We sailed out of Prince Rupert Bay in Dominica last night on our way south to the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Sunrise was at approximately 6:35 a.m. over the island of Bequia. Our destination of Union Island is a three-hour sail further. The weather was a 77 degrees Fahrenheit at 8:00 with a breeze from the east. The crew went aloft at 8:15 to hoist sails. Our speed under sail was 7.2 knots. At 9:30 Tom Heffernan gave a talk on the languages of the Caribbean. After Tom’s talk Ian gave an introduction to the use of the iPhone camera. We had a good wind for much of the morning and sailing was superb.
Lunch was on the Lido Deck and after lunch we got ourselves ready for our visit to Chatham Bay on Union Island. Few places today can be called pristine tropical paradises but Union Island can legitimately be called that. I saw three small fishing boats from Trinidad/Tobago taking a respite in the bay. A quick Zodiac ride to the beach and a wet landing and we were there. The island is one mile by three and has two villages. The three thousand inhabitants live in the two villages of Clifton and Ashton. Palm trees, tropical almond, and sea grape gently moved in the breeze. On arrival at 2:30 on the beach, those of us who wished to snorkel followed Patti and Ian and the swimmers remained with Tom Heffernan.
Chatham Bay has a few classic and famous, or should I say infamous, “Rum Shacks” run by their respective proprietors Shark Attack and Ball Head—both irrepressible characters. There is no power in their “restaurants” and keeping drinks cold is a herculean feat. The guests enjoyed the snorkeling and the sea was inviting and warm. Brown boobies and pelicans were continually diving in the bay for fish. Swimming in the sea at Chatham Bay is calming and invigorating. After swimming we lay on the beach and after an appropriate amount of sunning we gravitated to the “Rum Shacks.” The hills of Union Island rose up before us green and lush and the tropical sea was aquamarine. There are two walks which some took and the road curves around the back of the island to the villages.
The last Zodiac to leave this magical place was full at 6:00 p.m. and I suspect few wanted to leave as the sun began to set in the west!
