Swimming with the Turtles

A Tobago Cays turtle

Updated 12/13/12

Enjoyed a couple of extra days at Frigate Island to let the winds and seas die down a bit.  Went into Aston one day with More Mischief and Cheetah II and ran into Michael the fisherman who taught us how to snag lobster in Chatham Bay, I told him how the lobster stick I made broke when trying to snag a lobster and he offered to make me a new one, he said he would put it in the dinghy for me.  About an hour later he caught up with us in town and he actually made me three, one of which was rigged up, what a great guy. The locals were very friendly and we had a good time visiting with them.

Nyasha one of the vegatable/fruit ladies at the market in Clifton

We left Frigate Island on Monday the 3^rd winds ENE 12-14 kts initially and dropped to 10-12 mid-morning.  Had a beautiful sail to Mayreau on the windward side enroute we saw a very large clipper ship called the Royal Clipper, we anchored behind a reef into Upper Bay.  This area is part of the Tobago Cays reserve so no taking fish or lobster.  More Mischief and Cheetah II anchored nearby and we went for a snorkel and saw numerous lobsters(they were teasing us), I should have at least practiced with my lobster stick and released any catch but I didn’t.  This was a very nice anchorage.

Next morning we moved over and anchored at Tobago Cays for a few days, enjoyed much snorkeling and exploring around the cays.  A lot more activity here now as the season is getting busy, the Royal Clipper anchored out just north of the cays while we were there and ferried people in to one of the islands.  They brought in all their own food and bar set-up so none of the locals really got any of their business which was too bad because they were barbecuing up some beautiful lobster and potatoes. 

The Royal Clipper

Grilling lobsters and potatoes on the beach, I got a laugh out of the guy when I said I should go get my lobster stick and snag one of these baby's

A reef shot at Tobago Cays

Michael, Stan and Hilda examine topping used on potato's

Me at a reef on Frigate trying to tickle a lobster out from under a rock.

Trumpet fish at Tobago Cays

 Underwater photo credits go to Michael - More Mischief

We departed Tobago Cays on Thurs. the 6^th with More Mischief to check out the windward side of Canouan, Friendship Bay turned out to be to rolly so we decided to head north to Baliceaux.  It was a long day sailing with winds out of the ENE 14-16 kts.  It was made long mainly because of the 3 barracuda and 1 tuna caught along the way .  

Just wait till my big brother finds out.

  
We ended up throwing back the 3^rd barracuda because he was small and frankly we had more than enough fish.  We also had a tragic moment when the outboard engine on the dinghy came off the stern of the dinghy and took a swim in the ocean, it was a bit of a chore to get it back in but Stan muscled it in.  This little episode left us very concerned not knowing what it was going to take to get it running after a saltwater bath .  Once we got anchored in Baliceaux Stan did as much as he could to give the engine a fresh water bath until it got dark.  We enjoyed a nice fresh tuna dinner with Michael and Hilda that night.

Most of Friday was spent working on the outboard but when Stan got it back together to our complete amazement and happiness it started after several pulls although on plug had to pulled and cleaned a few times after it was running as good as always.  I cannot tell you how relieved we were that the outboard came back to life, lesson learned “always double check motor clamps are secure”.

We spent a couple of days at Baliceux, did some snorkeling and Michael and Stan did some fishing with no luck.  It is a nice spot, we were the only 2 boats there.I think the southern point of this island is the trigger fish capital of the world, as the last time we were here I saw another ocean trigger in addition to all the others, very impressive.
  

We left for Admirlty Bay in Bequia as some strong winds are due to come in and we decided to get settled in a safe place.  It was a nice sail winds up to 18-20 kts ENE. Dropped anchor in the northeast corner of the bay and could not find good holding so we moved back to where we had anchored in sand the last time we were here and anchor dug in nice and secure.  More Mischief followed us over as they had the same problem, although this spot will be a little more rolly the fact that our anchors won’t drag is a much better feeling.  The winds have been as high as 37 knots since we got here and the snorkeling has not been great because the waters are turbid from the action of the swells/waves.
  

So we are back in Bequia until likely Monday the 17^th to give the seas a chance to settle down, the plan is  head for the Pitons in St. Lucia.  In the meantime we have been enjoying our time here in Bequia, we went on a island tour with More Mischief, our tour guide Uncle Kevin. pictures to follow in next blog entry.

Cheetah II showed up along with several other familiar boats we have been seeing in our travels.  As usual there are always several boat projects being done along with enjoying activities on shore. Tomorrow we are taking the ferry to St. Vincent the only safe way to visit that island.  Cost of goods are supposed to be half of what they are here in Bequia, we shall see.

Take care and stay tuned and be safe over the holidays.  I am wishing for the 2  north easters to dump mega snow back home next week :-)

Elizabeth