It’s just a short hop around the corner to the Tobago Cays and we are only a little late leaving. As we approach we can see the gaggle of boat vendors waiting at the entrance, ready to pounce, but they are more interested in chatting together than bothering with us.
The Tobago Cays consist of 5 uninhabited islands – Petit Rameau, Petit Bateau, Petit Tabac, Jamesby and Baradal – a horseshoe reef linking all of them except Petit Tabac (where Johnny Depp’s character, Jack Sparrow, was marooned in the film Pirates of the Caribbean. The whole area is a Wildlife Reserve and Marine Park.
Just outside the Cays we had seen a charter boat floundering around, dinghy swinging dangerously from its davits, main sail flapping wildly as they had the boom too high to straighten it out. They obviously had no idea what they were doing. As we enter the relatively narrow channel between the islands, we have a day charter boat on our port side so have no room on that side when the other boat suddenly zooms through on our inside in an attempt to overtake us. When they realise that they can’t cut the corner, they then slow up to let us pass then overtake on the other side. They are going way too fast. There are snorkelers in the water and turtles around. Plonkers!
Photo: Arriving in the turquoise water of the Tobago Cays
We put our anchor down next to Crazy Horse and Matt immediately comes over to say hi and to organise a snorkelling session.
Photo: Matt comes to say hello
Mike wants to stay with the boat for a while – one of us always stays with the boat to make sure the anchor has settled – but the rest of us get togged up, me included, and clamber into Matt’s dinghy with him and Anna although we have to make Matt put away his deckchair first!
Photo: Could you get any more laid back in a dinghy?
We drag the anchor up onto a pristine white beach. I look wonderful in my swimming jacket as usual but heyho, at least I won’t drown. I put my fins and snorkelling gear on and go straight off with Anna. We immediately find two turtles and hover over the top of them while they sit on the bottom and feed. When they start to swim, I follow one of them, the large one, swimming about three feet above him for about five minutes. His grace is beautiful to behold. While I struggle to maintain his speed he gently glides from left to right, occasionally coming to the surface to breathe. He knows I am there but shows no concern. It’s a wonderful experience.
Turning back, the others are hovering over another four turtles and I watch for a while before heading back to the beach as my mask has dribbled a little bit of water in and although I manage to empty it, some has dripped into my eyes and they are no streaming so much that I am swimming blind.
Once at the beach I strip off my disgusting flotation kit then realise that I have a soaking wet white tee-shirt on underneath. Very clingy. Very see through. Not good!! Anna lends me a less revealing one and I just have to go for it and strip off into it on the beach. In Europe I wouldn’t bat an eyelid. Here – it’s very different and I feel like a complete hussy!
Matt convinces us all to walk up the hill. He uses the word ‘path’ so I don’t worry about the fact that I am barefoot. ‘Path’ obviously means something different to Matt that it does to us girls, and as we struggle to climb over extremely hot stones, earth, grit, dried and prickly leaves and God knows what else, all you can hear as we climb is us griping.
We get about two thirds up the hill and barefooted Anna gives up (she did this yesterday in shoes so knows what’s coming – sensible girl) and goes back down. The rest of us continue, Bev and I still griping, past scuttling iguanas, beautifully camouflaged in grey and white stripes against sun bleached tree stumps (although the pale orange crests are a bit of a giveaway) to the top of the hill.
Photo: View from the top of the hill
We walk down the other side, not quite as hot as it’s on the slightly shaded side of the island but nasty underfoot as it is gritty and slippery. Matt attempts to help me but I am so worried about dragging him down the hill with me if I slither that it makes me nervous. However, we all make it down without injury and the beach is worth it. No one else is there and we wander up and down looking for interesting things on the beach. There’s no shade so I go right down to the end and sit on the rocks under a tiny bit of overhanging cliff for a while and sit and stare out at the beautiful hues of blue and turquoise, watching the waves crash over the reef.
Photos: Pictures on a castaway island
Both Bev and I have grave doubts about the trip back across the hill – barefoot remember – so Matt goes back for Anna and the dinghy and comes back for us. Then suddenly two snorkels appear out of the sea – Maggie and Bob! Fancy seeing you two here. We spend a little longer just hanging around. I kick at a bit of rock sticking out of the sand right at the back of the beach and it turns out to be a really brilliant conch shell with a really bright pink interior. Suddenly from around the corner of the hill, we spot Eline and Oisin and shout to them that we are just on the way round to the first beach. Jutta and Jochem are there and we promise to come back to the beach after lunch and our afternoon nap.
Photo: Curly hair, buoyancy jacket – such style!
When we get back to Jeannius to sort out some lunch, Mike has already attacked the banana bread and is not as hungry as us!
Lunch over, Maggie and Bob offer us a lift back to see Jutta and Jochem but when we get there they have already left to go back to Mayreau. We continue on with the dinghy and find another island to explore. I have to say it is beautiful here but I still prefer the wonder of the Tuamotus in French Polynesia, Ahh. Fakarava! We agree that Jeannius is the best boat for drinks and invite everyone over to us later. There’s just enough time to shower before they arrive, bringing their drinks with them.
Photos: The usual suspects having a drink or two
We have a lovely evening with everyone then I VERY quickly cook a spaghetti bolognaise but with soya mince, my storecupboard standby.
Our position is: 12 deg 38 min N, 61 deg 23 min W
Distance so far: 24619 nautical miles
Hi Jean, just learned about your blog (from Maggie via Marie) and saw it for the first time! Great job and I am so sorry I did not know about it earlier. It is the best blog I know about the World ARC. Congratulations on making it all the way around while we are still sitting on the hard in New Zealand. We have done a full refit besides the repair of the Tsunami damages and should have a better time sailing than for the first half. However, we terribly miss the great company of all of you. We hope that you will be in the Caribbean when we will get there with the next World ARC group and we can catch up then. I forgive you for not telling us about your blog as your such a lovely lady...., big hugs from Marie and myself. Say hello to Mike as well. Take care.
ReplyDeleteCharles
PS: thanks for taking the pictures of 'the wedding'! Fun to see.
Hi Jean,
ReplyDeleteYour photos of the Tobago Cays are gorgeous. It was my favorite place in the Caribbean despite the fact that I spent so long snorkeling with the turtles I got a very badly burned posterior - could not sit for a week. Ouch. I had on a T shirt and tons of factor 30 but forgot which buts would be sky wise when snorkeling. Jeannius sure does look the ideal party boat, even with 17 onboard she does not look crowded. Hugs to all, say 'hi' to everyone from John and I. Lv Olly x