Cruising Log: Grenadines, St. Vincent (II)

Day 1

Board your boat at Blue Lagoon St. Vincent, a pretty natural harbour fringed by a reef and with a marked channel at the northwestern entrance. The lagoon is home to Barefoot Yacht Charters. (See area chart). After checking through the yacht, set sail for Brittania Bay, Mustique, an easy 2.5 hour reach (17 miles).

Note: the easiest approach to Mustique is from St. Vincent, rather than from Bequia or from the central Grenadines which would place you hard on the wind). En route to Mustique, pass the uninhabited islands of Battowia, Baliceaux and The Pillories. Approach Brittania Bay from the north (avoiding Montezuma shoals which lie about 800 yards offshore but are clearly marked - interesting snorkelling or dive site with a wreck on the reef.

Brittania Bay is the one place in the Grenadines where it's mandatory to pick up a mooring buoy. The most comfortable spot is just south of the small cargo ship dock (the anchorage can get a bit rolly if there are swells out of the north east — in which case it's a good idea to set bow and stern anchors). No need to reserve in advance, it's a first-come first-served basis. At some stage during the trip, a fellow comes out in a launch and charges $20 for the mooring (this drops to $ 15 for subsequent nights). There is a mooring office close to the dinghy dock but it's often closed. Note that Mustique is a marine park and so fishing or removal of anything from the waters surrounding the island is illegal up to 1,000 yards offshore.

Whilst the island is well known for its stately villas and famous inhabitants, what's more important are the beautiful beaches. From the main anchorage it's a leisurely 25-minute stroll south to Lagoon Bay. Golden sand beach, fringed with palm trees, a couple of picnic areas with wooden umbrellas and tables, and not a human being or building in sight.

From the dinghy dock, famous Basil's Bar is just a minute's walk to the north. Spectacular surroundings - white sand beach, sparkling blue water and a wonderful ambience. What a great place for a cocktail — though the quality of food and service leave something to be desired. On Wednesday and Sunday nights, the "jump-up" at Basil's can be a lot of fun.

A "must" in Mustique is Firefly, a wonderful restaurant built in what used to be one of the great private villas of Mustique. It's perched halfway up the hillside overlooking the anchorage, and is stunningly beautiful: marble counters, giant ferns, a grand piano and Balinese furniture, two freshwater pools and a beautiful restaurant and bar. The food is great and the prices very reasonable, but even if you don't want to eat, you should still go there. It's fairly small so it is a good idea to book in advance if you plan to eat, unlike everyone else in the Grenadines who listens on VHF 68, Firefly monitors VHF Channel 10. It's the sort of place where one can wander in for lunch at noon, and wander out again at three o'clock the next morning. Impromptu performances from famous musicians are a regular feature.

Close to Basil's are a couple of food stores where you can get your Iranian caviar and Norwegian smoked salmon, and also excellent Italian bread baked by a real Italian baker. But don't plan on doing any major provisioning there — these stores are expensive. There are also a couple of (expensive) boutiques, and a little fishing village just north of Basil's, where you can pick up fresh fish from the fishermen.

For those who fancy a gallop down a deserted beach, thoroughbred horses can be rented by the hour. But for those who don't ride horses, I'd recommend they rented a "mule" — not a donkey, but a gasoline-powered cross between a Mini Moke and a golf cart. Ask the bartender at Basil's, and he'll call up Kurt Meier who rents them (around $US 75 for a full day). Renting a "mule" is lots of fun and enables you not only to get around and explore some of the amazing villas, but also to access some of the best beaches, which are a little too far to walk to from the anchorage. MACARONI beach on the east coast must rate as one of the Caribbean's ten top beaches: half a mile of fine white sand, with turquoise waves rolling in from the Atlantic, safe swimming, a picnic area, and even a few hammocks slung in the palms on the southern end of the beach. PASTURE BAY is also beautiful, though you can't swim there because of rip tides.

The Cotton House hotel is definitely worth a visit — formerly a 19th-century sugar and cotton plantation, the hotel has been beautifully restored to its original grandeur. There's a fantastic restaurant there, but it's expensive and rather formal (long trousers for gentlemen for dinner). The hotel also has a freshwater pool with a pool bar, and a watersports centre with hobbycats, windsurfs and dive facilities. If you need ice, you can get it at Basil's, but you won't be able to get water or diesel in Mustique.

Well, that's Mustique; don't expect too many wild parties, but if you're looking for wonderful ambience, great beaches and a couple of great restaurants, this is the place.

