Loela

The West Indies Paradise that is The Grenadines!

Arriving at your destination after an Atlantic crossing is always a magical moment. How can you not be moved when the first scent of the earth wafts across your nostrils? This month, Loela’s family crew shares their first stopover with us: The Grenadines.

Loela

1 / 6

Published 27/05/2025

By Gilles Ruffet

Issue: 202

Published: july / aug. 2025

Discover this issue

Who: The 3M3As: Antoine and Magali, Arthur, Alice, Martin, Mathilde
Where: Bequia & The Grenadines
Multihull: Outremer 45
Blog: www.sailingloela.fr

Our crossing of the Atlantic Ocean came to an end in Bequia. The desert-like islands of the Canaries, which we had left twenty days earlier, gave way to the tropical vegetation of the Caribbean. Everything is green, and we were going to enjoy this paradise for a few days. We had to queue up for the formalities, as many charter catamaran skippers were already here. Their clients landed in Martinique on Saturday, boarded a multihull already provisioned by the crew and sailed through the night to get to the Grenadines as quickly as possible. Antoine took the rything went quickly and smoothly. It was almost New Year’s Eve, and our New Year’s Eve party will be our usual festive meal: all-you-can-eat pancakes, before watching a movie with the family. On this first day of the year, the bay was calm after the music that had been blaring all night. We went for a swim near the rocks - it was like being in an aquarium, with multicolored fish everywhere and coral of all shapes and sizes. We also had to let some rather unusual boats go by: every January 1st, a race of all sorts of floating craft is organized between Princess Margaret beach and Lower Bay. In the afternoon, we met up with two crews with children on the beach. Antoine joined the Nautikids Caribbean WhatsApp group and contacted a boat with two French/English teenagers and another boat with younger children. Everyone could chat and play in the waves. It was soon time to leave, as there were other islands awaiting us. We really liked Bequia, with its friendly, lively atmosphere. It was perfect for a return to civilization. One squall followed another as we headed for Mayreau, where the beach is lined with coconut palms. We immediately set off on our paddleboards to take photos for Post Cards (for Multihulls World – Ed.) The sand was perfect for making castles, and we sculpted beautiful sand turtles while others were flying a kite. We reserved a barbecue dinner with friends from another boat in one of the two open bars. The prices were quite steep, but it was a way for us to support the local population as they rebuild after Hurricane Beryl. We feasted on our first grilled lobster, chicken and ribs with barbecue sauce, accompanied by coleslaw, rice and potatoes. A real feast with our feet in the sand! By the time we reached the Tobago Cays, the wind was against us, and we made the short crossing under motor.

No sooner had we moored up, than we launched our paddleboards and set off with our snorkeling gear to observe the turtles, rays and starfish. We swam all the way to the deserted island of Baradel, with its beach of pure white sand. The next day, we took the dinghy to the island of Petit Bateau and moored off the southern beach. We climbed the only path to the top of the island, amid grasses and white butterflies. At the top, we admired the view, with a dozen or so boats anchored in front of the coral reef. On another day, we treated ourselves to a morning of sport and discovery, swimming around the barrier reef in a veritable tropical aquarium. Many of the corals are broken, probably from the hurricane waves. They’re quite white, but there’s still a multitude of multicolored fish, and the view is breathtaking. We left the Tobago Cays for Canouan, where the sailing was calm and squall-free this time. Just as we set sail, heavy clouds covered the island and the rain gave us a superb double rainbow to bid farewell to Bequia: what a wonderful parting gift!