November 20-29, 2010... Bequia

Bequia is a beautiful island in the Grenadines and though we'd been here in July, we were happy to return and get to know it a bit better. We walked to the windward side of the island to visit the privately-run turtle sanctuary. Met by Martin, a member of the family, we were able to learn a bit more about the hawksbill and green turtles. He also showed us the newest arrivals -- 6-week olds that will be nurtured for a couple of years and then released to the wild. Why is it that seeing turtles makes us smile?

The walk to the east reminded us of why we are staying put here for so long. The weather has been pretty horrible for going north -- high NE winds and large seas. All were on display from the east coast road we walked (or got blown) along to the sanctuary. Even in the harbor the winds are strong and squalls blow through pretty regularly. One day we had three boats drag near us -- two of them dangerously close. Luckily they all had responsive owners who minimized the threat immediately.

One day we walked up to the battery on the west side where there are English and French cannons overlooking the entrance to Admiralty Bay. And wonderful views. That day we were surprised to see a windjammer cruise ship come in -- quite beautiful -- dwarfing all the rest of the boats in the harbor.

As we wait for weather we are settling in to life here. We know where to find good bread and fresh vegetables, we kayak and swim, and are reading the papers about the upcoming election in SVG. [We talked with several locals about which way Bequia will go... NDP (opposition party) all the way is the consensus.] We spend time with other cruisers in the anchorage, all of whom are waiting for the perfect weather window. No one is on a schedule, so we have the luxury to wait and enjoy the sail rather than get beat up by rushing headlong into the wrong conditions. As we all say, there are definitely worse places than Bequia to wait for weather!