ST VINCENT & THE GRENADINES
A NEW CARIBBEAN FRONTIER
By Stephen Thorpe
“When Kick ‘Em Jenny shrug her shoulder, life can sometimes stop”, observed the roadside coconut seller astride his handcart on a blistering Kingstown morning. He’d spotted a paragraph in the local rag indicating that the underwater volcano “KEJ” between Grenada and its sister island Carriacou fifty miles to the south had once again been venting her spleen. “It can affect boat traffic intermittently”, he confirmed, “ but we here in Vincy always looking de bigger picture.” He was referring to the cataclysmic seismic event barely three years ago when St Vincent’s own far grander active mountain volcano in the north, La Soufriere, blew its top and shook the country and its 104,000 inhabitants to their core.
“No one alive will ever forget it,” he murmurs, “ April 21st 2021, twas a Friday in fact, and not a Good one, the date’s indelibly etched on our psyche forever. We’d felt rumblings the December previous but this was different, a life defining occurrence that made you respect a far greater primordial force at work. We were still dealing with covid fall-out and yes, we did fear for our very existence.” The initial mind numbing eruption reverberated in the capital Kingstown 15 miles away, people and animals alike fled south through the forest– opossums, iguanas, agouti and armadillo– and swathes of land succumbed to pyroclastic lava flow and ash fields. 16,000 people were displaced, but miraculously no one perished.
Bay Street, Kingstown, Coconut seller
It’s important that such a recent backstory informs every traveller’s experience in this beguiling archipelago of thirty two islands, islets and cays but it’s clearly evident now wherever one ventures that progress, development and the future are intrinsic to the country’s outlook, none more so than in essential infrastructure. The new airport at Argyle facilitating direct intercontinental traffic through American Airlines, Air Canada and Virgin Atlantic from London has been the prime catalyst for this after years of planning, and an expansive cargo port on reclaimed land alongside the existing deep water harbour in the capital Kingstown is also nearing completion. Indeed, while the tiny enclave of Mustique in the Grenadines has been celebrated for half a century, St. Vincent was always an outlier in mainstream Caribbean tourism but now though there’s a strong sense of optimism and tangible change across an emergent nation.
Basing yourself in any Caribbean city at the outset, ideally downtown, usually offers an instant indicator of the mood and character of the place, the spiritus loci, a chance to plug straight into the zeitgeist and Kingstown is no different in that regard. It’s hot and there’s traffic, sidewalks are alive with stalls selling stuff you probably don’t need, but amid the hubbub the people are warm and engaging and prone to offering olde world courtesies, unusual I reckon for the islands overall nowadays, and no one’s hassling the naive foreigner either, not this one anyway.
Certainly there’s a complete absence of edge that might be encountered in larger centres of population elsewhere like inner city Port of Spain or Kingston. Negotiating the porticos and walkways of Bay Street on the main waterfront drag however, indeed throughout any built up area, it’s vital to retain a wary eye for the deep roadside drainage gullies, often uncovered and lacking grilles, and ready to claim any distracted strolling newcomer. Generally the West Indies is a region where the Elf n Safety brigade have yet to gain a foothold, least of all any credibility, so common sense and awareness remain the keynotes.
Bernice, at Kingstown Food & Vegetable Market
Leroy Haynes & Kanila – Seed Dispensary, Kingstown
Kingstown is not renowned for its nightlife or restaurants, it’s a working port after all, a trading and market centre for the vast cornucopia of fruit and veg that pours in from the Mesopotamia Valley and all points around, the “bread basket” in fact for the Grenadines and other parts of the southern Caribbean. “Stoplight” restaurant is a heavily patronised local lunchtime eaterie on Paul’s Avenue and two others take deliveries from the main HQ– ask anyone on the street and they’ll be capable of directions and you won’t walk far. Yankees, a 24 hour fried chicken joint on Higginson Street, may seem like a last resort but after firing a few of Vincy’s award winning rums in the rough and ready City Life bar next door you might welcome the sustenance.
Banana man, Bay Street, Kingstown
Veejay’s on Upper Bay Street is another popular venue for wide ranging local food and roti, with a small alfresco dining balcony upstairs, while it’s a major omission not to visit the quite incredible indoor Fruit & Vegetable Market. Check out Bernice’s stall where her sumptuous arrangements are verging on a work of art.
