Thursday February 27
Today I arrived form Carriacou, Grenada, by speedboat. In contrast to the first attempt a day earlier, the skipper is now at the pier on time. In Hillsborough we cannot provide his boat with the necessary papers, so we first sail to Tyrell Bay. Fill out paperwork, wait for the officer on duty and then set off with the boat. We sail back along the coast and cross to Union Island in half an hour. There are strong waves between the islands and although he is an experienced skipper, we sometimes bounce quite a bit on the waves. Once you arrive on Union Island, one of the Grenadines, you must register and stamp again. On Union Island I stay in one of the few houses that was not destroyed by the hurricane last July. Although everyone here assures me that things are better now, the devastation can still be seen everywhere. The beaches and islands off the coast are still fantastic, but the town of Clifton has been completely destroyed. The ferry to Saint Vincent now runs once a day and every day it picks up building materials in the afternoon and leaves again the next morning. I view the island and walk to Ashton, have the beach to myself and behind me most of the houses are in bad condition. The ferry takes me via Mayreau and Canouan and a beautiful boat trip along many islands to Kingstown on Saint Vincent. Kingstown is not special, but because I have accommodation a little further from the center, the driver takes me to the local bars, where he likes to meet friends. By the way, the weekend here starts at 12 noon on Friday and it seems that most people here convert a significant part of a week’s wages into beer or rum. In the evening we go to Calliaqua to enjoy a fish dish in the Four Shells. Another beautiful place where locals and tourists like to go. Bequia should not be missed and the ferry takes me there in 45 minutes. Here I can stay in a beautiful hotel on the mountain with a very beautiful view from my balcony. Someone drives to the village of Port Elizabeth 7 times a day and there are beautiful beaches along the coast. With an English couple I visit the beautiful beaches of Princess Margeret Bay and Lower Bay. Two gems. Near the rocks it is also wonderful to snorkel among the colored fish. Just a quick bar and a bite to eat and another successful day is over.