Day 2

Head for Salt Whistle Bay, Mayreau: the "Caribbean beach dream come true" and one of the loveliest anchorages in the Caribbean. It's a 3.5 hour broad reach from Mustique and the usual route is to pass close under the lee of the flat-topped island Petit Canouan, and then under the lee of Canouan itself. A couple of things to watch out for as you approach Canouan from the north - firstly, the northern tip of the island has strong currents, so don't be surprised if a noticeable swell builds up about a mile offshore. Secondly, as you look to the south, you'll see Glossy Hill, which is joined to the main island by a sea-level, spit so it's initially going to look like a separate island, and could even be mistaken for Mayreau.

We don't recommend stopping at Canouan on the way south: firstly, it's a fast sail from Mustique straight to Mayreau; secondly, you can stop at Canouan and Bequia on the way north, which will give you a different itinerary on the way back up; and thirdly, I'd rate Canouan more as a stop of convenience than a "must-see place".

As you pass under the lee of Canouan's northern headland you'll probably lose the wind for a few minutes — but if you've had reefs in the main, don't shake them out — as you head across Charlestown Bay, you'll be hit by strong guests of wind blowing over the island's central ridge. Passing close under the lee of Glossy Hill, you then set across the North Mayreau Channel towards Salt Whistle Bay.

Baleine Rocks to the east, and Jondell Rock & Catholic Island to the west are clearly visible and leave you with an approach passage about a mile wide. Enter Salt Whistle Bay pretty well through the middle of the entrance, to avoid the reef and shallow area protruding from the northern headland. Anchor at the head of the bay in 8 to 10 feet of clear water. It's a sand bottom and reasonably good holding ground, though if it's busy or blowing hard you should consider a second bow anchor. Whatever you do, be especially careful about anchoring too close to the reef on the southern shores - it's a popular reef to be hit by yachts.

There's good snorkelling both reefs, and the white sand beach is pristine. The main resort nestles in the palm trees on the beach, but don't be put off by the word resort - it consists of a dozen stone and wood cottages, and the resort's floor is the sand. The quaint beach bar is a popular meeting place for cruising yachties at Happy Hour, and the restaurant, set under the palms, serves great food at reasonable prices, though the service is painfully slow (but you're on vacation, so who cares?). Ice is available here, but not fuel or water.

If you feel like a bit of exercise, follow the dirt track (steep, full of potholes) from the dinghy dock, and you'll get to the "settlement" where 400 people, and about the same number of chickens, cows and goats live. The old stone church (built in 1929 by a Benedictine monk) is definitely worth a visit and from the windward side of the church you'll get spectacular views over all of the Grenadines. In the settlement itself, you'll find 4 great little bistros, all very welcoming and serving good food. They accept credit cards and also have small minimarts adjacent to them. Dennis' Hideaway is my favourite; Dennis is the Grenadines' equivalent of "Foxy" on Jost van Dyke, except that he doesn't play the guitar, but he's the island's Justice of the Peace, yachtsman, guest-house owner, restaurateur and raconteur.A word of warning: if you get stuck into Dennis's frozen Margaritas (which is easy to do), and it's after sundown, remember that the pathway back to Salt Whistle Bay is unlit... don't forget your flashlight!

Visiting Mayreau is like stepping into a time warp. There's one 200-yard stretch of road, two vehicles, no high-rises, no police, and every evening you'll hear the generators crank up to power the lights.

Day 3

Salt Whistle Bay is the natural stepping stone to the Tobago Cays, the high spot of the cruise for pretty well everyone.

It's an easy 45-minute passage, and best to motor or motor-sail as you'll be against current and on the wind. From the entrance of Salt Whistle Bay, turn to the north-north-east and point at Glossy Hill. When Jondell Rock is right on your port beam, turn to the south-east and you'll see the Tobago Cays right on your bow. You won't be able to see the passage between Petit Bateau and Petit Rameau, so they'll look like one island until you get to the entrance itself. You'll be heading down approximately 143 magnetic and what you're looking for are the two transit markers — latticed pylons with crosses on the top - which you can usually pick up about a mile away. Baleine Rocks are visible right up to the entrance to the Cays and your route takes you about halfway between Mayreau and Baleine Rocks. This is an easy passage, about half a mile wide and I've never heard of anyone having a problem approaching the Cays from the north west. A word of warning, however: don't be surprised if you can see the bottom 30 or 40 feet down... the seabed consists of rocks and coral, which always look closer than they are. It's what I call "Alarming Clarity Syndrome"!

