Getting our water tanks filled in Bequia (from Daffodil’s floating barge) took an age, so we didn’t make it to the Tobago Cays as planned, instead stopping in at Canoun. This morning we woke early and took up what is now my favourite position in the Tobago Cays: just in front of Jamsby island, anchored off the beach in about 3.8m of water. The sea is crystal clear and warm, it’s hot, and there is a turtle colony that leads to the odd interesting encounter. We’re just back from a snorkel on the reef. Because it’s a National Park there are small dinghy moorings to tie up to, so we tied up there and bobbed about in the current.. The water is spectacularly clear, but the effect of hurricanes (I’m told) has led to some degredation of the reef – it’s cool but not like the photos you see in National Geographic. The fish life however is vibrant. I’ll also never tire of that helicopter like effect you can get zooming underwater propelled by flippers, zooming over the ridges and valleys, scaring all the fish and sending the darting for cover.
So it’s been a fun day. There’s a giant cruise ship here called Club Med 2. It has about six masts and it hoists sails that look like jibs from them. As Greg observed, they’re just too short to be effective. We reckon they’re almost completely for show, and suspect there’s a couple of 10,000HP engines below decks quietly proving the propulsion. Still, as Greg again observed, looks good at night, and having an excuse to go really slow must be good for fuel economy!
From here we will, I guess tomorrow, head towards Grenada, with a stop at Petit Martinique as we need to buy some diesel. Perhaps a stop at Carriacou to clear out of St Vincent and the Grenadines and into Grenada. I was in Grenada in 2001, but since then it was – if you remember – absolutely SMASHED by a hurricane. I read about it in US sailing magazines (that’s how I normally get through the winter)
27 Jan 2008
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