Bequia
The Sea Cloud dropped anchor in the beautiful Admiralty Bay at 7a.m. The sky was a piercing crystalline blue and the water, which lapped against the shore of Princess Margaret Beach, was a milky pale blue. Coconut palms moved slowly in the breeze and the local people on the quayside seemed to be in sync with that slow graceful rhythm. Becquia, pronounced Bek-way, is an anglicized version of the old Carib Indian name for the island, meaning “the Island of the Clouds” as the island frequently has clouds directly atop its highest points. There are no full-blooded Carib Indians left on Becquia and it would be hard to find any in all the Antilles, save a small population in southwest Dominica.
Bequia is the largest of the nine dependencies of the nation “St. Vincent and the Grenadines.” It is also a port of call for many of the finest yachts in the world as it is a world-class site for sailing and regattas. One of the most interesting is the annual Becquia Easter Regatta, where yachts of every size from 50-meter sloops to local coconut boats race for prizes. The main city, indeed the only “city” on Becquia is Port Elizabeth. It is a sleepy hamlet two streets deep with a wide variety of shops along its length. It has one of the better small bookshops in the Windward Islands. They specialize in nautical charts often in demand by the yachts that frequent these waters. A number of Rastafarians live on Bequia and sell vegetable, fruits, and spices in the open market.
We began our visit in open-air pick up trucks with bench seats and canopies to protect from the sun. We first stopped at Fort Hamilton, a canon battery that in the 18th century was the principal defensive position guarding the bay and the capital of Port Elizabeth. The site is named after Alexander Hamilton—the American Secretary of the Treasury assassinated in a duel by Aaron Burr—who was born on the neighboring Leeward Island of Nevis. The view from Fort Hamilton was stunning, looking out over Port Elizabeth and Admiralty Bay. One of our guides stood on one of the old walls of the battery and sang us the national song of Becquia. It was touching to see her deep affection for her tiny seven-square-mile island. At its broadest point from Northwest Point to the promontory of Hope Bay it is less than three miles wide. We then went on to visit the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary. Orton “Brother” King began this sanctuary for the Hawksbill turtle 17 years ago. Brother King is a former free diver and hunter of turtles who decided that he had to stop killing turtles and begin to rescue them before they disappeared. He began with no training or knowledge of the animals save what he knew from having spent a life on the sea. He built his sanctuary, which now consists of a dozen or so pools on the edge of the sea. He receives baby turtles from the locals and raises then until they are five years old before releasing them. He gave us a wonderful talk on how he has managed and he has a success rate of about 15% which is far better than the less than 3% they have if left to make it back to the sea after hatching. His work is entirely self-sustaining and he receives no support from the government. We were able to see a range of turtles from 3 months to 17 years old in the salt water pools. Brother King has released over 900 turtles to date and he hopes to see some of them returning to hatch in the next few years. They live up to two hundred years!
We said farewell to Brother King and departed for Port Elizabeth. Some of us shopped in the colorful open markets and others simply strolled in the morning sun. I noticed in the market some scrimshaw made from the teeth of pilot whales. Becquia still allows hunting of whales and they take two whales per year. They consume them on the island do not export the meat.
Our next stop was a “Jack’s Place,” a tropical watering hole nestled under coconut palms on Princess Margaret Bay. There we sampled some of the complimentary drinks, a wicked rum punch made with coconut milk, banana, and other fruits. The punches were strong and best drunk after the swim in the bay. Most of us decided to swim in the beautiful bay. The salinity of the sea is such that you do not need a life jacket to stay afloat. You just let yourself bob along—swimming without exercising! This evening we had the Captain’s Farewell dinner. Captain Komakin hosted a cocktail party on lido deck and we had another one of the spectacular meals on Sea Cloud. Sadly this is our last night on this historic sailing vessel. It has been a memorable experience. We joined Sea Cloud as individuals from all over and leave with fond memories and friendships.
