“Wow, you really saved the best for last,” “Is there an airport on Bequia?”, “We sure would like to come back here and stay a little longer.” That was the talk going around in the shade of Jack’s Beach Bar on Princess Margaret Beach in Bequia at the end of a good, long morning. Most of us had taken Zodiacs into town to board the local covered pick-up trucks for a geared-down drive around the island. The local guides may not have had the credentials of London Blue Badge Guides, but they shared their love of their island and their stories and culture with charm, passion, and smiles.
We drove to the eastern or windward side of the island where the repentant Brother Orton King—a former free-diving turtle fisherman—has devoted the last 20 years of his life raising endangered hawksbill turtle hatchlings to adolescence to give them a “head start” for survival in the wild. It is truly a “Labour of Love” as his t-shirts display, and he is almost single-handedly maintaining the nursery where he keeps the turtles until the age of five and then sets the free.
We also drove to the lookout point of Fort Hamilton, named after Caribbean native Alexander Hamilton, which formerly protected Admiralty Bay below. It was a nice orientation to Port Elizabeth, Princess Margaret Beach, and Admiralty Bay. The guides then entertained us with an impromptu chorus of traditional songs about the Bequian culture, before we drove back into town. Some of us went to the excellent Bequia Bookstore or explored the Rastafarian fruit and vegetable market, or stopped in at the traditional model-boat building shops. Almost everyone walked the gorgeous Belmont Walk along the waterfront with its gingerbread houses and picket fences, past the Frangiapani and the Whaleboner Bar, and everyone ended up at Princess Margaret Beach for a final swim. It was a great morning.
Back on board, Sea Cloud presented its renowned “parmesan pasta wheel” lunch, where sous chef Daniel prepares pasta in the cavity of a huge wheel of Parmesan-Reggiano. We all wanted a nap after that, but Captain Komakin set sail for a short power sail for the final sailing of the voyage. Now we are out in the open sea and bound for Barbados, reflecting on a surprisingly diverse week of true Caribbean charm and hospitality.