Wandering along Bay Street in daytime is instructive—”Banana Man” will be there somewhere for sure, his battered pick-up truck overloaded with yes, you guessed it, and coconut but atop he’s somehow constructed a crazy makeshift seating area accessed by a highly dangerous unsecured metal ladder.. it’s not for the faint hearted or uncertain of foot…but it doubles as his pop-up bar. In England he’d have lost his licence, probably not even gained one, but hey, nuh problem. Don’t be tempted to try a banana daquiri or two up here either, you won’t be making it back down, and it gets dark quickly in these parts after six o’clock. Oh, go on then, in for a pound.
Banana man, Bay Street, Kingstown
Cobblestone Inn, Kingstown
Further along the seaward side on part of the reclamation area sits “Little Tokyo”, a complete misnomer if ever there was, a collection of raucous bars, cook-up shops, steaming vats of unrecognisable seafood, fruit stalls, blaring music, even barbers’ emporia, a sort of one-stop shop for hanging out or “liming”where weekends officially kick-off around 4pm on Fridays. The Japanese originally funded a fisheries depot there and Taiwan has since agreed a $US62 million input for ongoing development but, as one of the bar patrons declared “we doan discriminate here….Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, even Indonese…. dem all de same to us…so Tokyo we still call it !”
Resilience, liberalism and an independence of mind and spirit are arguably the nation’s leitmotivs, underpinned by an unhurried approach to everyday life and its challenges. It’s still a poor country of course, founded in slavery, struggle and injustice but strengthened over centuries by its rich volcanic soil and the bounties derived therein through subsistence farming. Unsurprisingly there are a few street sleepers around at night, so no different to other cities from that standpoint. Yet no one here should ever expire from hunger and famine is not in the lexicon. Marijuana, the so called “poor man’s friend”, aka ganja, spliff, weed, herb, the wisdom plant, was decriminalised in 2018 and lifted another burden for many of the working class and marginalised. Ask any rastaman in nearby Barbados, St Lucia or Grenada where’s the ultimate source and they’ll be unequivocal: “that be Vincy, owing the soil.”
A Government Co-Operative has embraced around 300 farmers and licences a local Medicinal Cannabis (MCA) micro industry where the lines between a medicinal and recreational strength product already seem somewhat blurred. In February 2022 the first legally exported shipment of medicinal marijuana weighing 50 kilos landed in Germany. Oils can be purchased in selected pharmacies which may see you arraigned in other countries and on Queen street the ultra knowledgeable Leroy Haynes and his rasta elder buddy Kanila operate an official seed dispensary. At Coconut Grove Beach Club’s Greenhouse Cafe a variety of prescription based wares are for sale while in Bequia alongside reception at the luxury Plantation Hotel on Admiralty Bay, the same beautifully packaged buds, vapes, gummies, tinctures, cbd infused chocolate or pre-rolled spliffs with differing thc quotients to “lift or calm” can be purchased as part of the check-in process. It’s definitely an eye-opener, a nascent digression from the norm that’s hard to judge at this stage and one which I don’t see conservative islands like Barbados following any time soon. The niche market concept also informs Keshawn Cupid’s SVG Export &Trading company which transports container loads of breadfruit and dasheen to the US without spoilage, a boon both to the small farmer and those of us craving more traditional fresh Vincy greenery in colder climes.
Private investment is also fuelling the crucial hotel and accommodation sector. While the sandy coastal strip around Villa beach just south east of the capital has long had a cluster of mid range establishments like Sunset Shores, Mariners and Admirals Inn opposite the luxury Young Island resort, swankier boutique style operations are also in vogue at La Vue and Beachcombers, the latter a tribute to the style and vision of Flora Gunn over thirty years as mine host. Further east, for those of a maritime disposition, the impressive Blue Lagoon Marina is another pricey option. International brands have also arrived, Sandals launching another stupendous flagship resort at Buccament Bay employing 800 people in early 2024 and a Holiday Inn due to open soon in association with a sporting complex.
Botanical Gardens, Kingstown
Back downtown, the Cobblestone Inn has a grand historic vibe befitting a 200 year old former sugar storage building, an imposing stone and brick edifice with steep stairs and wooden floors, it’s evocative of another time, a favourite of old Caribbean hands, a refuge for the cognoscenti; state owned and family run by the Joshuas for decades, it’s dated yes, but has great wi-fi, very moderate rates and a dedicated long serving staff with a roof-top bar and restaurant. Beware though venturing onto the adjacent timber lookout, more akin to a rickety stumble across the deck of the ghost ship Marie-Celeste (an issue about to be rectified apparently). www.thecobblestoneinn.com
The view’s nothing special either, unprepossessing at best, of container yards and dilapidated immigration offices unless one of those leviathans of the modern age, a cruiseship, is at berth which is always an arresting sight. But, feet up, clutching a cold Hairoon beer, with late afternoon zephyrs off the tradewind caressing your brow and Bequia’s western peninsula shimmering in the haze eight miles distant, you can dream of those idylls beyond.
