The sun rose over the Grenadines at 6:00 a.m. We had stiff winds much of the night and the waves were cresting and breaking with white foam. Last night’s film Round Cape Horn by Irwin Johnson came immediately to mind as the wind this morning was singing loudly as it rushed through our riggings. Of course it wasn’t a “A number 1 storm.” The Captain anchored in Admiralty Bay at 7:29 a.m. Three-hundred yards off our starboard was a large cruise ship. I have rarely seen such ships in this anchorage. This morning’s plan was to disembark at the the lovely village of Port Elizabeth. Once ashore, we boarded our covered pickup trucks for our visit to this lovely isle.
Bequia was settled first by the Taino and then Carib Indians. Portuguese, French, and Scots were bought over quite early as indentured servants in some considerable numbers in the early 18th century and they have remained here. The demographics of Bequia differs from the other islands we have visited as it retains a substantial Caucasian population. Today the races live in harmony with one another and intermarriage is now very common.
Our first stop this morning was the turtle sanctuary of “Brother” Orton King. “Brother King,” a former commercial turtle fisherman, realized that overfishing was destroying the turtles, fish, and reefs, which he knew and loved as a child. He quit fishing the turtles and began his quarter century effort to raise recently hatched Hawksbill in saltwater pools. He gathers new hatchlings and brings them to the sanctuary where they remain until they are five years old when he releases them. To date he has released 930 turtles. This year he expects to see his first mature adults return to lay their eggs. He receives no government support for his work and as a result Lindblad Expeditions have elected to support his efforts.
We then drove to the heart of “downtown” Port Elizabeth. On being dropped off at the main street (the only main street!) we were free to explore. The street was ringed with small tables selling all sorts of local handicrafts. Some visited the lovely Anglican Church built in 1824, the boat builders museum, the bookstore, the market, and chatted with a practicing Rastafarian. There is a plethora of religious faiths on the island. The principal religions on this island of 6,000 are Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Seventh Day Adventist.
Our final stop, Jack’s Bar is always a favored spot. This delightful place sits directly on Princess Margaret Bay and has to be one of the most idyllic spots in all the Caribbean. The beach has pristine white sand, no rocks and the water is so clear you can see the bottom at 25 feet. There we enjoyed their delectable rum punches, Pina coladas, B&B’s and some I am told had rum in them! The water in the bay was just right, neither too cold nor hot, and the color a clear crystalline coral blue crystalline blue. I swam out about 400 yards and was privileged to see a good sized Hawksbill turtle feeding in the grass. After lunch Jeff Mauritzen gave a talk on landscape and wildlife photography.
Tonight at 6:00 Tom O’Brien gave an informative talk on the history of the Sea Cloud. This was immediately followed by a champagne reception and a special visit to the elegant original state rooms. And to end a perfect day, a perfect meal prepared by the great chefs of the Sea Cloud.
