Stopping in Bequia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines

Bequia is the second-largest island in the Grenadines, part of the country of Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, located approximately 15 km (9 miles) from the main island of Saint Vincent and the nation's capital, Kingstown.  Bequia features stunning beaches, colorful buildings, and an appealing, slow pace of life.

Bequia was first populated from South America, with a large wave of immigration around 1400 bringing the Caribs to the region.  In the eighteenth century, Europeans arrived, first the French, then the British in 1763.  The island achieved independence in 1979 as part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Arriving in Bequia, anchoring

Arriving at the port

We stroll through the town, taking in the colorful buildings and quiet lifestyle of the island.

Strolling into Bequia

Road signs

The road around the harbor leads us to Fort Hamilton overlooking the bay.  On our stroll to the fort, we especially enjoy the occasional seating areas looking out over the water.

Along the bay

Looking out over the water

Looking back into the hills

As the road winds up the hill toward Fort Hamilton, we get better views of and perspective on the bay and the ships at anchor and in motion.

Heading up the hill to the fort

Views of the bay

Our ship (Wind Surf) and a passing ferry

Fort Hamilton was constructed in the 1700s atop the 91 meter (300 foot) hill at the entrance to the harbor to protect the bay from American privateers and French raiders.  The fort was named after Alexander Hamilton, born in Nevis and a Founding Father of the US and founder of its first political party, the Federalist Party.  What remains of the fort now are a few cannons propped against a stone wall.

Fort Hamilton

View from the fort

We're delighted by the recycling container at the fort and continue to chuckle as we start back down the road into town, continuing to enjoy the spectacular views across the water.

Recycle here

A Quick Stop in Barbados

We're on our way to another cruise, this time in the southern Caribbean, starting in the Lesser Antilles and ending in the Leeward Antilles, just near Venezuela.  We arrive in Barbados, the most easterly island of the Lesser Antilles, bordering the Atlantic Ocean in the southeastern Caribbean Sea and sitting on the boundary of the South American and Caribbean tectonic plates.

We are staying in Hastings, a small village and beach resort in the parish of Christ Church, just south of Bridgetown.  Known for its beautiful white sandy beaches, the village also hosts the longest boardwalk in Barbados (Richard Haynes Boardwalk), starting at our hotel and running to the nearby community of Rockley.

We drop our luggage at the hotel and start down the boardwalk.

View from our hotel

Walking down the boardwalk

We pass a few intriguing restaurants and bars and wish that we had known how beautiful and inviting this area is -- we would have scheduled several days here rather than just the one night before our cruise!  Soon, the sun begins to set, lighting up the sky and the beach.

Sunset along the beach

In the morning, we wake and take another walk on the boardwalk, return to our hotel, and then stroll north from the hotel along the beach toward Bridgetown and the larger resort hotels.

Along the boardwalk in the morning

Heading north, past the end of the boardwalk, we take off our sandals and walk on the beautiful, soft, cool white sand beaches, strolling from beach to beach up the coast, passing large resorts and small residences, until we can get no farther at high tide.  We then return to our hotel, have a great lunch of grilled mahi mahi, and look for a taxi to our ship.  In a great island story, our taxi stops in town and the driver invites a friend who is walking back to work to join us - he turns out to be an immigration agent at the port who is returning to work after leaving to have lunch with his mother.  He checks our papers and passports in the taxi and just waves at the guards on duty as we breeze into the port and over to our ship.

Strolling north along the beaches

Danger, falling coconuts

We board our ship, the Wind Surf, depart Barbados on the start of our journey, and watch our second lower-Caribbean sunset as the ship raises her sails and heads out to sea.

Sunset (again)

Sailing away

Barbados in the rear view mirror

We're off to a great start on another adventure!