Fakarava is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve site famous for its coral and diving on the North(Garuae) and South(Tetamanu) Passes. There was a warning on the charts and information to be careful as the dive boats operate in the pass. As we arrived in the morning at the north pass ( Garuae) to enter on slack tide we saw 5 dive boats at the entrance and not one of these were near the surfacing divers.

The north pass is wide and deep and larger ships and superyachts regular visitors. Currents of 5 or 6 knots however keep you on your toes with back eddies and little whirlpools.

We moved inside round to an anchorage right on the corner. Beautiful sand bottom and 5 other yachts there in the flat calm.

Information

The atoll is in the Pacific Ocean, part of the Tuamotu Archipelago, and holds UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status, alongside the atolls of Aratika, Kauehi, Niau, Raraka, Taiaro, and Toau. It spans 21km in width and 60km in length, making it the second-largest atoll in French Polynesia after Rangiroa.

Fakarava has a fascinating past. The Pōmare Dynasty originated here before ruling Tahiti.

European explorers first mentioned the atoll in the 19th century. Fakarava became a French territory, known for coconut oil production and mother-of-pearl trade.

Christianity arrived with a Catholic priest Honoré Laval leading to the construction of churches.The Rotoava church (blessed in 1850) and Tetamanu church (dating from 1874) stand as historical landmarks.

Anchoring

You are supposed to anchor in set areas so you do not destroy the coral but we found that the anchorages were not big enough for the number of yachts, and the buoy’s that should have been there in most cases weren’t.  When you anchor on the sand you are supposed to float your anchor so you do not get entangled in the bombies(coral heads) and do not damage them.

In order to achieve this you need suitable floats and of course these were available locally in the form of disused floats from the pearl farms which seemed wash up everywhere. However with our heavy anchor and 12mm chain the logistics of trying to float the chain as recommended was not so easy and we are still refining our technique and the quantity of floats required.

Rotoava

The next day we went to the anchorage outside Rotava, the largest and the northern town. We did not anchor in the designated area as there were to many boats already there so we anchored in the NE corner which is apparently for super yachts. There we found our Swiss friends Gerald and Bridget on Jetlag anchored alongside us. Having last seen them in Colombia nearly two years ago it was a great joy to see them. Lunch and a serious catchup was planned for the next day at Havaiki Lodge

The Town of Rotoava

We needed to go ashore to pay our tourist tax and garbage charge and had a short look around town. We found a small shop but discovered that fresh fruit and vegetables come in only once a week on Wednesday with the island trader. These are swiftly snapped up by the locals and cruising yachts. Tomorrow is Wednesday!

Fakarava Church Rotoava

The Fakarava Church is built from coral rock and cement and many of the internal fixtures are made locally.

As well as protestant services the Fakarava Church actively promotes environmental protection on Fakarava Island and in all of French Polynesia. Reverend Tekurio Temanu, the pastor of the church, is a fervent supporter of environmental preservation. He has advocated against overfishing, pollution, and other environmental problems that endanger the delicate ecosystem of the island. Reverend Temanu has also collaborated with local organizations to set up marine protected areas all around the island.

He received the Goldman Environmental Award, also known as the “Nobel Prize for the environment,” in 2010 for his diligent efforts to encourage environmental preservation on Fakarava Island and throughout French Polynesia. See more at https://farandawayadventures.com/fakarava-church/

Mururoa

Largely forgotten by the rest of the world the nuclear testing program at Mururoa and the environmental consequences still loom large in French Polynesian. With 193 tests, including 41 atmospheric tests, between 1966 and 1996. Most local Tahitians were exposed to high levels of radiation and have been affected with high incidences of cancers and birth defects linked to this. France still denies there is a problem and compensation has not been possible. There are multiple reports confirming the levels of exposure but the French government has continued to brush the problems under the carpet.

Read the excellent article in the Guardian in the link below which follows the history of fallout from the testing.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/09/france-has-underestimated-impact-of-nuclear-tests-in-french-polynesia-research-finds?CMP=share_btn_url

On the plus side France has poured huge amounts of money and infrastructure into French Polynesia since the 1960’s and continues to subsidise most of the activities. Consequently the islands enjoy good roads, wharf’s, airports and regular shipping and transport as well as electricity and water supplies. There is also a good healthcare system and education to tertiary level is available to everyone. This infrastructure is way beyond most of their neighbouring pacific countries.

