Beautiful Bequia

May 15, 2009
Here we are again in beautiful Bequia. We stopped here for a couple of days last year with Randy and Aleitha so this blog is going to be a compilation of that visit and our visit this year.

Bequia is part of the political entity known as St. Vincent and the Grenadines. St. Vincent and the Grenadines gained their independence from Great Britain in 1979 and is now a parliamentary democracy with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state.

Bequia is the northernmost island of the Grenadines Islands. At seven square miles it is the largest of the islands that make up the Grenadines. About 5,000 people live on the island and the ones we have met have been very welcoming and friendly.

As with other Caribbean islands, Bequia was first settled by Amerindians from South America, the most recent being the Caribs. The French were the first Europeans in control of the island and they ceded the island to Britain in 1763.

The island existed on sugar, cotton and cocoa until the mid-1800's when emancipation of the slaves resulted in the decline of the plantations. The island inhabitants then turned back to the sea for survival and boat-building became a renowned skill here. This remains so today, although tourism is also a major industry.

We have had the opportunity to see some of the seafaring skills the islands still in use. We spent an enjoyable hour at the Shipbuilders' Museum with Lawson Sargeant. He is the original model boat builder on the island. The museum had pictures of the boats that were built on the island and as well as there are some large - some 6 feet long- models of whaling boats and sailing vessels. All of the models were carved by Lawson and other model builders. He had pictures of a presentation he made to Queen Elizabeth II of a model of the royal yacht BRITANNIA. The other boat of note that he pointed out was the WATER PEARL. This was a sailing yacht built on the island in the 70,s for Bob Dylan. Dylan's captain later grounded it on a reef in Venezuela.

We toyed with the idea of having a model of Mystic Journey made to put on the piano when we finish our journey. However, the price tag of $1,000.00 USD for a model 2 feet in length soon put that idea to rest.

Besides the model boat builders there are still boat builders on the island that build the historical whaling boats which are still in use today. There is one whaling ship still in use in Bequia. The FRIENDSHIP ROSE is currently being restored and is used as a tour ship during the season.

Whaling still occurs on the island. Bequia has been granted aboriginal whaling rights by the International Whaling Commission and islanders as a whole can harpoon no more than 4 whales each year. In fact one was harpooned a couple of weeks before we arrived. They still hunt the whale in a sail powered whaler that holds 7 men. Once the whale is found and harpooned the sail is lowered and then there are 5 men on the oars, 1 at the bow with the harpoon and 1 at the stern with a steering oar. Once the whale is harpooned and under control then it is towed back to the island by a whaling ship. First they sew up the mouth though so the whale doesn't fill with water and pull the boat down. When the whale is brought ashore the entire population gets a share of the catch. The meat is cooked using the whale blubber for liquid.

May 16, 2009
Today we decided to reset our anchor. The bottom here is sand over gravel with patches of sea grass, not the best bottom for holding an anchor, and we were slowly moving backwards at our first anchorage. We spent the morning re-anchoring, having the barge come out with diesel and water and planning on what we were going to go between here and Grenada. By early afternoon we were content that our anchor was set and we could safely leave the boat.

We took the dinghy and set out to explore the beach area of both Princess Margaret Beach, where we are anchored, and Lower Beach. We did not get out of the dinghy, but were able to see that there was a good place for snorkeling between the two beaches. Then we headed towards Port Elizabeth, the capital where we do our shopping etc.

When we got to the town dock we couldn't tie up. Some islanders had set out a fishing net that enclosed the dock area and were in the process of pulling the net in. We held on to the side of the FRIENDSHIP ROSE and watched. There was a lot of shouting going on and it took us a while to figure out what they were trying to do. The ends of the net were on either side of the dock. What they were doing was moving one end over to the other side of the dock so that they could have the ends of the net together thus encircling the fish. In order to do that they had to bring the net underneath the few fishing boats and dinghies tied to the dock. Unfortunately no one seemed to know how to lift the motors out of the water and the net was getting caught on the propeller blades. Eventually one man did go from boat to boat and lifted the motors. Finally both ends of the net were together and they started to pull. It was interesting watching as there were a lot of people involved in pulling the net in, including children and a least one lady in a skirt. We don't know what kind of fish was caught, but they were about 15 - 18 inches in length and fairly numerous. I was surprised by the noise the fish made. I can't describe it. I don't know if it was from them thrashing about on the shore or from them gasping out of water. So that was another experience of life on the island.

May 17, 2009
Today is Sunday and the bay is filling with sailboats. We decided to go for a walk and head across the island to Friendship Bay. This is a bay on the south east corner of the island that we are thinking of staying in for a night on our way to Mustique, the next island on our journey. We had travelled there by car last year, but it was an enjoyable walk across the island. Not as steep as the walk at the Pitons. One fellow offered his house, at least I assume it was his house, for sale for $100,000 ECD ($1USD=$2.75ECD). We declined. Another fellow asked me to take his picture - he said we could use it on a postcard. We gave him $2ECD for posing. I don't usually take pictures of the islanders without asking. Quite often they do expect to be paid. Better to find that out before you take the picture not after.

After getting to Friendship Bay we decided we would not go there to anchor. There is nothing there except a white/black sand beach and there was a fairly large swell today which means it would be a very rolly anchorage. We'll just stay put here in Admiralty Bay until we decide it is time to move on.

On the way back to the boat we stopped at the Bamboo Chute Resort and Spa for a fish and chips dinner. We were overlooking the bay and could see Mystic Journey as she turned on her anchor.
After lunch we headed back to the boat and spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening watching other boats anchor and re-anchor as they tried to find their place in the bay. We ended the day with our usual episodes of M*A*S*H and Stargate.