The Grenadines
- Tim Rhodes
- Dec 3
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 6
September 6th - 17th September 2025
After leaving Chateaubelair, we motored to Bequia—the first of the smaller islands in the Grenadines, part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Bequia offers a beautiful bay with a small oceanfront town at the northern end and a white sandy beach bordered by rocky cliffs at the other. The water remains shallow throughout the bay, with clear sandy patches marking the best spots to drop anchor—if you can time your approach well.
We spent a week in Bequia, where we met a friendly French family. The kids finally enjoyed some much-needed playtime with other children, and the adults appreciated the chance to talk about something beyond boat repairs or homeschooling challenges—though those topics always come with their own humour and stories.
Bequia was our first busy anchorage, and it felt good to be surrounded by other cruisers after the sense of isolation at many of our earlier stops on our way south.
From Bequia, we headed straight to the Tobago Cays— a marine reserve made up of two small sandy islands, sheltered by a wide horseshoe reef on the east side. During peak cruising season, finding a mooring buoy here can be difficult, and for good reason. It has all the hallmarks of a classic castaway island. It reminded me of the scene in Pirates of the Caribbean. Sure enough, a quick search revealed that the location for ‘Rumrunner’s Island’ was shot on nearby Petite Tabac.
Before Hurricane Beryl in 2024, Petite Tabac had been covered in palm trees and vegetation, but the storm stripped it bare, leaving only a sandy island. Beryl’s destruction across Union Island and the Grenadines was severe. For cruisers and insurance companies, 12°N near the southern tip of Grenada is often considered the “safe zone,” but Beryl reminded everyone that hurricanes don’t abide by administrative boundaries.
After leaving the Cays, we anchored near a smaller island protected by a surrounding reef. Coincidentally, we dropped anchor close to our French friends from Bequia. We messaged them to let them know we were nearby, and within an hour, they appeared at our port side in their dinghy.
“We’re heading to the beach for a walk,” they said. “We’ll take your children with us and bring them back later.” I happily agreed. Watching from a distance, I could hear laughter and excited voices echoing across the water. Michelle and I shared a drink and smiled at the scene, near strangers taking our children out in their dinghy, and yet we felt completely at ease. It’s one of the things I love about cruising life.
A couple of WhatsApp messages from cruising friends we had met in the BVIs and Saint Martin reassured us that cold beer awaited us in just a few more days.
We checked out of Union Island, had another ‘boat people’ exchange, and set course for Carriacou, part of Grenada’s Grenadines. We stayed a week at anchor, much of it spent repairing an engine issue that turned out to be a failed starter motor. Once it was replaced, we continued to Grenada’s main island.
After crossing 12° latitude, we sailed around the southwestern tip of Grenada and motored the final three kilometres into Woburn Bay, near Le Phare Bleu.
Le Phare Bleu is a cozy marina nestled in a sheltered bay and known for its family-friendly atmosphere. We wasted no time heading straight to the marina bar for wings night. As we approached the dinghy dock, a group of children of all ages were gathered on the floating dock. Children were everywhere, jumping into the water, scrambling onto boats, running around playing games on a small beach. We ordered wings and beer and finally sat down with friends while Aliya and Owen disappeared into the chaos of play. We had made it to our destination.
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