As with most French territories fresh baguettes and croissants are available daily on larger islands. Additionally daily flights from Paris ensure the supermarkets are well stocked cheeses and other fresh food from France.

Lunch

Havaiki Lodge is a glorious spot for lunch with tables on the sand surrounded by beautiful blue water. Good food, cold drinks, good company and friendly staff, perfect. https://www.tahiti.com/hotels/havaiki-lodge-fakarava-6543

It was great to see Gerald and Brigette again and we enjoyed a leisurely lunch catching up on each others adventures over the past couple of years. Gerald, a fellow retired pilot, and Brigette have fallen in love with French Polynesia and have decided to stay here so are in the process of importing their boat (paying the taxes). As French speaking Swiss they have fitted right into the local community and have been able to give us some good information on how the place works.

We discovered they had a friend arriving on the same flight as our friends the next day so we organised a ride on the same bus and lovely leis for all of them. A very helpful local the others knew organised all this for us

Children and Sharks

Walking back from lunch we came across a local family who had been picnicing on the edge of the lagoon. Stopping for a chat we saw there were a number of sharks in the shallows which they happily ignored as they cleaned their BBQ gear and a 2 or 3 year old child played in the shallows right next to them.

The black tip sharks and sleeping(nurse) sharks are all around the Fakarava Lagoon and the children feed them, play with them and swim with them. It occured to us that sharks in the shallows in NZ would see everybody out of the water!

Diving the North Pass

The following day we decided to dive with Top Dive in the northern pass. Mark had blocked sinuses and did not come so Hew and I set off with a local dive company. Our adventures began half way across the lagoon when one of the outboard motors lost drive to the propellor so we continued on one engine only.

The first dive started in shallow water outside the entrance and we swam back through the pass slowly getting deeper as we crossed into the main channel. The current was running strongly by now and at one stage we had to crab across the current holding on to the bottom before letting go and flying downstream with the scenery rushing past.

After a break in on the beach inside the atoll we ventured out for our second dive starting outside again but initially deeper as were to make our way up into the shallower pass. The instruction was to descend to 28-30m where we would find the wall to start coming up to around 15-18m in the pass. However with the currents and a choppy sea state the boat had dropped us further out than planned and at 30m we could neither see the bottom or the wall with several of the group going to nearly 40m before realising the depth they were at. In the end we did all manage to swim to the wall but we were unimpressed with the dive operator both on the drop off and also diving deeper on our second dive which is not good practice – we would not reommend them as an operator.

Unfortunately no photos as teh gopro was not working and I had problems with the older camera as well. However there are many more photos and video links in this blog, and on the Kiwiflyingfish Youtube channelhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfFESL5kPhUAsarowPnnLXg

Supply Ship arrives

The supply ship comes once a week on Wednesdays (weather permitting) and takes about two hours to unload. Everyone waits for its arrival and the fresh food it brings. Apart from coconuts and fish everything is imported so there are all sorts of things coming off the ship from building materials, gas bottles, furniture and vehicles.

As the main event of the week there are lots of people waiting for the ship with their orders and also outside the grocery shops for the fresh fruit and vegetables. The fruit and vegetables are gone as soon as they hit the shelves, likewise imported cheeses and anything else perishable. Outside the shop are some enterprising locals who also sell locally grown melon on the same day. Interestingly frozen meat is always available – mainly because it is so expensive.

Photo

Visitors Arrive

Two days later Simon and Liz turned up and Hew was excited to see them with a collection of spare parts from New Zealand. As our first NZ visitors since Panama they had to bring an extra bag just for boat bits, such is the cost of coming to visit us in remote locations!

Unfortunately the day they arrived all the restaurants were closed so we decided that we would go back to the anchorage that we had first been at the northern entrance. It was late in the day and not much time to explore but lovely for a swim and a walk ashore on the beach.

Baguettes

The weather forecast was not looking great for the next week and with southerly winds forecast we needed to move to the southern end of the atoll and shelter from the sea state if not the wind. The atoll is so big that the forecast 25-30 knots winds would build up to 2.5m waves at the anchorage at the northern end.

A foraging expedition went ashore in search of essential supplies to get us through next few days. Returning with croissants, baguettes,wine and tonic water we were ready to head south.

Hirifa

Next day off to Hirifa in the southeast corner. The trip down takes 4 hours and since it was the first time we had to be on watch to keep an eye out for bombies even in the marked channel. The charts are better than Raroia but we felt we could not entirely trust them. Sailing down on a pleasant breeze we were joined by several other boats heading to the same destination.