The passage between Petit Bateau and Petit Rameau is the "front door' to the Cays.  Astonishingly, the Imray charts mark this as an anchorage, which seems to be pretty anti-social. There's about 12 to 18 feet of water through the passage, so no depth constraints.
The best place to head for is south of Baradal - as you come through the passage, turn to the south east, cross the deep patch (drops down to about 50 feet) and then edge up towards Horseshoe Reef. You'll be anchoring in about 8 to 10 feet of water in a sand bottom with excellent holding ground.

In the Cays, you're anchoring in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean - with nothing between you and Africa except Horseshoe Reef.  But don't worry - not only is it a safe overnight anchorage, but it's also a great place, from the security point of view, to anchor if bad weather's coming through.  The sea never breaks over the reef into the anchorage and, thus, whilst it's always wind-swept (makes for nice cool nights), it's usually pretty comfortable.  But because you're exposed (2,400 miles of open ocean in front of you), it's always wind-swept (makes for a nice, cool, comfortable night's sleep) and if it's blowing up, you might want to consider a second bow anchor - more for psychological reasons than for anything to do with the quality of the holding.

The Cays are a National park and so all fishing and removing of anything from the water is prohibited and, although they're uninhabited, the price of progress means that you can get pretty well anything you need - the fishermen come out daily from Clifton Harbour in Union Island, and vend from their open boats.  You can find everything from fresh fish, to lobster (in season, 01 September through 30 April), ice, jewellery, t-shirts, post-cards, soft drinks - and one fellow will even come round and take your orders for fresh baguettes directly from Union Island's bakery for tomorrow's breakfast.  These fishermen are friendly, helpful and offer a great service - years ago one would have to sail down to Clifton to top up with essentials, but now you can have everything brought directly to you, and thus sit in the Cays for as long as you want.

Striking up a rapport with these people is easy and worthwhile. A cold drink will bring you a friend for life. Before you know it, they'll be offering to clean the fish for you and even to barbecue it on the beach.

You'll pay a bit of a premium for anything you buy at the Cays since obviously the fishermen need to cover their fuel costs and earn a few dollars.  For instance a bag of block ice can cost between $US 8 and $US 10 - but, on the other hand, if your beers are getting warm, it's worth it.

The snorkelling in the Cays is everywhere - right around the main Horseshoe Reef itself, one of the longest barrier reefs in the Western Hemisphere, and close to the islands themselves.  You can dinghy in and out of the coral heads, the seabed clearly visible, and drop your dinghy anchor in 5 feet of water, then jump out of the dinghy with your feet firmly on the seabed.  Be aware that the strong breezes create current throughout the Cays, so it's usually best to snorkel upwind of your dinghy and then drift back down onto it. There also are a few dinghy moorings scattered along Horseshoe Reef.

It's worth finding the dinghy pass which runs parallel to the northern end of Baradal - great snorkelling here, though make sure you don't get too close to the outside of the reef, as this area can break and there are also strong currents running down the windward side of the reef.  For those who dive, it's worth calling Glenroy Adams at Grenadines Dive in Clifton Harbour - he operates rendezvous dives through this region and there's excellent diving at Mayreau Gardens immediately east of Mayreau, and, if the weather conditions are right, at World's End Reef.

It's also worth taking your dinghy over to the beach at Petit Bateau - this is a great spot for a lunch-time picnic or barbecue, and there's a scenic reef just five yards from the beach, with a drop-off down to about 35 feet.

Most people plan a half a day or so in the Cays, but end up spending most of their vacation there.

Day 4

By this stage in the trip, many people will be thinking about fresh water, and so our suggestion is to head down to Clifton Harbour for lunch, water, fuel and re-provisioning, and then to head south to Petit St Vincent for overnight.

Exit the Cays the same way that you entered, i.e. through the north-western approach. You might see some people dog-legging through the reefs to the south-west - don't try it. That passage is narrow and unmarked, and requires perfect water clarity if it's to be attempted. More importantly, remember that coral heads are growing and so charts are never 100% accurate when it comes to coral. For your own peace of mind - if not for the bottom of the boat - sail out through the main entrance and approach Union under the lee of Mayreau - about an hour and a half's sail to Clifton Harbour.

