.

Petit Martinique

We found a good anchorage close to town in amongst all the fishing boats. The boats were well looked after, painted many colours and so were the houses ashore. For a very small island, it was tidy, clean, and quiet. We were told to come back for their regatta later in the year.

The houses and buildings were tidy and painted in many colors. There were also some great little (tiny) beach bars along the beach and along the main road.

Fishing is the main industry of Petit Martinique followed by boat building and inter-island freight trading. Boats and the sea are in the blood of these people as it’s their livelihood.

After emancipation, several Scottish and Irish sailors and shipwrights migrated to Petit Martinique. Their skills were carefully observed and learned by the locals. It was also observed that fishing, boat building, and the cargo trade were far more lucrative than farming on the limited land available. Today boat building and fishing remain the main activities of Petite Martinique.

Boat building is a tradition on this island and they start building them when they are young men, and each builds their own boat.

Boat launching is special so there is a bit ceremony which you can read about at https://gov.gd/petite-martinique-most-unique-and-charming-tiny-island-seafaring-souls

The Piton Hill Walk

We decided we needed to get off the boat and go for a walk so off we went. We needed to get groceries so a short track on the way looked like a good idea – only 1.5 km so it should be easy. Unfortunately, it went steeply uphill and we hadn’t taken any water and, in my case, no hat so by the time we got to the top we were very hot and thirsty. But the view was worth it.

Mopion & Punaise

After leaving Petit Martinique it was off to Saint Vincent & the Grenadines. On the direct route, you pass two little sand banks called Mopion & Punaise so we had to go for a snorkel on these. Some of these photos are from Nev’s camera, and Neville features prominently as Man Friday!

The Queen Conch trade is still very strong in the islands where there are still some remaining but many of the fisheries have been completely destroyed. Unfortunately it is a big income for the fisherman and the government so although there have been meetings to try and restrict trade or legislate for limits they still have not worked. We saw several islands covered with conch shells all with a small hole where the flesh had been removed, it is not surprising the fishery has been destroyed.

After a lovely day spent snorkeling and diving there we then proceeded to Union Island part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.