October 2009 eBook all pages (free PDF, 36.6 - Latitude 38

WORLD
than exhilarating. In fact, a few of us
discovered the intended use of the heavy
nylon line that stretched from post to
post on the davits — the barf line!
Once in the lee of St Vincent, everything
calmed down, and we could again
marvel at the dramatic western coastline,
picking out spots such as Wallilabou Bay
where the Pirates of the Caribbean films
were shot.
Admiralty Bay, on Bequia, was the
welcome anchorage at the end of that
long sail. It had been a challenging trip,
but the rough spots were all but forgotten
after a refreshing swim, cocktails with
dinner and a beautiful sunset.
We all enjoyed exploring ashore, but
Sumner, aka Scout, had a particularly
memorable experience. She later wrote:
"The day we arrived at Bequia, I knew
that this was the island for me. From our
cat I could see white sand beaches, colorful
buildings and small clothing stalls
with wild swirls of sarongs and batiks
fluttering in the wind. I was instantly
in love with this island that was so apparently
full of vibrant, slightly chaotic
culture that was so unlike anything I had
ever experienced.
"Once ashore, I soon found myself
wandering into an open-air vegetable
and fruit market that was full of people
wearing beanies, with smiles that spread
from ear to ear. A large man began telling
me why I should buy his fruit. 'Do
you see my teeth? Do you know how I
keep dem so nice and white?' He smiled,
showing off a row of pearly whites. 'My
teeth are clean because I eat de fruit, all
de time I eat de fruit.' Then to my sur-
The vibrant colors of nature in the tropics capture
the imaginations of local residents, who
often paint their shops in bright pastel hues.
ALL PHOTOS PATRICK SOMERS & LAURA FORBES
prise, he popped a giant piece of juicy
mango into my mouth. This happened
repeatedly with other fruit vendors
throughout the market until I had met
everyone and knew them by name.
"Unfortunately, my name is uncommon
and was hard for them to pronounce,
so they all decided to call me
Queenie. I have to admit, I do like that
name."
With customs and immigration, plus
last-minute provisioning attended to in
Bequia, we felt ready for the next adventure.
Leaving Admiralty Bay toward West
Cay, we took our time and sailed as close
to shore as possible as the intriguing
Moonhole achitectural experiment is
tucked in behind this isthmus. Windowless
housing structures protruding out
of the rock or using the rock as structure,
it's not for everybody, but very cool
nonetheless.
Rounding that point and taking a
heading to the southeast, you can begin
to see the archipelago of islands that
"We be havin' some fun now!" Cat chartering in
the southern Caribbean. Is there really anything
not to like about it? Inset: A new friend.
make up the bounty of the Grenadines.
Chris Doyle's Sailor's Guide to the Windward
Islands, respectfully known as ' the
bible', cautions one to take some time to
make correct IDs of rocks and islands,
as depth perception may be impaired,
and incorrectly naming an island could
obviously lead to trouble.
Winds were up to 20+ knots with
relatively big seas as we set an easterly
course for Mustique. There again, we had
our pick of mooring balls as we settled
into Britannia Bay. It felt very good to
be there. I think we all shared a long
moment of simple contentment.
Harbor patrollers Slick and Chrissy
went out of their way to show off their
new Harbor Patrol Zodiac and make
us feel welcome. Neither trying to sell
anything nor gather a tip, they kept returning
to our vessel, Southern Blue. It
wasn't hard to see that they were clearly
enchanted by 'the babes' aboard our