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| Jack Sparrow |
The feast was great and the rum flowed abundantly. The cook had fired up the grill and there was lobster in abundance. Jack Sparrow had withdrawn a little from the others with Elizabeth and lay with her under one of the many shady trees on the beach. Admittedly, he didn't need the shade now, as the sun had already set and an insanely starry sky was visible. He gazed up at the sky above Petit Bateau in the Tobago Cays. He told Elizabeth the story of when he first came to the island. A sad story for him, and one he did not like to remember. After the mutiny on the Black Pearl, he was marooned here, with a pistol and a bullet, and was already very close to death. But the island was a smuggler's nest where there was a lot of trade. This is how he ended up in Mayreau and finally in Canouan. Since then, his thoughts have been dominated by revenge against Hector Barbossa. The lobster is delicious and comes with rice, potatoes and vegetables. So a huge portion, but also a huge price. With 270EC$ the dinner strikes to book, that are round 90 €. Slowly we run out of money and have to find an ATM, which is not so easy on the small islands. The Tobago Cays are an offshore reef of the small island of Mayreau about 3 nautical miles northeast of Union Island, the southernmost islands of the Grenadines. Behind the horseshoe-shaped outer reef, one lies protected from the approaching breakers of the Atlantic. Only at high tide and strong wind, it becomes restless. But the colors are unique. Turquoise and blue predominate. I drop into the water, with diving goggles and fins, and plop down, directly under the ship on the first turtle. With a deft move, it dodges and strives to the surface to catch its breath. I spot a second one and am with them for quite a while. The current is very strong and you have to be careful not to get swept away, so fins are highly recommended. We stay two nights and visit the small island of Baradel the next day. From the small elevation you have a wonderful view over the reef. Due to the shallow water it is a kite paradise. In the closed off turtle area I find again some turtles and fish. Unforgettable!
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| Lobster, Tobago Cays |
The next day we sail to Mayreau in the Saltwhistle Bay. The small bay in the northwest of the island is very well known and narrow. Nevertheless, we find a place and experience the night much quieter than the two nights on the outer reef. Numerous beach bars line the beach. A hotel is embedded in a plamen grove, but it is not in operation. After the next morning, seven charter catamarans board the bay, it becomes crowded and uncomfortable. We change to Saline Bay, where it is much more relaxed. The bay is large and there is plenty of space. While checking the anchor, I discover a white-spotted ray cracking sea urchins in search of food. How he does that is a mystery to me, because such a sea urchin is quite spiky. The long sandy beach belongs to us almost alone and I try to get hold of one of the countless coconuts, which is not so easy due to the height of the trees. In the afternoon we hike along a salt lake to the windward side of the island. "The Ranch Escapade", a nice restaurant, has been here since 2020. Open only a few weeks, it had to close right away because of the Corona Pandemic. Now it is open again and we order Red Snaper for dinner. As the only guests, we enjoy the full attention of our hosts and learn a lot about the island.
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| Tobago Cays |
We do not want to leave the island without having visited the place. So we set off to climb the steeply rising road, in the process we work up quite a sweat and our tongues almost drag on the concrete slope. This is not exactly without danger, since there are nevertheless some stray dogs, which could fall victim to a mix-up. During the ascent I think about what would be worse, the confusion as food or that of a tree on which dog, lifting the little leg. As a precaution, we pull them in and finally reach the hilltop where a Catholic church stands. From here we have again a fantastic view of the reef with its splendor of colors, in azure and turquoise. In a bar with a view over the Saline Bay and the near Union Island, we finally solve our tongue problem. Since the rum must never run out at Jack Sparrow, we supply ourselves in the supermarket next door.
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| Saline Bay, Mayreau |
Another day later we sail to Canouan. The island is located northeast of Mayreau and we cannot reach it directly. The 4 nautical miles become 16 nautical miles, which we have to sail. Finally we reach Charlestown Bay shortly after four o'clock and drop anchor at five meters in the sand. During the night we are hit by heavy gusts whistling down from the hills. We had such gusts last time on the Canary Island of La Palma. With up to 40 knots, I kept cautious anchor watch. Only against morning the wind dropped and I crawl dead tired into my bunk. Nevertheless, we will now set off to look for the traces of Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth, and explore the place. But we'll tell you about that next week. If you want to continue to share our experiences, visit us on our homepage www.glenswelt.com and subscribe to the blog. You can always find the latest information on Instagram and TikTok under glenswelt_segelyacht_katinka or @glenswelt_sy_katinka. As always, faie winds and keep a stiff upper lip.
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| "Turtle", Tobago Cays |
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| Turtle, Tobago Cays |
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