So one day while enjoying an excess of rum punch at the weekly Thursday night jump up steel pans extravaganza at Frangipani, I bought drinks for a guy who only had Euros - which they wouldn't take at the bar. I'll be using Euros at some point, right? Francis introduced me to his friend Sam and we all became fast friends. They had just arrived in Bequia that evening but are down here running running charters throughout the Caribbean on Sam's boat, the Zenaida, a 50 ft sailing yacht with multiple cabins.
Over the next few days, it so happened that Russell, my captain, was expecting friends in for a visit and would be quite busy anyway, so I took the opportunity to jump ship and hop aboard the Zenaida for an in between charters excursion to the Tobago Cays which Russell had said were a must see - the jewel of the Grenadines. So we sailed south and had a gorgeous day for sailing. We were almost immediately joined by dolphins leaping and twining about our bow. Francis and Sam are both skippers of their own boats and Francis is also a sailing instructor while Sam is a dive master. Between the two of them I learned much about how to raise and trim sails, maintain a course, set an anchor.
We spent 3 days tooling about - snorkeling, swimming and enjoying the intense beauty around us. It is difficult to describe the colors that were before us. As if every shade of blue imaginable were laid out in interlocking patterns, backlit and glowing, and swirled together at the edges like oil colors drifting on the surface of water....swirling and swirling around each other but never quite mixing. The aqua colors were so bright you felt the sun was below the water ready to rise at any moment. While enjoying this lovely display, we saw a sea turtle serenely paddle past our boat. One evening at Union Island we took our dinghy to a bar that was built on a pile of conch shells in the middle of the reef. There was no other way to get there and no land around it. It was it's own tiny island where people came in dinghy's galore to watch the sun go down over a rum punch with fresh grated nutmeg and tasty popcorn.
Over the next few days, it so happened that Russell, my captain, was expecting friends in for a visit and would be quite busy anyway, so I took the opportunity to jump ship and hop aboard the Zenaida for an in between charters excursion to the Tobago Cays which Russell had said were a must see - the jewel of the Grenadines. So we sailed south and had a gorgeous day for sailing. We were almost immediately joined by dolphins leaping and twining about our bow. Francis and Sam are both skippers of their own boats and Francis is also a sailing instructor while Sam is a dive master. Between the two of them I learned much about how to raise and trim sails, maintain a course, set an anchor.
We spent 3 days tooling about - snorkeling, swimming and enjoying the intense beauty around us. It is difficult to describe the colors that were before us. As if every shade of blue imaginable were laid out in interlocking patterns, backlit and glowing, and swirled together at the edges like oil colors drifting on the surface of water....swirling and swirling around each other but never quite mixing. The aqua colors were so bright you felt the sun was below the water ready to rise at any moment. While enjoying this lovely display, we saw a sea turtle serenely paddle past our boat. One evening at Union Island we took our dinghy to a bar that was built on a pile of conch shells in the middle of the reef. There was no other way to get there and no land around it. It was it's own tiny island where people came in dinghy's galore to watch the sun go down over a rum punch with fresh grated nutmeg and tasty popcorn. 
We had a lovely time wandering, sailing and adventuring. The best part for all of you - is that they are still down here. For those of you slowly dying from lack of sunshine or freezing in the cold and in need of a little tropical adventure - I highly recommend that you give these guys a call. You can find all their information on www.IslandBoundCharters.com and if it is in your power you should come on down here for a little respite. If you have never been sailing before - this is your chance to give it a try in a place where there is rarely bad weather - the winds are almost always good, and they take care of everything for you - so you don't have to worry about it being MY kind of adventure. I know some people like things a little more comfortable than the way I tend to travel. They even have flush toilets on their boat, and private bathrooms for each cabin. A little taste of luxury in a gorgeous location. Anyway, I've met a lot of people in the tourism industry over the years and when you set something up from afar you never quite know what you'll be getting - so I can tell you right now that these guys were extremely helpful, thoughtful and expert in their fields, as well as being entertaining, humorous, and just plain fun to be around. I never wanted to leave. They can do day charters, long weekends, week long or whatever you are looking for. If you have never been sailing, I have to say it's amazing and something everyone should try sometime. And I can't think of a better place to do it than down here in "every day is beautiful land". Anyway - if you have any trouble reaching them just let me know and I can hook you up. I'm in Martinique now - so if you happen to book a charter you should book it up here - then you can visit ME!!!!
Anyway....we returned to Bequia and they still had a day to spare so we rented a moke for the day. For those of you unfamiliar with a moke, it's like a go-cart or dune buggy with no doors and an engine like a lawn mower. Needless to say, tons of fun. We drove on every road on the island of Bequia - as far as we dared. I mentioned before how steep some of those roads were - we often weren't sure if the engine would get us up the hills. Some of the roads were also on the beach made of shifting sands and tufts of beach grass. When we came to speed bumps we all had to get out while Francis drove over the bumps because we couldn't clear the muffler otherwise. Made much easier by the fact that there were no doors. It was an adventurous day. Among many other things, we visited the Old Hegg turtle sanctuary where Mr. King collects sea turtle eggs and raises the turtles until they are 5 years old, then releases them back into the wild - thus greatly increasing the chance of survival for these endangered creatures. There were turtles everywhere and even one who danced if you caressed her shell.
Later that night we discovered several full moon parties in full swing - on the back side of the island. So, with our trusty moke and Francis as our designated driver and our new friend Robbie from Fresno who was hitchhiking to South America, we all trucked off to see what was up. The weather was perfect. The moon was full. And the wind was pure power. The first party was at a yacht club with a grassy area out back before the beach - with wooden beach chairs under palm trees and the full moon gazing down. A group of local people were jamming on a variety of instruments in a local style of music with an eclectic assortment of covers thrown in - including some Bob Marley (of course) and "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw?" The second party was at Friendship Bay with a bonfire blazing on the beach. The fire warmed and exhilarated. We enjoyed this party as well with good music inside and people spilling out down the beach. But by far the best spot that night was at a point on a bluff overlooking the windward side of the island - a cliff dropping away to the ocean below, where we stopped for a moment to stand out on the rocks. I stood on top of one rock sticking out over the edge with my arms raised up and my face lifted to the sky. The wind buffeted me like to lift me from the earth and the moonglow poured down filling me with light. I felt as though I could stand there and drop my roots down, deep into the earth, root there on that rock like a tree with my branches raised up to the light and blissfully enjoy that wind enveloping me for eternity. The wind that never stops is what I will always remember most about Bequia, my first port of call.
I'll leave you with a beautiful sunset to bring with you through your day....
If you want to see any of the rest of my photos - they are all uploaded on www.flickr.commy user name is nomad poet. hope you enjoy the photos.....
signing off from Bequia - next stop : Martinique!
see you on the flip side.....
NOMAD POET
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