Moreover, pushing through the smoked glass portals into the mood lit bar on the ground floor, you really do enter another world, symbiotic somehow with the Inn above, an oasis of quiet calm, simply the coolest gaff in town (quite literally, with the air con normally tuned to ice station zebra temperature). This is Basil’s Bar & restaurant, he of the eponymous, fabled Mustique institution whose ownership he relinquished some time ago. Still based in Mustique, he pops over regularly to ensure things are running smoothly and also leases out three villas near Villa beach. Menus are solidly West Indian, prepared to perfection as you’d expect, and underscored by excellent service, not a theme you can guarantee elsewhere.
It’s fair to say Basil Charles is a legendary figure hereabouts, a greying, well preserved 77 now, his father was a Vincentian fisherman with little involvement in his life, his mother died when he was nine and his grandmother brought him up. Moving to Mustique on a whim, he was employed as bartender at the Cotton House hotel by Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, the island’s owner and was then installed at a new beach bar on Britannia Bay…. which later became his own. Colin walked in one day and demanded a drink which Basil blanked by telling him to wait. Colin took umbrage over the delay and threw a glass of water over him, whereupon Basil leapt over the bar and smacked his Lordship in the mouth. They became firm pals thereafter with Basil holding court as friend and confidante to aristocracy, rock royalty and business moguls for forty years. The Mustique Mule became his signature cocktail, and there are many tales to tell. Few have been, though he admits to attending the Royal Wedding of William and Kate in 2011. The island’s long running Blues Festival is also still the main fund raiser for his Educational Foundation in St Vincent.
St. Vincent is an island that rewards exploration and inquiry like no other, save perhaps Jamaica, and for those intrepid enough the rugged, untrammelled interior virtually demands it. Large tracts are still inaccessible, especially the seaward bluffs and craggy indentations of the western, leeward coastline. Hiking really is the best way to appreciate new landscapes and an exceptional cohort of tour operators and private guides can help you on your way, some of whom, shall we say, can be, er, loud and excitable. Each to his own, but I prefer the quiet, understated disposition of people like Desron Rodriquez, “Lavaman” to all and sundry. His father was a bush farmer at Reeves Level near Biabou on the east coast, and he remembers as a kid going rock climbing in the mountains.
Lava Man & Basil Charles in Mustique
“I suppose I was quite feral , I went swimming in the volcano’s crater lake at eight or nine years old”, Lava recalls, “then after secondary school I migrated to Barbados as a labourer and well digger. I returned here at 23, trained as a mechanic then went north to Antigua where I got in with a bad crowd, somehow managed to escape, came home again and planted herbs for a while before moving to Trinidad in construction.” Finally, he found his true vocation—as an informed man of the mountains. Decent money too at US$100 per person when fifty tourists off a cruise ship are at your behest. He rose to national celebrity status as “Lavaman” while the volcano erupted, (or some would say “lunatic”) when defying all advice and filming from forest paths as burning magma and ash spewed forth. An insane reaction maybe, but he couldn’t help himself, and he’s reaped the just rewards. Other experienced operators are Hazeko Tours and Paul Cyrus.
For starters and establishing your bearings, take a walk to Fort Charlotte if you can deal with the ascent to 636 feet for a spectacular view of Kingstown Bay and the Grenadines from the northern promontory, then gravitate to the Botanical Gardens below as a must-see diversion, best avoided perhaps on a cruise ship arrival day, but otherwise a serene way to spend a morning or late afternoon, no guide needed either from your base, just a quizzical eye after a 20 minute walk or short taxi ride. Founded in 1765 on twenty acres they’re the oldest in the western hemisphere, embracing a wide array of trees and flora in a tranquil parkland setting including perhaps the most vital arboreal in the entire Caribbean. It’s an extraordinary story too, and one not generally appreciated by many West Indians. Breadfruit is ubiquitous around the region, hanging like green cannonballs within thick shiny green foliage even in backyards, and so prolific they’re effectively overlooked although remaining a staple in many local dishes.
