Bequia ~ Beauty and the Beach

Bequia has a tradition of boat building and it's obvious these islanders are proud of their boats.

Captain's Log - Soufriere, St. Lucia to Port Elizabeth/Admiralty Bay, Bequia:

Underway at 0545 in light air and showers. Raised mainsail and hit bigger seas and 18kts wind at 0630. Sped up from 5kts to 7kts. Kept motorsailing; light air and seas in lee of St. Vincent, then 20-25kts and 6-8 ft seas south of St. Vincent. Relative wind rose to 25-30kts with wind 50-60 degrees off the bow. Dropped the main, then boat speed dropped to 5kts again. 

And, in all that craziness (read it again), we managed to land another mahi!



What? Another mahi? Yep!



"Gingerbread" fretwork designs are common on buildings in Bequia.  

  



We enjoyed pizza by the slice at the Pizza Hut.



Whaling, a cultural tradition, is allowed in Bequia where whalermen can harpoon up to four whales per year. The $30 EC taxi fare to the one room  whaling museum (with a great view) was well worth the trip, not only for the history of whaling, but also for the stunning views of the island.

Troubadour at anchor (center) in Admiralty Bay.
It's best to anchor on the southeast side to avoid the roaring wind that gusts through the hills.

Scuba tank fills were "no problem, mon"



I love this building, it depicts the cheeriness of the people here. And, we ate here, twice! OK, we also bought fresh produce from the rasta man, Mr. President. I tried passion fruit for the first time - it's slimy, but good. We also enjoyed watching our first cricket match with our Australian friends on Blue Pelican and Jabiru. Oh... and the beers were cheap at the match!  



Every walk guarantees a glute workout.

Even on a rainy day, soaked to the skin, cool but not cold, we enjoyed a hike on the Atlantic side of the island to the turtle sanctuary. Sometimes, the cloudy pictures are just as pretty.

Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary -
I learned turtles love to get their backs scratched, they wiggle and splash their flippers side to side.

Land turtles are common on the island, though only the small ones. Seeing this little guy brought back childhood memories of riding on a large one as a teenager at the Flintstones™ Bedrock City Theme Park in the Black Hills, South Dakota! (Remember that trip, Mom & Dad?)

And, yes, you guessed it. The Captain gets to try yet another local beer.
This one is made in St. Vincent - Hairoun Beer . We dined and quenched our thirst at Dawn's Creole Beach Cafe in Industry Bay, Bequia. On the walk back, a nice islander took pity on us when it started raining again, and gave us a ride.

 We'll be back!