# St. Vincent Bareboat



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

OK Charterers I need some advice. I have a 7 day bareboat scheduled for March out of St. Vincent and am looking for someone that has done this before. I pulled up a sample itinerary for a 2 week flotilla and have pasted it below, but we are only there for 7 days. Any recommendations as to a better 7 dayer and the preferred places to stop at? Only looking for 3-4 hours of sailing per day ---

Appreciate any comments. See sample 14 day itinerary below:
Day 1
Arrive Sunsail Hotel and Lagoon Marina, St. Vincent
Arrive at The Lagoon Hotel and Marina with excellent facilities including its own restaurant and bar. Take a dip in the pool and end your day relaxed and ready to start your adventure! 

Day 2
Admiralty Bay, Bequia 8miles /1-1.5hrs
A thorough chart briefing and an exhilarating cruise across to Bequia. A good anchorage with a local market, a few bars and lots of art and craft shops ashore. Welcome punch party in the evening to get everyone in the Caribbean mood!

Day 3
Britannia Bay, Mustique 14miles 2-2.5hrs
A great stop for horseback riding, scuba diving, shopping or celeb spotting at the famous Basil’s Bar.

Day 4
Saltwhistle Bay, Mayreau 18miles /3hrs
A sweeping sandy bay joining other long, secluded beaches through the palm trees - idyllic beachcombing at a very romantic anchorage.

Day 5
Tobago Cays 4miles /30mins
A tight cluster of tiny desert islands of sandy, palm-fringed beaches protected by an outer reef. Explore the giant lagoon housing colorful coral, with shoals of all shapes and sizes of fish.

Day 6
Clifton Harbour, Union (customs) 5miles /1.5hrs
Visit this busy town with friendly, helpful locals for a great insight into life in the Grenadines. Clifton has everything - banks, supermarkets, Internet cafe, restaurants. The yacht club here is also excellent.

Day 7
St. Georges, Grenada 40miles/ 7hrs 
In the Caribbean Grenada is known as the place to spice up your life. With black and white sand beaches, waterfalls, lakes, sulphur springs and spice plantations the tourist board call it ‘the island next door where the rest of the Caribbean escapes’.

Day 8
Free Sailing

Day 9
Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou 32miles /6-7hrs
A big protected bay on the largest of the Grenadines (six miles long by five miles wide).

Day 10
Chatham Bay, Union (customs) 8miles/ 1.5hrs
This west coast stop is the usual place for the group BBQ ashore. Local musicians come along to perform and this is usually a great party. Excellent snorkeling around the rocks and reef. 

Day 11
Petit St. Vincent 5miles/ 1hr
A charming small island resort with nice walks and hammocks ready and waiting from where you can dinghy across to Mopion - everyone’s idea of an idyllic desert island.

Day 12
Canouan 8miles /1.5hrs
Known as the Heart of the Grenadines, this is a fantastic island for sports and activities. Beautiful lagoons, tennis, hiking and golf galore!

Day 13
Admiralty Bay, Bequia 18miles /3hrs>
Re-visit your favourites from Day 2.

Day 14
Sunsail Lagoon Hotel and Marina 8miles /1.5hrs
A chance to enjoy a mini-regatta on your last day, racing the other yachts back to base. Farewell party night. 

All flotilla routes shown are examples only. They are subject to change depending on weather conditions, number of boats in the flotilla and routes remain at the lead crew Skipper’s discretion. Durations are based on average of 6 knots and allow for leaving/arriving at moorings. The maps are not for navigation.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Skip the whole Grenada section of the trip. Ain't worth the time in a 7 day cruise. Everything else is close and can be done in any order. Don't miss Bequia or Canouan and the Tobago Cays ARE what it is all about! Here's my suggestion for 7 days...not necessarily in this order. I did not adjust the distances but nothing is far from anything else.

Day 1
Arrive Sunsail Hotel and Lagoon Marina, St. Vincent
Arrive at The Lagoon Hotel and Marina with excellent facilities including its own restaurant and bar. Take a dip in the pool and end your day relaxed and ready to start your adventure! 

Day 2
Saltwhistle Bay, Mayreau 18miles /3hrs
A sweeping sandy bay joining other long, secluded beaches through the palm trees - idyllic beachcombing at a very romantic anchorage.

