LIAT will be taking us back to St. Vincent for our 3rd anniversary trip. Flying with LIAT will be an adventure in itself. We booked our flights with them at the beginning of August. Michael found a great flight itinerary, and we were very excited. At the beginning of November, though, they e-mailed us saying that they have discontinued our wonderful afternoon return flight, so we’d have to leave early in the morning, or the next day. At first there was much cussing and fussing about our perfect trip being ruined by this airline’s ridiculous policies (our last meal on the yacht we’ll be chartering is breakfast on that sad day of departure and we’d have to be at the airport before the crew was awake), but then we decided to stay an extra day on St. Vincent and try to fit in a visit with Dr. Karl Eklund, whose blogs we enjoy immensely. When LIAT hands you lemons…….(well, hopefully the planes will work…..)

We have sent numerous e-mails to Dr. Eklund and he has responded to each one. We will call Robert Tours on St. Vincent, the guys who took us to La Soufriere Volcano, the Vermont Nature Trail and the Trinity Falls trail last year when we stayed at Petit Byahaut, and have Robert or Elvis take us to Dr. Eklund so we can meet him and his wife, Sally. They have beautiful orchids, as well as interesting ideas about science and society. We are also hoping to learn about their experiences as part-time residents (they also have a home in MA) on a Caribbean island which is not an American territory.

I’ll be like a kid in a candy shop…..theories about our societal ills, maybe talk about physics, biology, anthropology, theology, evolution, more politics (Obama!), third world economies…….. We may have to stay another week!

But I digress….after we arrive on St. Vincent, we board a catamaran for a week of sailing through the Grenadines. Tres luxurieuse!

There will be only a maximum of four other guests on board with us, and a two person crew. We will have a private berth and head with mirror and shower. Most meals and snacks are included and there is an open bar for the duration.

We’ve both been on “cruises” before. But when you’re on a cruise ship, to me it just feels like a hotel on the water. Big, and you don’t feel so close to the sea. There’s a lot of boat in the way. During this trip we’ll be close to the sea, but not quite as close as when we’re in “Origami” or our kayak. Can’t wait!

I guess when you’re sailing, winds and currents can vary, as do the wishes of the guests. When we signed up for this trip, we were surveyed as to our food and beverage and activity preferences. We made it clear that we do NOT go on vacation to shop. We are particularly fond of hiking and water sports like kayaking and snorkeling. So we hope the other guests have similar ideas. Here’s a sample itinerary from our e brochure:

“The Grenadines are regarded by most as the “Jewels of the Caribbean”. We chose the island of St. Vincent as the home base and our yacht will be located at The Aquaic Center at Young Island Cut, a stones throw from the Mariners Hotel. Dinner is on board and preparation is made for an early morning departure.

Cruising Day 1:
After a light breakfast we set sail towards Mustique – the private island of the Super-stars. Inaccessible to most but private yachts, like ours, are welcome. After lunch, choose to explore the islands many stately mansions and beautiful beaches or snorkel the reef around the anchorage. Dinner is ashore and enjoyed at the popular Basils Bar where lime daiquiris and watching for the “green flash” is tradition.

Cruising Day 2:
The Tobago Cays – a few hours sail away from Mustique, is our destination and where we will explore for the next 2 days. Very often, pods of dolphin will come along and play in our wake. Snorkeling and diving on shallow live coral reef with their vast diversity of marine life is an experience second to none. Above the water, be sure to have your camcorders and cameras ready… welcome to paradise.

Cruising Day 3:
After lunch we stop at Union Island to visit the village of Toronto. Snorkeling amongst the pelicans diving to catch their prey is an unforgettable experience. Towering cliffs that plunge into the sea either side of a long white beach make this the perfect spot to take a bottle of wine to the beach… an unforgettable experience.

Cruising Day 4:
Mayreau Island lies on the South Western extreme of the Tobago Cays. Here, tucked away on its western side, is a unique slender stretch of land dividing the rugged windward side from the calms of the leeward. On the Leeward side is a stunningly gorgeous long white beach with a stone beach bar – you are now in Salt Whistle Bay. Venture over the top of the island to visit the little fishing village with its old Chapel and school. Before dinner onboard, your captain and hostess will prepare a floating bar with exotic cocktails. Sip and swim!

Cruising Day 5:
Enjoy the view from the yacht’s fly-bridge as we set sail north to Canouan. Then onto an island as unique as its name implies – Bequia. Beaches, boutiques and friendly smiles greet you.

Dinner ashore at the Frangipani is the perfect end to the day and welcomes you to an evening, where steel pan and calypso will keep you dancing til dawn.

Cruising Day 6:
Another day in Paradise! Wake up to the soft sounds of surf lapping on the powder white sands of the Princess Margaret Beach. For the scuba diving charters, Bequia offers a host world class dive sites – if you look hard enough, you may be lucky to see Bequia’s elusive Sea Horses! After lunch, we set sail back to St. Vincent where we once again spend the night in Young Island Bay.

Departure Day:
After breakfast, sadly your adventure comes to an end – but not for long. You will already have made plans for your next venture with Festiva Sailing Vacations.”

This experience will be incredible, but it will be hard to compete with the day we swam with a dozen dolphins off St. Croix’s northeast shore in late January 2007. Most of our island vacations are wonderful, but we’ve yet to find a better trip than livin’ on St. Croix.

Oh, and I’ll still definitely worry about the dogs, especially Ajax, who has been having a very difficult time with his arthritis lately…..sigh……

An experiment in not driving myself crazy. Truly an adventure!

This entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2008 at 10:04 am and is filed under Terry Talk, Vacations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.