Route: Grenada- Ronde Island, Cariacou, Clifton, Salt Whistle Bay, Tobago Cays, Port Elizabeth,Wallilabou Bay, Rodney Bay, Grande Ase, Fort de France
Date: 30.12.2024-19.01.2025
Miles/hours: 196Mm/53h
Grenada
Transport
There are minibuses running around the island. They have district numbers and a written route they take.
GCNA Nutmeg Museum
The Grenada Cooperative Nutmeg Association no longer runs plantation tours, but they do have museums in two locations on the island – one in Victoria and the other in Beaulieu. Both locations show the nutmeg production process, what is made from which part (everything from the outer fruit, through the casing, shell, and the nut itself is used). Admission is $3, and $5 with a tasting of nutmeg products after hanging.
Chocolate Factory
There are several chocolate factories that offer tours. We chose the Dimond Chocolade Factory in Victoria – we went there after visiting the nutmeg museum. It’s January 2nd, so the factory is closed, but the lady shows us around the entire factory. First we see cocoa trees, then huge drawers where the beans are dried, the next stage is sorting the beans into different sizes, then grinding, mixing, adding various additives, dividing and packaging. At the end, of course, there’s a tasting. Admission costs 5EC$ per person
We return to St. George by bus.
Laura Herbs and Spice Garden
We take a bus to the garden. Admission costs 10EC$ per person. The lady shows us around the garden, gives us different plants to try and tells us what they can be used for. Tomek, of course, feasts on green pepper. From the garden, we walk to the distillery
Westerhall Rum Estate Distillery
In addition to producing excellent rum, the Westerhall Rum Estate Distillery also has a historic part – no longer in operation, but you can visit it on your own for free. Tomek acts as a guide and tells us about rum production. At the end, the tasting is free and unlimited. 🙂
Cariacou
Marinas and mooring
There are two marinas on either side of the bay – Cariacou Marina on the right and Tyrell Bay Marina on the left. Both marinas have land and water berths for smaller yachts. Most yachts are at anchor. The anchor holds well. There are many yachts on land with broken masts from Hurricane Beryl.
Check out from Gernada
Customs and immigration at Cariacou Marina on the right side of the bay. On the left side there is only customs, but they want us to do immigration first. The lady calls an officer from the other marina, who comes to pick us up in a car and then takes us to the boat. We pay an additional 30 EC$ for out-of-hours check-in and 20 EC$ for each person who arrived by plane.
SailClear is not working (maybe temporarily), but you have to fill out one more piece of paper.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Union Island check in
We anchor, a local appears on a boat immediately and offers a lift to land, we agree on a price of 10 EC$ per person for both ways (he wanted 20EC$). It is absolutely necessary to fill out SailClear in advance and write down the number. Everything goes slowly, and ahead of us check in 2 more charter yachts with a large crew – the whole thing takes about an hour. Then another visit to the bank, which is in a container, because the bank building was badly damaged during the hurricane. The ATM is also out of order.
After completing the formalities, we get into a “taxi” and sail to the yacht. Around noon we set off towards the Tobago Cays.
Maryeau – Salt Whistle Bay
We reach the bay around 1 pm, there are plenty of yachts – some are on buoys, but most are at anchor. Of course, a black guy swims up and offers a barbecue on the beach with lobster. We politely thank him. Those who want to swim to the beach – it’s not far – then a trip along the bars and back from the other side of the bay. A nice walk, although the bars and shops are very poor, like Caribbean ones focused on American tourists. In the evening, the crew sails to a bar for rumpuncha. They return after dark, bravely rowing.
Tobago Cays
We sail into the atoll between the reefs and stand on a buoy. I pay for mooring (6 people and a yacht) 150EC$, but the system charges a fee in USD (55.50$). You fill out the application on the website https://tcmp.reefsupport.org/purchase-mooring . A moment later, the park staff arrives and asks about the fee – when they find out that we paid online, they write down the name of the yacht and sail away. Turtles swim next to us, there are starfish on the bottom and rays swim – it’s beautiful. I sail to a nearby beach, from where you can see the other side of the “island”. The next day we leave after sunrise.
Bequia – Port Elizabeth
We stop at the buoy. We go to explore the town and stock up on vegetables. The town is small – you can explore it in half an hour. We go for a local dinner for 20EC$ per person. We return with our shopping to the yacht and the rest of the crew goes for a walk around the town and ends up in a pub. There is a spontaneous concert of local residents in the pub, we listen to it on the yacht. The next day
Walillabou Bay
The bay where the film “Pirates of the Caribbean” was filmed – the first episode. On the shore there is a “museum” with props from the film, a replica of the Black Pearl, a pub with tasty Rampunch and large skeletons dressed as pirates. Before the entrance to the bay is the famous Hanged Men’s Rock.
We stand on a buoy with a mooring line to the jetty. A black man helps us park – he charges 50EC$ for this. At the bar we pay 25EC$ for a buoy per day.