We anchored in good holding amongst a fleet of boats seeking the same shelter. The wind was still out of the west so the anchorage remained a bit bumpy as we waited for it to go round to the south and increase. It was very windy and ideal for kite surfers, wing foilers etc but not great for peaceful cruising. We went ashore for a look around but neither the restaurant nor the kite surfing facility seemed open. A walk along the beach for some exercise and we chatted to various fellow cruisers also exploring what was on offer.

Gerald, Bridget and Vereana on Jetlag had said they were coming down but had branched off to Tetamanu. The photos looked great but unfortunately if you were not a kite surfer then it really was windy. By now it was blowing 20-30kts and the kite surfers were loving it.

Tetamanu

After talking to Bridget and Gerald we decided to go to Tetamanu and explore the South Pass. It was still just as windy but they said it was Ok sheltered behind the little islands. We found shelter behind the reef and decided to explore the famed South Pass.

Snorkelling Tetamana South Pass

The plan was to snorkel on the incoming tide so we got in the dingy and Hew said he would be boatman. Since this was Liz and Simons’s first experience with drift diving in a current and we hadn’t snorkelled here yet either we were excited about what we would find. Everyone snorkels on the incoming tide as it is clear with fresh incoming water from the open sea, on the slack tide it can be murky and an outgoing tide is just not a good idea! As the tidal changes are not very accurately forecast the cruisers all wait for the local operators to go out then leap in their dinghys and follow.

Starting out in shallow water out of the current we were surrounded by little black tip sharks and remora doing their thing. It was then off downstream in the current which increased as we swam downstream until we reached the shallows a few hundred meters. Lots of excitement with the swimmers so it was back upstream for a repeat performance.

Video:Tetamanu drift snorkelling https://youtu.be/vHN52l63g-k

The local dive operator was located in the South Pass with a 5 minute boat ride to the dive sites in the pass. Noting they seemed to have a bar and restaurant we enquired about a booking but as the pensions here were full of divers and could not serve any food to non-guests. Such are the issues of operating tourism ventures with irregular supply deliveries.

Tetamanu Village

The next day we dicided to have a look around the town while we were waiting for the tide and more snorkelling. The village is quite small but was once the capital of the Tuamotos.

There is a very pretty old church made from coral dating from 1874

Central Channel

As the weather had improved we decided to head north again this time up the central channel which is relatively well marked on the charts. This time we sailed on a genoa up the centre channel just behind Jetlag. This was a good ride with not many bombies until the last quarter when suddenly Jetlag veered at right angles in front of us as they had almost run into some pearl farm buoys. For the next 30 mins we saw many buoys in that section of the channel.

Back in Rotoava

Back up north we discovered that the restaurants were only open on Thursday to Sunday so no dinner out.

On Tuesday Liz, Simon, and Mark set off on a bike ride with Bridget and Vereana and then met up at Havaiki Lodge for lunch. The same restaurant we had dined in earlier. Hew was very excited to be able to complete some repairs with the parts Liz and Simon had bought with them

They cycled from town to the end of the northern spit, then back against the wind. Liz was not impressed especially in the exposed area around the airport. They aimed to find the Taputavaka and Topoka lighthouse ruins but only found one. They all made it back for lunch where Hew, Gerald and I caught up with them later.

Pufana Rock

The next day the wind was still blowing but we decided we should do one more snorkel before they went home so we tied up to the buoy at Pufana rock this was spectacular snorkelling as well and a great mooring – solid chain. Here are a few photos of the snorkeling and a video: https://youtu.be/R1rm16cb-YI

We headed back to the town for the night as Liz and Simon were going the next day.

In the morning Liz and I went for walk along the waterfront. We found by accident the other lighthouse that they had not seen the day before because it was not in the right place on the map. We also afound one of the Pearl farm shops but it was all clsoed.

Liz and Simon departed that afternoon. Mark and Hew and I stayed the night to have a meal at the local restauarant Hirinaki Lodge that had happy hour and tapas. https://www.facebook.com/TemoanaRangihei/

The next day we headed back down to Hirifa because we had decided that we had to do the dive in the South Pass at Tetamanu before we left . It is rated as one of the top dive sites in the world.

