Click here to watch our video of Sailing around St. Lucia and the Grenadines
by Passports and Champagne // Travel Blog
Bequia
The first stop on our sailing trip through the Grenadines was the island of Bequia. We grabbed a mooring ball in the bustling bay of Port Elizabeth. This colorful seaside town was full of charm. The walk-able promenade was lined with beach bars, restaurants and scuba shops.
We walked through town and bought provisions for the boat. We found fun little trailers along the road selling fresh coconuts, baked breads, produce and even homemade fudge.
We went on two dives with Dive Bequia our first morning here. The water was choppy from the wind and we found the current to be very strong. Not our favorite diving experience but the corals looked beautiful and the water was warm.
There are a lot of fun beach bars along the promenade in Port Elizabeth. Some have live music and all of them have cold rum drinks. Grab a cocktail, relax and watch the sunset.
Mustique
After a quick sail we arrived at the illusive island of Mustique. We paid for a mooring ball, cracked some beers and then went snorkeling with turtles right off the boat. We also saw some incredible winged bat fish swimming around. A perfect greeting to this beautiful island.
This remote island is a favorite of the rich and famous. People like David Bowie and Shania Twain have estates here. While we were visiting we were told by locals that Katy Perry and Mick Jagger were also on the island. Tommy Hilfiger has one of the largest beachfront mansions on the island as well.
The most famous beach bar and restaurant on the island is called Basil’s Beach Bar. It is known around the world for the Jazz Festival it hosts each year. The restaurant is all wood and hangs out over the water. The rum punches were delicious and the ambience was great!
Pristine beaches can be found all around the island. Not many tourists visit this island which leaves these beaches completely empty. We hired a local driver for the morning who took us on a tour around the entire island. We were able to see the outside of some of the private estates and find all the beautiful beaches on the island.
Tobago Cays
Our favorite stop on our sailing trip through the Grenadines was Tabago Cays. The islands of Petit Rameau, Petit Bateau, Baradal, Petit Tabac and Jamesby make up this gorgeous archipelago. These islands are all uninhabited. If you want to visit them you have to stay on a sailboat anchored or moored in the water around them or take a day trip from another island.
The water around the Tabagos Cays was stunning. It was crystal clear and the white sand below gave it a turquoise hue. The best snorkeling of the trip was off of the island of Baradal. We saw tons of turtles, sting rays, and giant orange starfish. We snorkeled here all day! One of the best memories from the trip.
After snorkeling all day we went back to the boat and got cleaned up for dinner. Every night (during lobster season) there is a giant lobster cookout on the beach. In the afternoon you will be greeted by a friendly boat boy, (ours was named Captain Neil) who will come up and ask you if you’d like lobster for dinner. Of course we said yes! Captain Neil caught us fresh lobster which we grilled up and ate right there on the beach! This was one of the coolest dining experience we’ve ever had in our lives. We had never seen so many lobsters before!
Eating fresh caught BBQed lobster with your feet in the sand! Doesn’t get much better than that. Beside lobsters we were offered rum punch and beer!
This lobster cookout was an experience we will never forget!
On the Sailboat
The sailing between the islands was great! There are strong winds that blow consistently around the islands. We were able to raise our sails between every island. Jeff loves fishing so we rented some deep sea fishing gear from our rental company. One day during our sail Jeff caught a giant Wahoo! It was exhilarating and after taking a look at it we released it back into the sea.
We used our inflatable dinghy to get from our boat into the shore. We also it to go snorkeling at coral reefs and to take little tours around the islands.
We took the time sailing between the islands to lay in the sun and read out books. It’s so much fun to move through the open ocean to your next destination.
Union Island
This funky little island is the kite surfing capital of the Grenadines. The main street has a ton of colorful shops, restaurants and bars. With a great variety of food with healthy options Union island seemed the most hip and fun island we visited. The kite-surfing scene here brings a lot of athletes who want to kite-surf around this famous paradise island!
We spent one day at Union Island at Sparrow’s Beach Club. They offer a free taxi to their beach from anywhere on the island. We ate a delicious seafood lunch at their restaurant, sipped on pina coladas, swam in the ocean off the beach and relaxed to the fullest.
After a day at the beach we decided to head to Happy Island for sunset to watch the kite-surfers. This island is made completely out of conch shells and its in the shallow water off the coast of Union Island. Grab a rum punch from the bar and watch the kite surfers put on a show. If you have ever thought of kite-surfing there are great shops that offer rentals and lessons.
Grenada
Our final night on the sailboat we spent in Grenada which is where we ultimately dropped off our sailboat. We grabbed a mooring ball near the famous Underwater Sculpture Park and snorkeled around it for the afternoon. It was pretty cool!
We took a water taxi into St. George’s town for the evening and explored the capital of Grenada. The colorful buildings speckled the shore and the promenade was lined with boats. With a local vibe and French colonial flare St. George’s was a great example of the rich history and culture you can find in Grenada.
We ate dinner at BB’s Crabback and tasted their famous crab back which is delicious fresh crabmeat baked with exotic herbs, wine and cheese sauce and served in a crab shell. We also really liked their signature goat curry with coconut milk. We would definitely recommend coming here for a meal when in St. George’s.
We had a wonderful time sailing around the Grenadine islands. We had some epic moments and made some great memories!