La Soufriere Post 2021 Eruption Crater Lake (Photo Credit: Karolina Wiercigroch)
In the late 18th century the British botanist Joseph Banks travelling with Captain Cook observed it being consumed with relish by native Pacific islanders, at once realising its value as a potential foodstuff. Governors in Jamaica and St Vincent concurred, citing the needs of thousands of slaves on the plantations and on April 4 1789, HMS Bounty under Captain William Bligh set sail from Tahiti on a fateful journey with over 1000 propagated shoots on board. Less than a month later that epic tale of mutiny unfolded with Bligh bowed, but not yet broken. In 1792 he returned on the HMS Providence and by January the following year sailed into Kingstown with another batch of breadfruit saplings– a sucker from one has grown into an impressive specimen at a poignant site in the Gardens and is suitably recorded. Spend a quiet moment here and contemplate the legacy.
Nearby, you’ll hear the distinct chatter of the emblematic and endangered St Vincent parrot, Amazona Guildingii, before you see them. It’s a stunning species, best observed flying in the wild of course with their striking blue and yellow underwings, but here a protective enclosure was set-up almost 40 years ago and breeding first occurred in 1988. Sadly they’re still a target for unscrupulous international dealers but retain a foothold in the fastness of upper Vermont valley beneath the Grand Bonhomme ridge and lesser known locales at Salt Rivers near Canaries and higher up around Greiggs Mountain, benefiting from the unstinting efforts of incredibly devoted people like Glenroy Gaymes of the Forestry & Wildlife Division of Government and Lystra Culzac, aka “Parrot Lady”. A conservation action plan protecting habitats lost in the eruption is also in process in association with Antioch University, targeting the second most important endemic bird, the whistling warbler, another red-listed IUCN species.
The statement trek of around six hours or more remains east-west from Rabacca Dry River ascending to the Soufriere Volcano National Park crater rim at over 4000 feet with stunning views south initially over the peaks at Richmond, Brisbane and Mount Pleasant in the Morne Garu mountain range. It’s arduous and only for the physically fit, with traverses through humid rainforest, lava flows and cinder beds, and compounded by steep switchbacks near the summit. Further west on the descent towards Richmond Vale, the keen of eye and hearing birders may catch sight of the elusive rufous-throated solitaire (or “mountain whistler”) and the scaly breasted thrasher. Trinity Falls has been destroyed while other sites have recovered remarkably well from the eruption with new hot springs discovered in previously inaccessible terrain– orogenesis in action in effect and an awesome process to view at first hand. Pre-Columbian petroglyphs are visible in several locations around boulder exposed river beds too and the prominent example at Layou on the Rutland river was probably carved 2,500 years ago. Others are visible by the quaint gingerbread character settlement at Chateaubelair on the west coast, aptly named Thirteen Stones.
More than fifty significant waterfalls have been identified, Wallilabou, Dark View and Hell’s Gate prominent amongst them, but there may be upwards of a hundred with new cascades regularly discovered and accessed by complex networks of thickly vegetated nature trails amid wild orchid and hibiscus…the hugely impressive Falls of Baleine however, a 70 feet drop at the head of a steep sided gorge below the Windsor Mountains, on the far north west coast can only be reached by boat while kayaking the leeward cliffs and indentations also offers access to arguably the most spectacular string of diving sites in the Caribbean…. featuring wall dives covered in black coral, geo-thermal vents, wrecks inhabited by battalions of huge lobster and other far rarer marine life, a real mindblower for any budding underwater photographer.
Underwater life off St Vincent is simply mesmeric
Friendship Bay, Bequia
Bequia, “Becouya” or Island of the Clouds in Carib Indian parlance, is the mother country’s nearest neighbour nine miles distant, a brooding, alluring presence of only seven square miles in area with a population of around 5000, and a short boat journey of less than an hour away via the ferry terminal on Bay Street. Bequia Express has five vessels plying the island route south and they’re efficient and regular, but always best to check exact departure times online just in case. No pre-booking, just turn up half an hour beforehand and pay the £8 single fare. Jaden Sun is a faster, more expensive alternative but, cocooned in an interior saloon, you’re missing the exhilaration of close quarter squadrons of sleek brown booby seabirds scouring the bow waves for flying fish.
Messing about in boats has been a favourite human pastime since time immemorial and Columbus wasn’t the first around the Caribbean, that accolade lying with Arawak Indians sailing north from South America centuries before. Now it’s a coveted lifestyle and, make no mistake, these Grenadine seas are probably the best sailing and yachting waters on the planet where landfalls are outlined by crystalline shallows of multi-hued aquamarine around the reeflines, then stepping ashore gleaming strands of powder sand beach seem almost to define a tropical arcadia.
