In the winter of 2018 we set sail from the beautiful island of Grenada and made our way up-island. After spending time in Grenadines, we decided to sail to the island of St. Vincent. We had read about the island’s tall mountains, winding roads, adventurous hikes, black sand beaches, and lush tropical landscape.
Although we had taken a lot of photos of our time in St. Vincent, all but a handful of photos are lost. We will do our best to describe our time there and hopefully with the photos we managed to salvage, you will understand what a wonderful experience we had there.
After a close-hauled sail from the tiny island of Bequia, we found ourselves in Blue Lagoon on the south coast of St. Vincent. This location had been recommended to us by other cruisers, and it was quite interesting. We had heard and read that the entrance to the lagoon could be a bit tricky, as we would have to maneuver through an opening in a reef.
A bit nervous, we slowly moved forward, my eyes constantly transitioning between the depth instrument and L.J., who stood at the bow and directed me through the opening in the reef. Luckily, we found the passage into the lagoon fairly straight forward and we had no issues. Once inside the lagoon, we secured our boat to a mooring ball, prepared the dinghy and went ashore to check things out.
Since we were paying for a mooring through the Blue Lagoon Marina, we had access to their dinghy dock and to their showers. If you’ve been living on a boat at anchor for an extended period of time, you will understand how exciting it can be to have access to what we refer to as “Royal Showers.” Long, hot showers are a real treat!
The staff at the marina was very friendly, answered our questions and after they explained to us where we could find a grocery store, we went for short walk down the road to the little village of Calliaqua. The road was embellished with tropical foliage that would often part to display picturesque views of blue waters.
People alongside the road greeted us and smiled. Entrepreneurs were minding their roadside BBQ’s, serving hot plates of delicious Caribbean food.
After walking for a short while, we thought that perhaps we had missed the grocery store. We asked a group of locals in front of a restaurant and they gave us directions, assuring us that it was just a bit further. They were right. We were soon at the store and purchasing a few staples we needed to replenish in our floating galley.
Once we were back at the marina, we stopped at the beach bar and enjoyed a couple of Hairouns (St. Vincent’s beer) before going back to the boat. We could have stayed in Blue Lagoon and explored the island from there, but we had heard so many good things about Kearton’s Bay on the leeward side of the island, that we couldn’t wait to get there. And we sure are glad we decided to go to Kearton’s; it was one of the highlights of our Caribbean sailing.
What made Kearton’s Bay so special wasn’t just the picturesque setting with crystal clear waters, or the nearby cave that was said to be in one of The Pirates of the Caribbean films. The most special thing about Kearton’s Bay was the people.
We knew that it would not be possible to anchor in this bay, that the Rock Side Cafe managed moorings that we could use for free if we had dinner at the restaurant. We had already phoned ahead and Rosi told us to call on our way in and she would send someone out to help us secure to the mooring ball.
True to her word, Rosi sent Squin and his friend out in a rowboat to help us as soon as we entered the bay. Squin secured us to two moorings, one at the bow and one at the stern. They explained that this would help us be more comfortable should any swell work its way into the anchorage.
Squin offered to come back later and take us to shore for dinner, as it could be tricky landing the dinghy ashore. Once everything was arranged, we stored our sailing items and took a quick dip in the beautiful, crystal clear water.
Later, after our swim, several locals rowed out in their wooden boats to greet us and show us jewelry and keepsakes they had made, offers of fresh fish they had just caught, and produce they had grown in their gardens. We had previously heard some not so nice stories of sailors being bombarded by locals in St. Vincent, but we can honestly say that we did not have that experience.
The locals who stopped by our boat were all very respectful and we only ever had one approach us at a time. We personally felt that the items they were selling were fairly priced and unique to the island. We were happy to purchase items from them, and we ended up with some very nice things–some for our own keepsakes, and others we gifted to family and friends.
That evening, Squin came by just as he promised and rowed us ashore for dinner. We met Ceasar, the cafe’s guard who would remain on the beach and constantly shine a large spotlight on our boat while we enjoyed our meal. From where we sat in the restaurant, we had a clear view of our boat on the mooring.
The meal was absolutely fabulous. Rosi first served us each a complimentary glass of her famous rum punch. The meal was large, if I recall correctly, there were four courses. Everything was delicious. Throughout the meal, we learned that Rosi was originally from Germany. Rosi was surprised that L.J. and I had lived in Dresden, Germany. We had a great conversation with her about Germany and German food and beer of course, because who could speak about Germany and not fantasize about the delicious food and famous beers?
We also learned that Rosi’s husband, Orlando was from St. Vincent and that he used to work on the Windjammer cruises. After Orlando and Rosi met and married, they opened the Rock Side Cafe at their home.
We explained to Rosi that we wanted to see a little bit of the island, and that we also needed to clear out of the country. We thought we could receive clearance just around the corner at Wallilabou Bay, but Rosi informed us that it was very likely no one would be working in that location.
Rosi told us about a local who could give us an island tour and perhaps he could make a special stop for us to receive our clearance. She arranged everything, and told us that Squin would pick us up again in the morning to take us to shore.
The next morning, we had the honor of meeting Gary, more commonly known as Red Eye.
Red Eye is a farmer in St. Vincent, but he also takes people on tours of the island. He took us to the Botanical Gardens, stopping along the way to show us magnificent views and share some of the island history with us. He told us stories of his childhood in St. Vincent and how he spent much of his childhood at his grandmother’s house.
Red Eye was only a young boy when the volcano, La Soufriere, had last erupted in 1979. He described the suddenness of the eruption, the ash falling from the sky like snow, and the fear that gripped him and still affected him 40 years later.
Red Eye drove us all the way to Blue Lagoon so we could clear out of St. Vincent and leave the following morning. He offered to stop by the grocery store or any other places we wanted to go.
On the way back to Kearton’s Bay, Red Eye told us about his farm and the different fruits and vegetables he grows. As we neared Kearton’s, he saw a family member of his alongside the road with a bucket of golden apples and he stopped to give him a ride. Before he dropped the man off at his destination, Red Eye reached into the man’s bucket and took out several golden apples to give to us.
Once we were back at Rock Side and paid Red Eye what we considered a very fair price, he told us that next time we came back he would take us to his farm and show us around.
We knew we would return. Our time there had been so short, and there was so much we had not seen. Unfortunately, we have yet to return. Life sometimes gets in the way, but one day we will go back. And we will go back to Kearton’s Bay and look for Rosi, Orlando, Squin, Caesar, and Red Eye.
If you have been following the news, you will know that La Soufriere has been erupting since 9 April 2021. The island of St. Vincent is covered in heavy ash-fall, thousands of people have had to evacuate their homes and they will be lucky to have homes to return to after the volcanic destruction. The island is short on supplies and the fresh water sources have been compromised.
Please, consider making a small donation to help the people of St. Vincent during this horrific natural disaster. Every donation helps, regardless of the amount.
Action Bequia is a reliable organization out of Bequia in the Grenadines. They are collecting money for the following items needed in St. Vincent:
Our hearts go out to the people of St. Vincent. Especially to the people who were so kind to us during our time there… Red Eye, Rosi, Orlando, Squin, Caesar, and so many others.
Adventures of SV Soltara 