When sailing under the lee of Mayreau, give an extra wide berth to the reef that protrudes about 200 yards off Grand Col point. Hurricane Lenny removed the marker in November 1999 and, although a temporary mooring buoy has been laid in its place, it's not likely that you will see the buoy until you're fairly close. Before this reef was marked, it was one of the most popular ones in the Grenadines to be hit by yachts - about once every 2 weeks. So stay 400 yards clear of this headland.

The almost vertical mountains of Union Island are visible 40 miles away on a clear day. You need to sail almost over to Palm Island before turning to the west and up into the main harbour - unfortunately one of the least attractive places in the Grenadines from a marine standpoint.

The harbour is divided into a western and an eastern side, separated by a reef in the middle. The main harbour, to the west, is lousy - deep, poor holding ground, and you're on a lee shore so all the crud in the harbour accumulates there. Don't anchor in here. If you're planning on our suggested lunch-time-only stop, then head up to the north-western corner of the harbour, to the Anchorage Yacht Club. Give them a call on VHF 68 as you approach, and berth alongside. You can get water, ice and fuel, and there's a pleasant waterfront restaurant there too. Bougainvilla has a particularly good restaurant and is home to the excellent Erika's Marine Services run by Heather Grant. Erika's offers a laundry service, telephone and internet, weather forecasts, digital photography, book exchange and bicycle rentals

The town of Clifton is just a short walk along the beach (don't fall into the shark pool en route) and there are plenty of small supermarkets in town. We particularly recommend Lambi's - Lambi is a friendly gentleman with a large waterfront restaurant, which serves good Caribbean food at reasonable prices, and a large supermarket. His restaurant has excellent evening entertainment and if you eat dinner there he'll give you a free mooring. He's a fountain of local knowledge and has been most helpful to charter guests over the years.
Erika's Marine Services also provide useful facilities including an Internet café, laundry and bicycle rental.

If you plan on overnighting at Union, the best options are either to stay alongside at the Anchorage Yacht Club, or to pick up one of Lambi's moorings, or to anchor in the eastern side of the harbour, just behind Newland's Reef.

A word of caution: there have been increasing reports of visitors being hassled by kids in boats. The majority of people in Clifton are very friendly, but it's also what I would call a "town of hustlers" - everyone is trying to sell you something, and if they think they can make an extra dollar out of you, they'll do their best to do so. If kids in boats tell you that the Yacht Club is closed, or that there's no diesel or water available, don't believe them - what they're trying to do is to sell you their own moorings or to sell you someone else's fuel and water at inflated prices. Always check that you know if prices are being quoted in EC Dollars or US Dollars. Don't order meals in restaurants without being sure you know what the price is. All common sense stuff, but there have been some reports of visitors being ripped off, so keep your wits about you.

From Union, you can take an afternoon sail down to Petit St. Vincent, one of the loveliest spots in the Grenadines. Your route is going to take you through the passage between Mopion and Pinese sandbanks but it's made very easy by using a bearing on the peak of Petit Martinique - when the peak is on 163 Magnetic (at the time of writing) you'll pass safely through the gap. When leaving Union Island, be sure to give Grand de Coi reef a wide berth. It's clearly marked, but many yachts decide to hit it anyway!

Petit Martinique, to the south, is a volcanic island that rises steeply out of the water and is visible 30 miles away on a clear day. The island has black sand beaches - but as you head towards the pass between Mopion & Pinese from Union Island, you'll see a little white sand beach that looks as if it is on Petit Martinique. What you're seeing is Mopion - the ultimate desert island - 15 yards long, fine white sand, and with a triangular thatched shelter in the middle of it (and a bottle opener bolted to the shelter's support beam).

As you approach the gap, if it's low water you'll see elkhorn and staghorn coral above the surface. If it's high water, note that Pinese is subsiding and will be just below the surface. But the gap is about 220 yards wide so you have plenty of sea room and it's very hard to go wrong if you can see Petit Martinique. You'll have about 20 feet of water as you pass between the sandbanks, and will probably see the bottom as you go through.

You'll then need to motor up to the east to the lovely anchorage at PSV. Don't go too close in because the seabed shelves and you'll find yourself anchoring in about 2o feet or more.  If you stay a little further out - and the chart does show the soundings - you'll be able to anchor in about 15 feet. It's a sand bottom and well protected from the seas, but it can be breezy and you might want to consider a second bow anchor.