Disembarking at Port Elizabeth on Admiralty Bay, there’s a soporific air of singularity, a tangential way of being; racing yachts, sloops, catamarans and the odd ketch lie at restful ease– seafaring, boat building, fishing and whaling are in the blood here, the sort of place where itinerants and adventurers wash up beneath the almond trees then find themselves embedded in the community several decades later. Working sailors from Scotland and France did just that in the mid nineteenth century and their fairer skinned descendants are still scattered around the islands today. British settlers including shipwrights and carpenters had arrived a century before and in the fifty years before 1990 sixty odd major vessels were built here. Life on the ocean wave is never easy of course, be it in seamanship, boat building or the dangerous practice of whaling, and a requisite resourcefulness and raw individuality extend into many other areas of occupation today.
When your correspondent first dropped anchor at this same spot several aeons back I saw a schooner under construction on the beach. Closer investigation revealed a slight, bearded hillbilly type overseeing progress, a bloke it transpired called Bob Dylan. (Some years later his boat Water Pearl sadly foundered on a reef near the Panama Canal, though Mr Tambourine Man was not at the helm.) Actual construction may be in decline, but the art of modelling boats is very much thriving—at Mauvin’s, a 58 year old workshop on the main harbour road, Lionel Richie walked in recently and forked out for a piece that caught his eye. Bespoke orders, exquisite creations handcrafted from cherrywood, red cedar, mahogany, and imported Canadian pine can cost thousands, collectors’ items in the truest sense.
Christopher Waldron, another skilled artisan at the studio, relates an anecdote from March this year : “ A couple came in to browse one day, they had a vague familiarity but I’d really really no idea who they were, then the man mentioned his granny had once had a model made of their yacht here many years ago…. and he’d noticed it in the Royal Museum or somewhere. Suddenly it clicked… good Lord I thought, this is Prince Harry and Meghan !” Denizens of nearby Mustique often pop over for a change of scenery and Mick Jagger has been a regular weekender over the years, usually incognito with baseball cap pulled tight but occasionally throwing a few moves when the mood and music takes him.
All is not sweetness and light however. The whaling conundrum is longstanding, far more than merely contentious, and often downright divisive, verging on internecine warfare in some families in fact. The tradition of hunting humpbacks for consumption started around 1870, later featuring its revered godfather Athneal Ollivierre and is currently validated by Greenpeace acceding to a four catch limit over the season from February to June. Harpooning such large creatures is gruesome in the final reckoning though, when the butchering at Semplers Cay can sometimes take three days, and it’s a shocking anachronism to many, not least the seventh day adventists who remain fervent opponents.
At least one former hunter has set up a whale and dolphin watching business instead.
Frangipani Hotel, Port Elizabeth, Bequia
Chris Waldron, Boat Modeller extraordinaire, Bequia
A new cliff side boardwalk trail from Belmont beach to Princess Margaret beach, Bequia
The first successful capture in mid April this year elicited joyous celebration in many quarters and a deep sadness in others. For a greater appreciation of the issues visit the impressive Bequia heritage centre curated by Nicola at St Hilaire, north Friendship where 1700 years of history and artefacts from Amerindian times to the modern day are also well documented. The Sand Bar restaurant on the beach below is the quintessential barefoot lunch hangout with fresh barracuda and red snapper to the fore after your dose of cultural awareness.
Hiking the Grenadines and suddenly confronting deserted beaches can be thrilling and especially in Bequia where the intervening gradients are generally moderate—indeed, the highest elevation at Mount Peggy in the south west is only 880′ but grants a sense of achievement at the summit after an hour or so’s schlep and grand 360 degree panoramic vistas to match. Ask anyone for Dynamite the dreadlocked gent to help guide the way. The eastern seaboard also has excellent trails connecting Industry, Spring and Park Bays but choosing cloudy days and carrying ample water is always sensible advice. Otherwise getting around is very straightforward and nowhere seems far, even by taxi (ensuring beforehand if the rate is US$ or EC$). Two or three hour island tours are possible with on-board driver observations and commentary.
Getting lost is never a problem, or even likely, locals are charmingly helpful and cramming into a minibus or “dollar-van” for around a quid will get you a fair distance on some routes, all usually originating from the pull-in by the ferry terminal in Port Elizabeth. Drop-off and pick-up are on a arbitrary, ad hoc basis. A trip to the main fishing centre at Paget Farm on the south coast is de rigueur if sourcing your own food and self catering. Everywhere is blissfully virtually traffic free as well, adding to the experience and laid back atmosphere immeasurably.