Immigration doesn’t open until around 5pm and that’s when I can find out something. Using our free time we go on a trip to the Walillabou Falls. The area is fenced and open from 8am to 5pm. Inside there is a nice garden and a waterfall where you can swim. Entry costs 5USD and we pay 52XC$ for 5 people. The water is cool but not cold, those who are willing stick their heads under the waterfall. I go back to find out what’s going on with the check-in, and the rest of us are left to watch the park. It turns out that I can only check-in tomorrow afternoon.
Check-out
Sailclear doesn’t work, so you have to fill in the documents by hand (using carbon paper). First customs (35EC$) then immigration (another 35EC$). I get the processed receipts – tomorrow we can go.
Trip to Kingstown
We go to Kingstown in two groups by bus, day after day. We visit the botanical garden.
It is worth taking a guide, he tells a lot about almost every plant in the park, lets you smell it, tells you what you can use it for. The whole tour lasts about 1.5 hours and costs 20EC$ per person. The bus to Kingstown costs 5EC$ and takes about 50 minutes. Traditionally, it stops at any place along the way. After sightseeing and visiting the Polish consulate (for social purposes), we go to the bus station and return to the marina. After lunch, we go out to sea.
Saint Lucia
Check in
You have to fill out SaiClear (customs) and for immigration the form on the website https://travelslu.govt.lc/.
You can add more family members – as a result, you will receive by email the St. Lucia ED Card Receipt – a form with a QR code.
Check-in costs 100EC$ at customs (if the crew does not change, you can check in immediately for departure) and 70EC$ for immigration. You can pay by card
Rodney Bay Marina
A large marina, where the ARC ends.
A trip around the island
We agree with a local taxi driver that for 50USD per person he will take us on a trip around the island. In addition to our six, there are two Poles from a neighboring boat.
Castries
The capital of Saint Lucia and the Castries district, on the west coast of the island, a port on the Caribbean Sea. According to data from 2001, the city had 10,873 inhabitants. The city’s landmark is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in 1899. The city developed a food industry (rum and sugar production) and shipbuilding. In 1941, a US Army base was built here. In 1948 and 1953, it was destroyed by fires.
Marigot Bay
A beautiful bay with a small, very atmospheric marina, a small beach and a few pubs.
Banana plantation
Bananas are St. Lucia’s main export. A banana tree produces only one bunch of bananas and dies, but grows another shoot next to it, which produces another bunch and so on. The bunches are protected from insects with foil with holes.
St. Lucia Distillery
A tour of the distillery is combined with a tasting. The tour costs 30EC$ per person – you can only pay in cash. First, we watch a film about the rum production process, and then we go to the factory, where there are various distillation columns. The lady shows us the next stages of rum production, demonstrates the contents of the bottles and shows us different distillation columns. Then we go to the tasting room, the lady tells us what is in each bottle, and then we can taste it ourselves. At the end we go to the shop. This time you can pay by card, and the lady packs the purchased bottles in casings and cardboard boxes.
View of the Pitons
Two Pitons – two volcanic cones rising straight from the sea – is a place famous throughout the Caribbean, which delights with its ferocity and breathtaking views.
Soufriere Volcano
Soufriere Volcano lies at the foot of the town of Soufriere. The foot of the volcano is very touristy. There are several pubs and souvenir stands there. The volcano smokes and stinks of sulfur. The guide takes us to a viewing point – a dozen or so years ago, you could go inside onto the steaming ground, but there were accidents and burns, so they decided not to do it.
At the foot of the volcano, you can take a mud bath, and the mud is said to have a beneficial effect on the skin and health. There is an additional fee to enter the mud pools.
Martinique
Check in
You should go to the website Formalités déclaratives pour le mouillage et le stationnement dans les eaux territoriales aux Antilles françaises / Clearance formalities in the French West Indies territorial waters · demarches-simplifiees.fr
you have to create an account, fill out a form and print it out – from and the entire check-in.
Marina L’Étang Z’Abricots
There are currently no places in the marina – we stand on a buoy for €6 per day. After three days, we find a place – we park at the quay – the mooring costs €15 per day and €4 flat-rate for electricity. The marina is decent, clean and well-protected. You park at the floating jetties, with your stern to the quay and your bow on the moorings. The same strip is used to enter the jetties, to the toilets and showers and to open the barrier.
Balata Botanical Garden
A beautiful botanical garden in the north of Martinique. Admission €16 per person, sightseeing takes about 1.5 hours – you walk along designated paths. There is also a walkway suspended high between trees.
Fort de France
The capital of the island. From the marina you can take bus 211 or a rented car. You can also walk there. The city is a mix of Caribbean and French styles. It is worth walking the streets of the “old town”, entering the cathedral, library and cultural center.
Fort Saint Louis
An active naval fort. The tour takes place with a guide. The ticket costs €10 per person. You can buy it at the tourist information office near McDonald’s. The tour starts in front of the tourist information office, the guide is in French or English, unfortunately not both languages at once. We decide to take the tour in French – it is in English only the next day.
