Caribbean (Grenadines)

Eastern Caribbean, St. Vincent & Grenadinesactivities

The Grenadines string south from St. Vincent like a scatter of green beads, and once you thread the channel out of Admiralty Bay on Bequia, you quickly understand why sailors return here season after season. The northeast trades blow a reliable fifteen to twenty knots through the winter months, putting the wind on your beam for most island-hops and keeping the swell manageable. It is straightforward sailing in daylight — each passage runs between one and three hours — so there is no pressure to overnight unless you want to. Bequia itself is worth two or three days. The anchorage is deep and well-protected, the provisioning decent, and the boatbuilding culture gives the place a genuine maritime soul. From there you work south through Mustique (you anchor off, the beach bars are worth the dinghy ride), Canouan, and the Tobago Cays — four uninhabited islets ringed by a horseshoe reef that genuinely earns its reputation. Snorkelling the reef at slack tide, with hawksbill turtles grazing around you, is the kind of afternoon that lodges in memory. Continue to Mayreau and Union Island before the option of crossing to Carriacou in Grenada, though budget time for the customs formalities at each end. Charter bases operate primarily out of Bequia, Canouan, and Union Island, with the larger fleets positioned in St. Vincent itself. Bareboat suits competent sailors; if your crew is inexperienced on a new boat in steady trade-wind conditions, a skipper for the first day or two is money well spent. Provisioning is best done in Bequia or at the supermarkets in Union Island before heading into the outer cays, where options thin out quickly. December through April gives you the trades at their most reliable; arrive in late-season May and expect lighter, variable winds and the first hints of a humid, unsettled sky.

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