When in PSV, whether you're thirsty or not, you need to visit the bar, a few minutes' walk up the hillside. The ambience is extraordinary - hummingbirds flying through tropical vegetation, fat Labradors lounging in sandpits, and the finest fresh, frozen, tropical fruit daiquiris in the Grenadines. There is an excellent, though somewhat expensive (around $US 80 per person) restaurant, but if you're planning one very special night out during your charter, this is the place to go. Note: Gentlemen require long trousers for dinner. If you need ice, you can obtain it at PSV, but you won't be able to get diesel or water.

Day 5

Motor out to Mopion sandbank - you won't be disappointed! Head true west out of the anchorage at PSV - as soon as you clear PSV's western edge, you'll see Mopion sandbank clearly. Basically, you will motor true west about 300 yards clear of PSV's western edge and then, with Mopion still forward of your starboard beam, turn to true north. Come in nice and gently with someone on the bow and your depth-sounder on. You're going to be heading for a patch that has a 4.9 and an 8.8 metre sounding marked on the Imray chart, which places you around 200 to 250 yards south-east of the sandbank. If you anchor in the perfect spot you'll be in about 16 feet - I usually get it wrong (being conservative) and end up in about 25 feet. The bottom is mainly sand but there are a few coral heads so take care when dropping the anchor - and, since you're in deeper water, make a point of snorkelling over your anchor to make sure it's well set (not a bad habit to get into wherever you may be anchoring).

Whoever jumps in to check the anchor will think "Wow!" The snorkelling here is the stuff of Jacques Cousteau movies. It's a deeper anchorage and thus the fish are bigger and the corals are bigger. It's very usual to see schools of rays, large parrot fish and even groupers.

From the anchorage, you can swim directly towards the sandbank but will hit the reef first so cannot swim straight in - but if you turn to the left (west) and follow the reef round for about 15 yards, you'll come to a wide pass through the reef. You can swim or dinghy through, straight up on to the sand bank. This is the ultimate desert island - if you stand on the south-west corner, you can get a photo with the sea on the left, the sea on the right, the hump of sand with the triangular thatched shelter in the middle, and nothing in the background except for the ocean.

What a great spot for a lunch-time barbecue or picnic. But it's not an overnight anchorage, so you'll need to move on, and you'll be better off heading for Chatham Bay on Union Island's west coast, an hour and a half's sail from Mopion. This is one of the favourite spots because there's absolutely nothing there.  As you know, cruising yachtsmen need to be within 50 yards of a bar - well, at Chatham Bay there are no bars, no restaurants, no buildings, no roads, no people, so if you're looking for a secluded anchorage where you could be the only yacht, this is the place. Even in high season it's rare to find more than 5 boats there, and in the low season you could well be the only yacht.

Best anchoring is in the northern corner of the bay where you'll be in about 12 feet with a sand or sand/weed bottom. Although you're under the lee of Union, and so pretty well protected, note that you can encounter some fairly strong downdrafts funnelling over the tops of the steep hills, so watch out for this - especially early in the morning.

Day 6

You have a few choices today. Two anchorages in the central Grenadines haven't yet been mentioned.

The first is Palm Island, about 2 hours from Chatham Bay.This place is a lunch-time stop only - most Charter Companies prohibit guests from overnighting there because the holding ground is very deceptive - a thick layer of soft sand, and although you might think you're well set, a few hours later (usually in the middle of the night) you'll find yourself dragging.

Palm is a pretty stop and there are lovely white sand beaches, a beach restaurant and bar, and water/ice is available at the small dock that you can moor at stern-to.

The other anchorage is at Saline Bay, Mayreau. This is a pretty enough place but nothing to write home about. It's only half an hour or so from Chatham Bay but if you do go there, don't believe the Imray chart, which indicates anchoring in the north-eastern corner - the holding ground there is bad. Anchor in the southern part of the bay, in 10 to12 feet of water with a sand and weed bottom. If you're making this a lunch-time stop only, then one anchor should be fine, but if you're over-nighting, I'd recommend two anchors - although the ridge at the head of the bay is fairly low-lying, it's surprising how strong those early morning gusts can get.

There's a pleasant beach at Saline bay, and also a paved roadway up to the settlement - and there are also a couple of lights on this road, so access to the settlement is slightly easier than from Salt Whistle Bay.

A point of interest is the wreck of a British gunboat, sunk in 1917 by the Germans - the wreck lies just north of the western tip of the reef at Grand Col Point, and you can snorkel over it as it starts in only 14 feet of water.

