Lots of Little Moves In the Last Week

From Clifton Harbor in Union Island, we have been to Petite St. Vincent (an island resort that allows us to anchor off and stroll the grounds) for two nights; then to Frigate Rock Anchorage off Union Island for one night; then back to Clifton Harbor to check out of customs in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (but who knew it was Heroes Day, a national holiday, so we had to check out at the airport and pay overtime rates; then to the big beautiful well protected, unspoiled natural Chatham Bay at the west side of Union Island for two nights; then to Hillsborough on Carriacou Island, which belongs to Grenada (where the cats got lawfully checked into Grenada customs and immigration, thereby relieving the greatest source of Lene's anxiety because having been checked in, they can now check out with us when we fly home with them), then (because Hillsborough is commercial and rolly, to the new mooring field behind Sandy Island which is a sandbar for two nights; and then to Petite Martinique, which belongs to Grenada, though ILENE is anchored back in Petite St. Vincent, half a mile away, where we are now. So it has been seven moves in seven days.

But the longest of them was not more than eight miles and these were easy sails in light winds with moderate sails up and pleasant overall. A few showers at night could not dampen our spirits but we have been plenty damp with snorkeling, the best of which was off Sandy Island, where Lene discovered what she called a playground for fish. In about 8 to 10 feet of water was the most abundant display of different corals and sea flora and small schools of perhaps 20 species of fish, brightly colored or translucent, over a bottom littered with long spiny black sea urchins. It was like swimming in an aquarium.

Other highlights of the last week in photos:
The rough north side of Sandy Island. A hurricane threw up the wall of broken coral pieces on that side which protects the sandbar. Union Island is in the background with Chatham Bay just left of the left point.
Sandy Island's south side looking East for most of its length. Our dink is on the beach. it is not crowded. The fish playground is off to the left. Carriacou is the high land a mile behind.
Sandy Island as seen from ILENE.
They are trying to develop Chatham Bay. The restaurant with pool is operational and expensive and one home is partially completed.
Lene on a bluff used to graze sheep high above Chatham Bay. One sailboat is visible at extreme right; ILENE is to the right of that boat out of sight from this vantage point.
A better view of the same Bay.
Sun Beach and Eat is a local restaurant. Tables are fabric covered 4 by 8 sheets of plywood and the fish is cooked on an outdoor grill. The proprietor is Seckie (everyone here goes by his or her nickname) who Rona and Tabou had told us back in St. Vincent, is their friend. He is the chef and his lady, Vanessa, the waitress. They were most hospitable. Seckie even waded into the Bay to help us land our dink. Shoes are optional and rarely worn. We met Seckie in Clifton where he had come around in his boat to invite boaters to his restaurant. Entrepreneurial spirit is strong in these islands. We said, No thanks; we are going to Seckie's who was recommended to us. He said "I am Seckie!"
Here are Finn and Ole, two Danes who have sailed Privateer a 60 foot Swan that they bought in San Francisco and sailed here five years ago. Sorry you can't see their faces in this photo due to shadows, but you can see their boat, behind them. For the non boaters among our readers, Swan means Rolls Royce. Lene invited them for my mango pancakes, where the photo was taken and after hiking, snorkeling, bathing and reading we had drinks on Privateer. The boat has everything that anyone could want in terms of design, equipment, and nothing but the best. Ole won an Olympic sailing medal in 1964 and they were a font of wisdom about sailing in these waters.
At Seckie's restaurant. We shared a four pound broiled, spiced Caribbean lobster, which was Lene's first, and delicious. They don't have the claw that Maine lobsters have. We had it with all the trimmings: breadfruit salad, rice, cabbage salad and fried plantains.
The anchorage behind Frigate Rock, where we stayed the night before. Union Island is in the background and a bit of the rock is to the right. The anchorage is not behind the main mass of the rock but behind the peninsula leading to Union Island so the boats are nicely protected from the ocean waves but not from the winds. Uncharacteristically four of the six boats anchored here last night flew US flags; normally US flagged boats are a distinct minority behind French, British and German flagged boats.
Frigate Rock. Perhaps its twin humps suggested the full sails of a schooner or frigate from the taller mainmast and the shorter foremast.
The shark tank at the Anchorage Yacht Club in Clifton.



Eleen was our steady produce vendor at Clifton Harbor. Her stall is surrounded by half a dozen others selling the same produce, all imported from St. Vincent; it is too dry to grow vegetables in the Grenadines.Our British neighbor at Petite St. Vincent.