Day 3
Tobago Cays 4miles /30mins
A tight cluster of tiny desert islands of sandy, palm-fringed beaches protected by an outer reef. Explore the giant lagoon housing colorful coral, with shoals of all shapes and sizes of fish.

Day 4
Petit St. Vincent 5miles/ 1hr
A charming small island resort with nice walks and hammocks ready and waiting from where you can dinghy across to Mopion - everyone’s idea of an idyllic desert island.

Day 5
Canouan 8miles /1.5hrs
Known as the Heart of the Grenadines, this is a fantastic island for sports and activities. Beautiful lagoons, tennis, hiking and golf galore!

Day 6
Admiralty Bay, Bequia 18miles /3hrs>

7 sail & check back in
Sunsail Lagoon Hotel and Marina 8miles /1.5hrs


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Camaraderie:

Thank you for your comments and adjustment to the itinerary. I was concerned about the short sail to the Cays - but as you mention, this is what it is about. 

Anyone having an comments regarding what is really worth not missing I'd appreciate it. 

Thanks again,

Bernie


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## brak (Jan 5, 2007)

On a half-related note - I have experience chartering in BVI, which is all one country. What about those islands where every one is a different country? It seems like a lot of time would be spent going through customs everywhere - which on a 7 day charter might get too tedous and detract from quality time? Or is it not as serious of an issue as I expect?


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## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

We spent almost a week on the hook in Salt Whistle Bay (too windy to go to the Keys -- Tropical depression came through). It's a lovely spot. Had a great lobster dinner cooked up on the beach by the family of one of the "boat boys" (he's actually a "boat grandfather"). 

I asked him how much he wanted for a lobster dinner. He said, "Twenty Euros".

"I don't have Euros", I replied.

"OK, Twenty Dollars".

My wife and I each got 1/2 of a big lobster. USD 40 is a lot for a lobster, but it was a fun night regardless. We ate half and took the rest back to the boat for lunch the next day. 

If his "granddaughter" asks you for a contribution to her "school fees", you should politely decline. I've since been told there are no school fees on Mayreau.

Bequia is also very nice.

Have fun.


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## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

Brak,

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is one country. Carriacou and Grenada are one country. Trinidad and Tabago are one country.

Don't ask about the logic of how Brits split up their colonies in the West Indies -- to a sailor just passing through, it seems to make very little sense. Perhaps the historians among us have insight into the mind of the colonial master.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Thanks for the comments -- these will all help in my planning. Hope to get some good snorkling while there also!

Bernie


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## E38 (Nov 30, 2006)

Bernie,

We chartered for 7 days out of St.Vincent in 2006. It is a great place to sail. Some big ocean swells in the short passages between some of the islands and there is often a good breeze on. I recommend staying flexible and not trying to get to too many places. Cam's proposed itinerary looks good to me. Here is what we did:

Day 0: Arrive St. Vincent and overnight on the boat.

Day 1: Check-out and provision and sail to Admiralty Bay, Bequia. We had arranged provisioning through the charter company and then canceled and provisioned through a grocery store in St. Vincent I had found on the web. There was a mis-communication on this and it ended up causing a big delay in our departure. Because of this, we opted for the short sail to Bequia instead of the planned sail to Mustique.

Day 2: Explored Bequia from Admiralty Bay. There are beautiful secluded beaches on the other side of the island.

Day 3: Tobago Cays (get an early enough start so that you are not arriving too late in the day at Tobago Cays). You'll have some time in the afternoon to enjoy the Cays.

Day 4: Enjoy the morning in Tobago Cays and then short sail to Saltwhistle Bay, Mayreau

Day 5: Canouan

Day 6: Admiralty Bay, Bequia (you want to be close to St. Vincent for the return sail on the following day).

Day 7: Return to St. Vincent

One of the members of our party was particularly disappointed at not getting to Mustique. However, I'm glad we didn't try to fit it in. From what I could tell, it's not necessarily a short easy sail from Admiralty Bay to Mustique (usually most of it upwind and up current so your estimate is probably off unless you get lucky with the weather). Next time we go the Grenadines, we'll try to charter out of Canouan (Moorings has a base there) so that we don't have to cross the Bequia channel twice.

