De Mail Boat, Mon (1992)

Grenada and the Tobago Cays

Itinerary Saturday: Secret Harbor to Dragons Bay Sunday: Dragons Bay to Tyrell Bay, Carriacou Monday: Tyrell Bay to Sandy Island to Hillsborough, Carriacou to Union Island Tuesday: Union Island to Tobago Cays Wednesday: Tobago Cays to Saltwhistle Bay, Mayreau Thursday: Mayreau to Union Island to Petit St. Vincent Friday: Petit St. Vincent to Prickly Bay, Grenada Saturday: Prickly Bay to Secret Harbor

Long sails and stupendous snorkeling were the hallmarks of this trip to the southern end of the island chain. Lusher and steeper than the islands to the north, Grenada presented quite a different face to visiting sailors than the BVI. Locals with jobs professed a deep friendliness for Americans. Those without seemed to take a dimmer view of our presence on their island.

From sauteed flying fish to lobster barbequed on the beach, to muddy mangrove oysters, the foods of Grenada and the Tobago Cays were varied and, mostly, delicious. Paying a local boy in Tyrell Bay to harvest a bucket of nearly inedible oysters was worth it just to see our crewmate disappear into the mangrove swamp with him in our dinghy (and wonder if they’d come back). Lobsters so big that two fed our combined crews of twelve people were provided by the locals in the Tobago Cays. We closed the trip with a dinner at Rudolph’s in St. George’s where another customer treated our entire table to shots of fine sipping rum. This went down well on top of the local “rum punch” we’d already sloshed through.

Fred enjoys being part of the underwater scenery.

Lewis, Fred, Ed, and Chris at a pre-trip chart session.

Like so many others, the trip provided story fodder almost every day. Some was passive, like seeing models being photographed on Sandy Island. Most was adventurous, like having to rush back out to the boats anchored at Union Island when the locals outside the customs office started pointing and shouting at the mailboat steaming toward its dock with our boats in its path. Suddenly we understood why the boatboys had circled us as we anchored, saying “de mailboat, mon, you got to watch out for de mailboat.” This episode made it into Looking for Trouble, the third Double Trouble adventure.

The crew of Hornblower Too: Ken, Noel, Lisa, Hal, and Lewis (Mia taking picture)

Ed and Ken snorkeling the Tobago Cays.

St. George’s is the bustling capital of Grenada