Raimiti

Enata Diving

The dive shop was based at Raimiti just north of Hirifa. The next morning they collected us from the yacht and we had a great dive. The first dive started on the Eastern side of the channel and then crossed over the deepest area onto the western side. They stopped between dives at the little beach at Tetamanu for snacks and a drink, and an explanation of the next dive drawn in the sand. then straight back into the water the second we went to the “viewing room” which is a small cave to watch the sharks go by, then finishing around the corner where we had also finished our snorkelling previously.

The best diving we have had for a while with lots of fish life and on the second dive more sharks than we have ever seen!! Excellent dive operators who were all alot of fun. Enata diving operation link https://www.enatafakaravadiving.com/en/

Tetamanu Pass Dive Video: https://youtu.be/E8BopO_okyk

Raimiti Lodge

After getting back to the yacht then washing the dive gear and changing our clothes, we decided to go to Raimiti Resort for a drink. What a beautiful resort and what a surprise, it is perfectly placed for the sunsets. https://raimiti-fakarava.com/en/homepage-en/

Once again they were unable to supply food for outsiders as they only catered for guests, perhaps we will go back and stay there sometime. A very beautiful laid back little resort.

After two days it was tiime to head out for Huahine and the Society Islands.

Next blog: Huahine

There is a very strong Dutch influence and we met several people who had arrived from the Netherlands and stayed as well as numbers of dutch holidaymakers. Along with large numbers of American businesses, Resorts with private access to the beach it seems the locals are not entirely integrated. The locals we did have the chance to meet were great and very friendly and full of information.

Willemstad

Willemstad town like a game of rugby is in two halves on either side of the main harbour entrance: Punda on the SE side and Otrobanda on the NW side. The fort sits at the entrance on both sides.

Behind the Rif fort, there is a pretty facade of old Dutch buildings.

But further back many are in decay. The fort has now been turned into restaurants and shops both inside and outside the walls.

Waterfront arches are the old wall with restaurants on the seaward side. The building behind the sign is falling apart.

Building Styles and Colours

The yellow coloured walls and ceramic tiles are a common colour theme. Many of the government buildings and offices are repurposed older houses.

Many of the buildings have ornate plaster decorations.

Jewish Area

The first Jewish immigrant arrived in 1634, then other Sephardi Jewish immigrants followed in the 17th Century from the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. The community was very prosperous. In the 20th century, Ashkenasi Jews came from Eastern Europe. There is a very good history on Wikipedia. The houses in the Jewish area are being restored in a project between the government and businesses. This has been a great success and is ongoing.

Workers cottages on the main road out of town.

Street Art

There is one area of the old town especially full of street art, although there is a lot of street art all over Curaçao it is different to Bonaire. Some are very good and I would have liked to spend more time looking around the art in all the different areas.

One common theme here is the Chichi doll. Chichi is the Papiamentu word for ‘big sister’. and represents a vibrant, dynamic and responsible older sister, the eldest daughter of the family. She binds the family together in a loving and caring way. The dolls adorn the touristy shops, the art, and even underwater sculptures!!

Lack of Service but Colourful Businesses

The people are either very nice or trying to rip you off. You can buy very good fruit and vegetables at the markets in town, very expensive fruit and vegetables at the supermarket, and get ripped off( tried by some but not all) if you try and buy some at the stalls on the edge of the roads.

Fees to take money out of ATM extortionate, 7-14USD to take USD from foreign credit or debit cards out depending on the bank. Even though the ATM may look beautiful!!

Service is the exception rather than the rule, though when you do find a good restaurant it is good. Iguacu and The Grill at Punta, The Pier at Caracas Bay, and Jaanchie(walking talking menu) were all good values.

Willemstad Harbour

They have two lovely major harbours but the one near the town is for oil refining and cargo. The harbour reeks of petrochemicals and despite lower activity in the area, there is no sign of any clean up going on.

There is an old Queen Anne footbridge across the harbour entrance that is motorised at one end and can be partially or fully opened at any time to let boats through as shown in the photos earlier. It is an 1888 floating pontoon bridge and pivots on one end with the other end now motorised. Sometimes opening only partially for small craft and right open for big ships. When it is fully open for an hour or so a free ferry service operates across the harbour.

Further inland is the new hugely high motorway bridge—a huge contrast.

Spanish Waters / Caracas Bay

The cruising port, Spanish waters in Caracas Bay, is very large but you are restricted to anchoring in certain areas. The rest of the harbour includes an area reserved for mangroves and much of the other shoreline is private houses and beaches.