Offshore exploration has myriad alternatives of course, from long term chartering to one-off day trips to neighbouring islands and every option in between is covered on the old restored schooner Friendship Rose which operated as a ferry for 25 years carrying foodstuffs, people, goats and chickens in the pre Bequia Express era. Day cruises to Mustique with breakfast, lunch and drinks while anchored at Basil’s Bar offer a brief glimmer of how another half live, or at least relax, while the more active can wallow in the spellbinding waters of the Tobago Cays and Mayreau, often with inquisitive green and hawksbill turtles for company. www.friendshiprose.com
It may be a sailing nirvana, but for the landlubber on Bequia there’s the widest range of accommodation available in the Grenadines from rental apartments, air bnb, guest houses, villas, old colonial houses, traditional waterside hostelries, even beach glamping; for those, as it were, bent on pushing the boat out financially, then of course you can be well looked after at establishments like Bequia Beach, the Liming and Plantation House. That said, places like the Frangipani in the middle of Admiralty Bay are hard to surpass, redolent of another age maybe with aircon free rooms, but bang up to speed on the modern day necessity—decent wi-fi in all areas of the property; the bar/restaurant commands a wonderful outlook over the harbour with the original house built by a sea-captain a century ago and opened as one of the island’s first hotels by former St Vincent Prime Minister James Mitchell in 1967. For years it was the roustabout yachtsman’s haven of choice but a more sedate ambience generally prevails these days around the later additions of stone and hardwood cottages on the garden slopes to the rear, despite an occasional heavy bassline emanating from the bar. A popular cafe and deli has also been incorporated recently, a prime, breeze blown spot in which to greet the day. www.frangipanibequia.com
The entire foreshore around Port Elizabeth takes only around twenty minutes to traverse, encompassing a diverse mix of shops, fruit sellers, bars, restaurants (Coco’s, Port Hole and Laura’s noteworthy), quirky artist and handicraft stalls alongside the shaded “Houses of Parliament” area where locals gather to drink rum, talk shop and “politricks”, the nearest that Bequia gets in fact to “bustling.” There’s also a bank, tourism information and post office by Front street then southwards the scenic seafront trail and Belmont Walkway beyond the older hotels extends into the timber stairs curving round a cliff promontory onto Princess Margaret Beach, marked initially by Jack’s Bar which can assume a noisy life of its own at weekends.
HRH would not have been amused… after all this is where she first came in 1958, her favourite spot in the world allegedly. It’s still a fantastic stretch of white sand with great swimming and snorkelling and leads to the sleepy enclave of Lower Bay after a far stiffer uphill climb at its southern extreme. Seek out Dawn’s Cafe for breakfast or Petra’s here for some truly authentic local cooking, while Provisions and Fernandos are stylish, quality eating houses without burning holes in your wallet and highly recommended for lunch or dinner. Reservations are advisable in high season and best to call ahead, never just rock up and be disappointed.
Moonhole, Bequia
Greenhouse Cafe, Plantation Hotel, Bequia
Mick Jagger in Bequia (Credit: https://www.facebook.com/mickjaggerofficial)
The Walkway Trail was restored by the non-profit organisation Action Bequia set up by a laudable group of individuals in 2011 to improve the island as a place to live, work and enjoy as a visitor and generally enhance social cohesion and economic health. It certainly seems on the right track—Bequia is changing, yes, but slowly and with a greater pro-active appreciation of environmental matters. The mantra remains “Clean, Green and Serene” and focusing on attracting the discerning traveller, long term visitors, home makers and yachts people. Youth awareness and involvement are a critical element in this with plastic and aluminium can recycling, water storage initiatives and other schemes already having a major impact. Donations at www.actionbequia.org
Departing Bequia by ferry for Union Island thirty miles south allows one final tantalising glimpse of the narrow rocky peninsula at its western limits—-and the truly extraordinary vision that is Moonhole, a free-form natural development of 15 dwellings (maybe more, or even less, some morph into others with no apparent boundaries) entirely bereft of doors or windows just natural openings or fissures in the rock derived over time, the brainchild of the late American Tom Johnston in the 1960s– and an absolute tour de force of creative stone architecture and eco-friendly living. Short term rentals and the visiting public are frowned upon, long term lets are not, but it’s a private community and nature reserve, the ultimate possibly in “getting away from it all.” It’s off grid of course, no access road either only stone pathways, and even boat landings can be difficult. Mirroring Bequia itself, it’s utterly unique with a host of devotees. www.moonholecompany.com
Arriving at Union’s quaint low-rise main town of Clifton you’re confronted by a forest of colourful signage demanding attention, one of which caught my eye immediately in proclaiming “Tsunami Evacuation Route”. Certainly it was unexpected, a dampener perhaps on any musings of Eden…and a stark, urgent reminder if any were needed that these are essentially flatter, low lying islands and cays amid rising sea levels worldwide. That said, Union is not known as Little Tahiti for nothing with its pillared outcrops reaching skyward and it also boasts the highest point in the entire Grenadine chain at Mount Taibo’s 1000 feet with several other peaks hovering around 600…. I made a mental note of its location should the waves come rolling in.
