Early in July we left Mayreau and went around the corner to Tobago Cays.
Since we decided to cross the Atlantic I’ve been excited about visiting Tobago Cays. I could explain why but it’s simpler just to show you an aerial photo of the area:
OK – now we’ve established why we wanted to come here, we can talk about what it was like!
The weather wasn’t perfect, a little overcast and a bit too windy to get the crystal clear waters we were looking for. But it was safe enough to be there and we weren’t sure we’d be able to return this far north again when Clive came to visit, which was our plan.
Tobago Cays is protected by a huge horseshoe shaped reef with several little islands jutting out of the shallow sandy sea behind. Nowhere in he area is deep and it’s all sandy so anchoring is easy enough, there are a couple of areas yachts are prohibited from entering to ensure that the turtles which breed in the area aren’t disturbed, but mostly it’s open. We picked a spot windward and oceanward of the islands, with only the reef, hidden below the sea between us, the Atlantic and ultimately Africa. It’s very strange to anchor in a spot that looks so open and exposed, but the reef does an excellent job of eating the swell from the ocean and other than being open to the full force of the wind it is a great anchorage.
We anchored and before we even had time to get into the sea we were greeted by the local turtle population. Along with the ever so fearless trunk fish these guys were constant companions. Getting into the water we were rewarded with so much sea life and good visibility. With out a doubt some of the best snorkelling we’ve experience so far on Itchy Foot.
One of the unusual side effects of not being anchored behind land is that you can see the squalls coming from a long way out. They roll across the ocean and bring with the huge torrents of rain and strong winds – nothing to worry about but exciting nonetheless.
After a couple of days enjoying this magical place it was time to head south to Union Island – the last port of entry for St. Vincent and the Grenadines and where we had to check-out. Then a lovely sail down the windward coast of Grenada and into Prickly Bay where we had agreed to meet Clive who was arriving in a couple of days.
We loved Tobago Cays and thankfully got to return again with Clive. I’m very glad we came here off season and instead of when the usual 50-100 charter boats area present. When we were there, we were one of only ten in the whole area.
More about Tobago Cays and the other islands in this area when we post about Clive coming to visit.