Martinique to Bequia

Anytime we’re anticipating doing an overnight sail, we’re always a little bit nervous. Just the idea that the weather might go bad in the middle of the night when I’m tired, a little seasick, and mostly blind, starts to tie my stomach in knots. But while there is usually a moment or two of discomfort or anxiety, overall it isn’t as bad as I fear it will be.

When we left Martinique for our last overnight before Grenada, it’s fair to say that we were both dreading it. The forecast called for 20 knot winds with gusts to 25 and 5-6 foot sees. We were very relieved to find mostly 3-4 foot waves for the majority of our 100 nautical mile journey.

Our plan was that as long as the weather was comfortable we would pass by St. Lucia, then steer clear of St. Vincent on our way to Bequia (which is actually part of St. Vincent). Mainland St. Vincent has developed a bit of a bad reputation among cruisers for its questionable safety, so we knew we wouldn’t be stopping there unless we did some more research first. Since the weather was decent, we were happy enough to pass over our planned bail out point in Saint Lucia and sailed through the night.

Early in the morning the next day, Jon was having a nap as we sailed just a mile or two offshore down the coast of St. Vincent. I thought - not for the first time - that the islands are really the most beautiful when you’re looking at them from a distance. Which led me to other sentiments that I’m just now realizing are already plainly iterated in the song, From a Distance. After one rain squall I saw a rainbow. We were completely becalmed and motoring for the next downpour, and afterward I saw a giant pod of dolphins and smelled the strong fragrance of spices wafting over from the land. It wasn’t as good as having a whale jump out of the water right in front of your face on your watch – twice – but it was alright.

We were anchored in Admiralty Bay, Bequia, by 2:00pm, with plenty of time to clear in before the customs office closed. We really enjoyed strolling the Belmont Walkway which connects to another trail wrapping halfway around Admiralty Bay so we walked it multiple times, stopping for a drink at one of the beachfront bars. We took a long walk up to the top of Mount Pleasant and back down to Ravine Bay to see the blow hole there, and it did not disappoint. We stopped multiple times at the Whaleboner, hoping it would be open so we could have a drink. Although the fact that it was closed down meant that we were able to take photos of ourselves at the bar without actually paying for any drinks, so it worked out perfectly.

The Whaleboner

Just a little obstacle in the road.

Overlooking Admiralty Bay

Overlooking Ravine Bay

No blog post is truly complete without a photo of goats.