A tour through the Grenadines

Chatham Bay

Saturday morning, by nine we were heading south. The Captain put his index finger on the chart over the Tobago Cays. The reality was, once we got closer, that there were still a lot of swells from the north and he changed course to Union Island, the kite surfing paradise. For sure there were a lot of people practising the sport.

We anchored in Clifton Bay behind the reef for one night, but it was really rolly and next morning we moved to another spot, called Chatham Bay, on the lee side of the island, and stay one night to wait for the swells to slow down and then go to Tobago Cays. Our first encounter with an boat boy was with this 25 years old guy with big eyes and always open smile, named Dindin. He welcomed us and told us the whole scoop about the place. He works for a restaurant on the beach, motoring around the anchorage trying to get customers to come ashore for drinks and food.

The third day we were ready for the Tobago Cays experience, so we took off about nine, and went around Union Island and then to the sparkling blue water spot. It looks like a well maintained swimming pool, just perfect. We got there at low tide, anchored, and went snorkelling on the reef, about quarter of a mile away. What a beautiful experience, we saw manta rays, puffer fish, parrot fish, sponges and corals, little craps of every kind... majestic! “Like swimming inside an aquarium” Jim said.

When the tide started coming in, the waves started breaking over the reef and the boat began to rock and roll. And we are talking about really rocking and rolling! “This will cure you from getting seasick”, said Jim, bracing and holding on while the boat rocked. That night I prepared a tasty menu in a shaky galley, almost like a song name, including choreography, that we called the sailing dance. Jim got it down pretty quick, but I couldn't get Archie to dance it, he just laughed. Ah! The menu: Black bean salad with Caribbean spice peppers and bay leaves; white rice and fried plantains. Jim was in charge of fixing a very nice tuna sushimi, with a yellow fin tuna Archie caught with his wallet. It was so fresh that it was still dripping blood. The bottle of Argentinian white wine hit us hard, so by 9 o' clock we were numb and went to sleep, not kidding, in literally a washing machine.

We were all awake by 6, Archie and I didn't complain, but the skipper was all beat up and said: “Did everybody get enough of the Tobago Cays?” He was ready to set sail for a calmer anchorage.

AnechyNotes