Despite having some fantastic sheltered harbours and a large number of local boats Curacao is not set up or really interested in cruising boats like us. There is a small boatyard and marina in the main harbour where some cruisers moor or haul out for the offseason and another small marina in Spanish Waters. The only other option is anchoring in Spanish Waters with many liveaboards scattered around the harbour. Access ashore is a wet dinghy ride to a small dock.

A selection of the houses around the harbour – large and small.

Pontoon around the bay at the entrance protects it from the boat wakes and storms – it also has a great bar there.

Immigration, Customs, Harbourmaster and Cruisers

To make life harder for cruisers The immigration and customs are 10 km from the Spanish Waters dingy dock and 2km apart on opposite sides of the main harbour entry. Buses are few and far between so you need either a rental car or a taxi which are exorbitant.

To get a cruising permit you also need to visit the pilots’ office which is near immigration and they will give you a permit for Spanish waters for 3 months. If you want to anchor in any of the other 6 approved sites you need to pay for a 3-day pass specifying the days. This means planning ahead irrespective of the weather or returning to the office when you decide, therefore, another expensive trip.

Going North

Westpunt area in the north is very nice but a long way in the yacht if you have to come back south 30-40k to check out. By car the rental cars and roads are good. There are a few interesting sites on the way like old plantation houses changed into restaurants, a few sculptures and a few beaches interspersed with failed developments.

Diving

There is diving around the island, a mixture of shore-based and boats. There are many operators and some very good and others not so. Also, several single-person operators are never there when you are trying to find them. In Bonaire, there were utes everywhere with dive gert in the back. Less so in Curaçao but you would not find gearing upon the pavement in the middle of any other city!!

We went diving in Curaçao with Benny and Alice. Benny we met diving in Bonaire and Alice joined us in Curaçao. The shore dive was at Playa Kalki and a boat dive at “Black coral garden” and “Watanula”. The diving was good but not many big fish, probably because there seems to still be a lot of fishing around Curaçao. The last dive was spectacular. As usual the further you get from the regular dive sites the better.

Another favourite activity is cliff jumping from right outside the restaurant.

Klein Curcaçao

We decided we had to get out of Spanish waters with their grey skies, wind and murky water. So we headed off upwind to a little island that is used by tourist boats and locals as day anchorage only. There are moorings which we did use with an extra rope tied on!! What a change of scenery!!

Since we were out in clean water again the washing needed doing, but in such pleasant surroundings it is not a problem.

The island was a paradise for seabirds until the 19th century when an engineer found it was covered in phosphate. from 1871 to 1886 they removed 90 tonnes of phosphate and shipped it to Europe. The island was left bare and a few meters lower. It took the seabirds a long tie to return but they have never reached the same numbers as before. In the 17th century, licences allowed people to catch and slaughter Caribbean monk seals – they are now extinct. the island was also used as a place to leave sick slaves before transferring the rest to Curaçao – they often died here. A very sad history for the island

The original lighthouse was built in 1877, destroyed in a hurricane, the current one was built more in the centre of the island but it is now derelict. There are also two wrecks on the island.

Cruise Operators

No one lives on the island but there are various structures belonging to several different tour groups. Mermaid takes out 130 people per day, St Anne Cruisers 70ppd, 3 other catamaran companies probably total about another 60ppd.

Wildlife

The island is supposed to be a turtle sanctuary but with that many people visiting every day I am not sure how the turtles get on!!

The sand on the leeward side is as fine as talcum powder, very beautiful and snorkelling or diving very easy as the reef drops straight down off the shore.

Ashore are various lizards, seabirds, and even some godwits. All are competing for beach space with the tourists.

We stayed the night, only our boat, a fisherman and a one person on the island keeping watch. Wonderful.

We departed early the next morning on the way back to check out Willemstad.

We checked out, then sailed up the coast to Santa Cruz, stopping for the night then off to Colombia.

Union Island

Union Island was our immigration point into the area called the” Saint Vincent and the Grenadines”. We entered Clifton Harbour which was the nicest and most casual check-in anywhere.

The harbour has all the yachts on mooring buoys and is close to the airport and a kite surfing bay. A local boat was always about to help out with picking up a mooring and for a small fee take our rubbish, great service with a smile.

We managed to get a mooring then got into the dinghy and drove under a little bridge to a dinghy harbour.

We hopped out of the dinghy and gave our documents to a very friendly agent then sat in a bar looking out to the harbour for a cool drink while we waited for them to come back. The little bar has a lending library and a small shop with normal beach clothes and some very good books about Caribbean flora and fauna. The arrival was made very pleasant and stress-free.