You might want to pick up these 2 books before your trip:
Sailors Guide to the Windward Islands
By: Chris Doyle, Nancy Scott

Adventure Guide to Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines
By: Cindy Kilgore, et al

And there is some good info at this web site:
http://www.usual-suspects-sailing.com/exp-grenadines.htm


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## chrondi (Mar 24, 2004)

Dear Bernie,
Cam's 7 day schedule makes much sense. My only alternative proposal would be to skip Petit St. Vincent (Mopion island is too small to be of any interest either) and add Britannia Bay, Mustique, just for the fun of having dinner (and dance!) at Basil's bar. The restaurant of the luxury hotel at Petit St. Vincent is quite expensive by any rate, while the ambiance at Basil's bar (and residences + Cotton Club hotel on Mustique island BTW) is just exceptional.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

E38:

I like your suggestions - on the provisioning, the last time we went through Tortolla we had Sunsail provision and were pleased. Is there a reason you didn't provision - and did the store work out OK?

Appreciate your link. Have picked up the first book you mentioned - has some useful info. 

Bernie


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Chrondi:

Thanks for the tips -- from what I read I do want to get to Britannia Bay, Mustique. Hadn't read about Basils bar but will make that at plan. We typically eat out one night during the week. Was this your favorite restaurant?

Bernie


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## hphoen (Apr 3, 2003)

Cam's proposed itenerary is an excellent suggestion, but I wonder about Canouan.

We've been there three times (twice to pick up and deposit guests), and didn't find much of interest compared to the other islands. I mean, it's a pretty island, as they go in the Grenadines, and we had a nice walk around, but really didn't find much else to do. And the swell was so bad in Charlestown Bay that we opted to head for Mayreau rather than spend the night there--we definitely wouldn't have been able to sleep, we were rolling so badly.

South Glossy Bay is pretty nice, but I'd be willing to bet you a Carib that the little French hotel/restaurant/bar there is out of business by now. They were barely hanging in there when we were there two years ago. The bartender told me that the Canouan government had agreed to limit hotel room availability on the island to promote the Raffles development on the northern end. The locals were incensed about it.

Here's Chris Doyle's summary of Canouan: http://www.doyleguides.com/canouan2.htm

Visiting Mustique is an "experience", and well worth it to some. My wife, Lynne and her visiting friend, enjoyed seeing it. I went along to carry the credit cards. But you should know that, last time I checked, they were charging $25 US per night for moorings, with a three night minimum, i.e., $75 US. We visited Mustique on a day sail on the Caribbean schooner, _The Friendship Rose_. She leaves Admiralty Harbour on Bequia in the morning, and you're back by 4:30 pm or so. They do a fantastic job of wining and dining their guests while on board, and you get to see a genuine piece of Bequia's sailing history up close.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

OK...so Canouan needs to drop in favor of either PSV or Brittania Bay...I vote for Mustique and a chance to hang with he Mickster!


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## hphoen (Apr 3, 2003)

The story is...

You walk in to Basil's bar. You ask, "Has Mick been here lately?" The answer, "Oh, yeah! He was here last night and did a set for us."

Doesn't matter when you ask...


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## Chuteman (May 23, 2006)

Been doing a bunch of searching & reading as I prepare for charter in the Grenadines.
You may enjoy a preview ...............get comfortable and scroll up when it pops
http://www.traveltalkonline.com/for...ords=Grenadines&topic=&Search=true#Post671555

St. Vincent Provisioning Summary:
http://www.traveltalkonline.com/for...ds=Lagoon+Hotel&topic=&Search=true#Post754685


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## BlueWaterMD (Oct 19, 2006)

The Tobago Keys are great. Absolutely beautiful islands and beaches. No shops or anything, with the exception of a few locals selling wood carvings and fresh lobster. 

Bequia is without a doubt my favorite island out of St Vincent and the Grenadines. The people are wonderful, there are great little restaurants, and secluded beaches. I have spent many days in Bequia, and might recommend staying a couple of days... or at least a day at the beginning and another day at the end of your trip.

Regardless of where you decide to go, I am sure you will have a great time. The Grenadines are a very special place!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

To all that have replied - Bluewater MD, Chuteman, Hphoen, Cam, Brak, Billyruffn, E38, and Chrondi:

I want to thank you all for alleviating concerns about my trip and providing some excellent recommendations as far as what to see, provision, and visit during my upcoming charter to the Grenadines! The quality of postings by all of you on this forum is first rate – I hope to run into some of you one day – maybe while out sailing! Appreciate you all taking the time to help out!

Fair winds,

Bernie


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