Bequia Friday 9th June
Heading for Friendship bay today, just over the hill south of where we are. Again, the skies are grey and heavy. Gone are the white fluffy clouds we had earlier in the year, we are probably going to get wet today. Up and over the hill we are quickly insight of Friendship bay. Following the road, down to the beach we walk northward, only one huge motorboat on a buoy, the sea is up and the waves on the reef are intimidating. We pass the Whaling museum which is shut but the interior can be seen along the wooden platform. Whaling was big here, I think Bequia is one of the rare places where it is still taking place today (under stringent restriction). The little boats on display only intensify the madness of going after a whale on a scrap of wood with only a metal hook, on seas that are more often than not raised up to several metres high. It is a wonder that men actually achieve this feast of catching one as they obviously did year after year for centuries.
Once again the road stops abruptly at some houses; the wind battered headland looms tantalising close, bet the view is fantastic up there, but a huge ”no trespassing” sign forbids us to go any further. Getting the map out, we try to find another path when a dear old lady calls out from the porch and tells us to ignore the sign, so we do. And we are sure glad we did the scenery up the promontory is breathtaking. Coarse long blond grass and gnarled trees, black rocks and candelabra cacti make for picturesque landscape. The grassy ground is scarred by black and red ravines all the way down to the cliffs and again the islands loom in the distance all around us. The waves are very high even far from the headland… would be very bouncy out there today! Retracing our steps, we follow the beach back to friendship bay and beyond. The fishermen let us cross their yard to get back to the road above. They are maintaining some fishing boat and we remarked how well cared for they look, all in fibreglass, freshly painted in vibrant green and red and yellow. Off course Friendship bay is where we lost the anchor back in February but they have not found it. We wish them good luck , they may be able to now that they know it is there.
Back on the road we heading to Paget Farm, the next village, on main road where all the commerce are, houses clinging to the slope of the hills. Again fishing seems to be the main business here and the fishermen have obviously just come back from their morning stint out at sea, swarm of them are trudging back up the rises from the harbour where all the boats are neatly lined up on the ramp by the side of the factory. Whales are depicted on every sign more or less artistically. The old church sits forlornly by the side of the road; weather-beaten black stones, windows highlighted in white, covered by a rusty tinted corrugated iron roof. The cemetery by its side is old and overrun with weeds, the most intricate headstone dating from late 1800. The school is out for lunch and the screaming and laughter brighten up the air. Kids running around, playing games, climbing trees not caring a jot for their clean uniforms is always nice to see.
We reach the airport and the beach further along. A sea wall is being repaired so that’s our lunch time entertainment sorted. Rain makes its unwelcome appearance so we head back. We’ll seek shelter at Jacks and spend the rest of the afternoon in the dry. Jack’s is the busiest we have seen it since we have been here. A clutch of children are splashing in the shallows having a ball. Parents are in the bar and we soon fall into conversation, Perrine & Manu have 3 boys, the boisterous ones in the water and crossed the Atlantic on “Sea You” last January (from Dunkerque). They plan to be travelling for few years. We’ll probably meet them again as they are heading south too.
We’ll prepare to go to cross to Mayreau tomorrow if the weather permits. In time honoured tradition we have left some of Bequia untrodden , we have not walk to the north of the island, just so we have something to discover next time we stop here.