For overnight, you might want to head up to Canouan, an hour or so from Saline Bay and about an hour and a half from Palm Island. As mentioned earlier, we'd call Canouan a stop of convenience. It used to be an island of 700 farmers and fishermen and one very slow hotel, but that changed in 1990 when an Italian group came and built the Tamarind Beach Hotel in the centre of Grand Bay.

The approach to Grand Bay takes you through two markers with about 300 yards between them. Don't try and take a short cut! Head towards the hotel jetty and pick up a mooring there - you'll be charged around $US 15 for the night. In the unlikely event that the moorings are full, do NOT anchor in this area - although the Imray charter marks this as an anchorage, it has the worst holding in the bay. For anchoring, tuck up into the north-eastern corner - and always put out two bow anchors.

There's not much snorkelling in the bay, but you'll probably sea large star fish on the sea bed - they like the sand and turtlegrass environment.

The hotel is very pleasant - has a great Italian restaurant with a real Italian Chef and reasonable prices, the cheapest ice in the Grenadines, showers for visiting yachtsmen, and friendly staff. It's a 5-star hotel - and what's a little strange is that it's used principally as staff accommodation for the Italians' "other place". If you want to take a look at an amazing resort, take the shuttle bus from Tamarind Beach Hotel to the Carenage Resort on the island's north-east coast. The resort has around 250 luxury villas, tennis courts, a huge swimming pool, a spa and health centre, a casino, an 18-hole golf course, an Italian piazza, and two restaurants (food flown in fresh from Rome every week). It's expensive but if you're looking for amazingly good food and something "different", check it out.

Day 7

An easy morning reach up to Bequia. As you leave the northern end of Canouan, be prepared for a slightly lumpy sea until you get into deeper water. And remember that there's strong current at either end of the Canouan Channel, so you'll need to point up a little more than usual - in fact leaving the northern end of Canouan, it's best to point at the middle of Ile a Quatre and you'll find that this usually enables you to tuck close in under West Cay for the approach to Admiralty Bay.

The open-water passage is only about 2.5 hours, and as you round West Cay, you'll then need to motor or motor-sail up the cost and into Admiralty Bay - about another hour's passage. The best spot to anchor in Bequia is Princess Margaret Beach - the second golden sand beach to starboard.  You can drop the hook in about 12 feet of water in a sand bottom, and should find that a single anchor is fine. The water is clear for swimming, and there's no road access to the beach, which means that it's usually deserted. To get ashore, it's a minute's dinghy ride around the bay's northern headland and you'll see dinghy docks along the waterfront footpath that runs from the Plantation House hotel right the way up to the Frangipani, the popular Happy Hour meeting place for cruisers. There are many great bars and bistros along the waterfront pathway - Mac's Pizzeria is a favourite - not a "Pizza Hut" but a great restaurant that happens to make wonderful pizza, in addition to freshly baked breads, cakes and pastries.

Although Port Elizabeth is well developed by Grenadines standards, it still retains a sleepy, old-world Caribbean charm. Most people still access Bequia by boat, and the island's sea-faring traditions such as whaling, fishing or model boat building still remain.

If you're in need of exercise, there are some great walks - notably to Hope Bay, a deserted bay on the east coast, lined with a golden sand beach, with coconut plantations sweeping down the hills almost to the water's edge (about an hour's walk - take food and drink) and to Spring Bay, which has a wind-swept beach and a small bar.

Getting around Bequia is inexpensive in local transport and you can pretty well tour the whole island for about $US 5. The turtle sanctuary is worth a visit, as is the Old Fort, a charming hotel with stunning views, a freshwater pool and regular entertainment.

You wouldn't get bored spending two or three days in Bequia - it really offers a little bit of everything - good places to eat, great beaches, spectacular scenery, snorkelling and diving, reasonable shopping and the chance of seclusion.

Day 8

Time to return to Blue Lagoon.  This is going to take around 1.5 to 2 hours - longer than you might expect, but chances are that you'll be close-hauled and have some current to contend with. If it's a reasonably calm day, the best bet is to short tack up the northern coast and then to bear away to St Vincent from Anse Chemin. But if the wind is strong, that can be a painful way of doing it, in which case simply head up from Admiralty Bay - you should still be able to make it on one tack.

Don't be alarmed if you can only point as high as St Vincent's West Coast as you leave Admiralty Bay - once you clear the northern head of Bequia, you'll find that the wind will veer and you'll be able to point up towards Young Island.