On a little atoll, near the mooring area, there is also a small bar for sunset drinks. with a view over the kite surfing area to the airport. The fact that there is always kite surfing here tells you something about the wind – incessant!!

The town has a collection of very pretty stores selling real local artwork. There is also a very helpful information centre and the Marine Park office if you need to ask anything about the Tobago cays. The town had a very pleasant feel and the local land tortoises are very cute.

The bars around the town were very cute and their names kept us amused.

After checking in and spending a night on Union island we moved onto Mayreau Island in the Tobago Cays Marine Park.

Tobago Cays

Tobago Cays Marine Park is a popular destination in the southern end of the Grenadines. The marine park consists of a 1,400-acre (5.7 km²) sand-bottom lagoon which encompasses the five cays, the Mayreau island and a 4 km Horseshoe Reef. The story of the marine park management and setup can be found with this link. It has been a long process and is not yet completed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobago_Cays

Mayreau Island

Mayreau island appeared to be a lovely island with few people. We stopped for a night at Saline beach which was a lovely beach but because a cruise ship was in the harbour, they have first rights to most of the beach, so we could only land at one end. You can walk along the beach but you cannot go inland as it is taken up for the cruise ship visitors with chairs, a little day snack bar and drink bars. This tends to make it less than friendly!!

Met some fellow kiwis here, Colin and Marion Cashmore on Avant Garde and Matt and Jo McCaughan on Seamogs and after a few rums discovered we knew many people in common. Typical kiwi connections boating, flying and neighbours.

The next day we wanted to stop at Salt Whistle Bay which reputably had great beach bars and island liofe. A group of 5 catamarans were heading for it ahead of us and when we got closer we realised that the bay was really full and overcrowded. The wind was blowing 25kts and we thought that stopping there did not seem a good idea so we continued on to Tobago Cays.

Petit Bateau and Petit Rameau

We anchored in the channel between the two islands of Petit Bateau and Petit Rameau. There were mooring buoys there which were handy as the wind and the current were strong. Mr Mandy Man arrived in his boat, sorted out our mooring and booked us in for dinner all before lunch! We all hopped into the dingy to try the snorkelling around on the Horseshoe reef. Unfortunately with the howling wind, the water was really stirred up and not very clear. We did see some turtles but not much else.

Later we went and had dinner at the beach BBQ area on Petit Bateau.

Tobago Cays Reef Diving

The next day we went diving with one of the local operators, Glenroy, to look at Mayreau gardens and one other spot on the reef. We were expecting bad visibility but it was OK. Neville was getting the hang of his camera and the spiny lobsters were looking back at him knowing he could not take them!!! The Nurse shark just ignored him!

I have split the photos into three blocks, the divers, the fish and the lastly the coral and sponges.

Canouan

Canouan is a small island with several large expensive resorts. The marina to the south, Sandy Lane Yacht Club, is next to an airport that seemed to mostly service private jets. The island seemed to be a mix of private resorts with the locals excluded apart from when required for service jobs. Not the most welcoming of destinations.

We stopped in the Charles bay, off Charleston the largest town, but the wind through the valleys and off the hills made the anchorage untenable. We then shifted into the lee of the cliffs to the north of the harbour which was a pleasant anchorage and we were only accompanied by a couple of much larger boats.

We stayed for a night and some snorkelling then decided to move on and head back towards Union island to check out. Unfortunately, the holiday for Nev, Mark and Pete was coming to an end and they were all flying out around the same weekend from Grenada, and the yacht was going up on the hard for some TLC.

Union Island Check Out

As we headed south we checked out of Union island at Clifton Bay in the northern end, then decided to anchor for the night at the bay in the Southern End called Chatham Bay. This was a lovely bay with three bars and some good snorkelling areas. We were tucked into the cliffs as again the wind was howling and we wanted a calm night. We saw a kiwi flag there and met Colin and Marion from the Bay of Islands and had a great chat.

There was a great collection of pelicans on the northern cliffs of the bay which kept us amused. for some time. They are beautiful flyers and great to watch.

Return to Grenada

As we sailed back to Grenada we went in close to the coast to look at some of the areas we had missed on the way north. It was worth it even if it was raining at times.

The last view of the colours of Port Louis and Grenada for Pete, Nev and Mark who were leaving.

Grenada Colours

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.