Union – St Vincent & the Grenadines
Sunday 11th June 17
This time we are going. The wind is strong but not to strong, around 20-25 knots and we manage to escape the rain for most of the trip. It started good with fairly flat seas until we passed Canouan and then it went berserk. The wind got up to 33 knots and the waves were over 2.5 metres. And with the rain lashing down, it was not so pleasant. So we decided to carry on to Union. The forecast is talking about tropical waves, i.e. strong winds and loads of rain and the shelters in both Mayreau and Canouan would not have been so good with the direction of the wind. So change of plan, we are now going to Chatham bay in Union, we had not been there on our previous trips up and down the chain and it was more sheltered or so we thought. As it turned out, the wind was howling there too and for 2 nights we had very disturbed sleep. On the plus side, it is a beautiful bay bordered with a white sandy beach and towering green hills surrounds us. The water is a symphony of blue and turquoise. The sun sets right in the middle of the bay. Only four boats anchored the first night.
Monday 12th June
Boots on in the morning, we are going to explore. Off course by the time we have pumped up the dinghy and built the outboard, the sky has darkened and low grey clouds are gathering. We only made it to the dinghy dock of the Aqua resort when a tropical monsoon hits. Never seen so much water coming down. We settled ourselves with coffee listening to the deluge on the palm roof (lucky, we landed on the dock of the boutique hotel of the bay). The bay dotted with yachts slowly disappears, re-emerges and disappears again as the rain weeps the landscape. The raindrops pucker the surface of the sea by waves, it is fascinating to watch. The downpour is lasting much longer than the usual 10 to 15 minutes we are used to. The rainy season is definitely upon us. The sun finally comes back and we were able to start our walk. Union Island is very small. Not many roads but all of them with a view. We climb the hills on the north of the bay. From the top, the view on Chatham bay is spectacular. All the boats dinky toys bobbing around on clear blue sea. Many more have turned up since we left earlier this morning, won’t be so lonely tonight. We met Bushman on the way and Ian is making the most of the opportunity of having a conversation in English. He takes us to the plot of land where he works. Lovely gardens with a vegetable patch and coop for chickens and ducks, and lively goats. There is even a pond with the biggest and tallest water lilies, taller then me. He very proudly gives us the grand tour, all the while telling us about life on the island, raising kids (he has 11) and making a living. I leave the boys having a chinwag and explore the top of the rise above the small holding. I can see the other side of the island from there. There is a path marked on our map and as we start on it, the rain begins again, we take shelter under the trees. Fortunately it does not last long so we can carry on. Not many views on this side, too much foliage on this side. The trees rustle ahead, and a young man in an oversized green raincoat carrying a machete informs us that we cannot go any further. Did not think that we should argue the point, the machete ensures that we turn round speedily.
On the way back down we pick up the road to Ashton by the sea. Again the views are superb, candy colour houses scattered on the slope, like a rainbow fallen from the sky and shattered on the ground. Ashton is a small village but I still counted 4 churches of various denominations. I like the way the shops and bar/restaurants are in effect people’s front room, with “Variety Shop” above the door. Everyone is very friendly and greetings are shouted out across roads and gardens. Apart from that no one is really paying attention to us. The town quay is picturesque, surrounded by mangrove all around with water so clear that we can see the fishes in the shallows. Across is Frigate Island, a lone rock surrounded by reefs. We follow the road meandering between sea and slopes of the hills. The views out to the islands are fantastic. We reach the end of the road, nowhere else to go. We retrace our steps back to Chatham bay. A well deserved drink to accompany the sunset, the place is a bit more lively than this morning. So mesmerised by the fantastic light show in the west, we have not noticed the gathering of dark menacing clouds in the east. We barely make it to the dinghy when the skies open. Pretty tough to find the boat in the fading light with sheets of rain blinding us. Glad to get in the dry.