It’s small, steeped in the lore of fishing and the sea, with a population of only about 2500, all of whom seem to know each and every other; a long standing air strip has offered a foothold in tourism with reasonably priced apartments and villas to rent in both Clifton and Ashton but essentially it’s still a low key yachting destination with a couple of higher end boutique hotels in glorious beach locations at Chatham Bay and Bigsand—the former designated a key biodiversity area and desirable mooring for megayachties like Jeff Bezos and Oprah Winfrey, the latter a favoured nesting ground for giant leatherback turtles; the luxury private island resorts of Palm and Petit St Vincent (PSV) are near neighbours too with the world renowned Tobago Cays Marine Park just two miles away.
Natural marvels abound but these are testing times on several fronts however for small island states in the Caribbean– a cheerful lady selling soursop from a well stocked stall by Salty Girl Cafe lamented wearily one morning “it just another day….hot like fyaaah…and no let up”. Indeed drought like conditions have become more prevalent and water is sometimes shipped in from St. Vincent. Coastal protection is another perennial concern and a recent international study suggested that over the next half century with current rates of sea level rise in Union then 280 houses may be threatened. Long term projections yes, but they do serve to concentrate the mind. Desalination plants are probably the way forward, but costing upwards of $US2 million are never a quick-fix.
The Environmental Alliance is a dedicated group of like minded individuals bent on providing sustainable, eco-aware and informative activities across the island’s diverse habitats and locations. Fronted by chairman Roseman Adams’ infectious drive and determination in various fields of endeavour, visitors can now undertake E-Tuk, E-Bike and kayaking orientations, join trained birding specialists at Ashton Lagoon and Belmont salt pond, share in turtle monitoring expeditions in nesting season and explore the undisturbed dry tropical forest reserve, the revenue from which goes directly into other vital conservation and community projects. Hiking the old military tracks and high peaks is a great way to get an early feel for Union’s compact intimacy, Mount Taibo can be scaled in about 1.5 hours from Ashton via signs for Big Hill then following the path upwards (ensure you’re wearing cotton trousers or such as nearer the peak stands of cacti and thick scrub can snare the unwary). The eventual views are sensurround spectacular and the return journey a mere doddle at half an hour.
Adams initiated the turtle programmes and was a former lead conservation officer and supervisor of forest wardens, but now operates as progressive thinker, sage and action man, the definitive multi-tasker, burning with unquenchable pride and passion for his land.
Introductory diving courses are available at Grenadines Dive with early immersion on the Horse Shoe Reef or Petit Tabac in the nearby Tobago Cays part of an unforgettable experience for the first timer….. indeed the the true glories of the undersea spectacle here can never be overstated. The French owned Bougainvilla Hotel on the Clifton waterfront adjacent the ferry jetty is an ideal base and centre of operations, with a great sweeping hardwood bar for nautical tale telling and an expansive restaurant to match. Rooms are equally commodious, and gazing out across the harbour can become vaguely mesmeric, the view framed by the twin outlines of Palm Island and Petit Martinique. Happy Island sits there too, definitely insular and truly ingenious, a one-off bar constructed on a shoal overlain with thousands of conch shells as a foundation… a place where the call for “last orders” is never heeded. www.grenadines-bougainvilla.com
A short stroll north east past the Anchorage Yacht Club towards Point Lookout and Union’s eastern limit ushers the unknowing visitor to those magnificent men and women in their flying machines…no, not at the airstrip next door, but at the JT Pro Center Kitesurfing School founded by the champion French kitesurfer Jeremie Tronet. It’s an experience just to watch these guys in action at close quarters from the lounge bar when the winds are blowing strong, then another altogether when the experts explode into jawdropping aerial manoeuvres at speed. Morning or afternoon discovery lessons with trained and certified instructors are given, with 3-5 half day beginner packages also available to gravitate to independent kitesurfer status. Personally I was more attuned to the ageing hipster and cocktail vibe, but this has become an iconic destination of choice now for a younger international surfing and wingfoil crowd. The received wisdom is that the Tobago Cays are only accessible by boat– yet these fellows literally fly there. “Incroyable” as the French might say. www.kitesurfgrenadines.com
Paddleboarding in Mayreau, Grenadines (Image Credit: www.KiteSurfGrenadines.com)
Jeremie Tronet, Owner of Kite Surfing Grenadines (Image Credit: www.KiteSurfGrenadines.com)
Journeying back north from Union, Canouan, like its near neighbour Mayreau, was not that long ago an unobtrusive small community of mainly farmers and fisherfolk within only five square miles, effectively isolated from the larger islands. Then the developers in North America, Trump among them, noted the world class beaches and changed things forever with a private jet runway, high end real estate, hotel and championship golf course. The hotel later went through incarnations as Raffles, Pink Sands and latterly the Mandarin Oriental with Canouan Estates, and Canouan’s reputation as a hideaway for the uber rich is secure since the completion of the Sandy Lane Yacht Club and Marina, hailed as the best equipped service centre for megayachts in the region. Soho House launched here three years ago too on the old Tamarind Beach site with around half of the 1500 population now employed in a trio of hotels. Allegedly the place billionaires frequent to avoid the millionaires, I feared the worst in Canouan.
The capital Charlestown is quietly agreeable enough though, with Captain Phil’s Greenhouse Cafe a focal point on the pierhead for breakfast coffee, vitals and smoothies, and income earned from regular tourism is being ploughed into the locals’ own elaborate property development on surrounding hillsides. Windward Bay on the east coast has tremendous snorkelling, protected by the Grenadines longest barrier reef, and Maho and Friendship Bays are equally attractive swimming locations. Ocean Heights overlooking Grand Bay and Conch Shell at Friendship are both decent restaurants and amenities are also improving with Glen’s Soulfoods next door to Beefy’s Convenience Store in Charlestown (no, though a big fan of the Grenadines, ex cricketer Sir Ian Botham has not set up shop here). Moreover, inexpensive, good value guest houses and apartments are coming on stream like Bay View which also houses the quite remarkable aquacultural enterprise of sea moss production.
Proprietor Junior Stephens, “Power” to his mates, has harnessed skills learned in construction to great effect in this new vocation. He “farms” the moss in ten feet deep water on 1.5 acres offshore, with the algae grown on ropes tied to flotation blocks on the surface. Rudimentary, but very effective, the crop grows rapidly in pristine unpolluted waters and is harvested and sundried on palates within six weeks. Long touted as a superfood, anti-inflammatory and loaded with minerals and vitamins, people swear by its efficacy throughout the Caribbean. www.seamossbosscanouan.com
Nearby Mayreau still has the air of a land that time forgot, a notion more difficult to dispel now with the recent closure of its much loved Salt Whistle Bay hotel; around 400 residents have long been dependent on mail boat and Bequia Express for essential supplies from St Vincent and Union, but water from a desalination plant can be purchased dockside at Saline Bay. It’s Robinson Crusoe-esque at 1.5 square miles, perfect for those fans of the art of doing nothing, save gentle hiking, swimming or reading in a hammock; there’s a smattering of bars and low level accommodation with a more salubrious estancia of quasi boutique bungalows, “Windward”, apparently slated to open their doors in May 2024. The adjacent Ranch Escapade beach restaurant overlooking the Tobago Cays already has, so watch this space.
STEPHEN THORPE May 2024
Tobago Cays (Image Credit: www.KiteSurfGrenadines.com)
On Monday July 1, 2024, the terrible category 5 Hurricane Beryl, with an intensity of 165 miles per hour, unprecedented for July in Atlantic depressions, bore down on SVG causing severe damage, mayhem, devastation, extreme pain and suffering. In the process, Beryl devastated Union Island, Mayreau, Palm Island, Petit St. Vincent and Petit Martinique and Carriacou, the twin sister islands of Grenada; wreaked havoc on Canouan and Bequia; damaged Mustique; and wrecked parts of St. Vincent.
If you want to help with the recovery, we recommend the following options to contribute –
The National Council of SVG Association UK
Union Island & Tobago Cays (Image Credit: www.KiteSurfGrenadines.com)
Getting Around:
For more information about the region check out www.discoversvg.com
For flights www.virginatlantic.com
Grenadines sunset (Image Credit: www.KiteSurfGrenadines.com)
