Bequa - - > Mayreau ("Don't be a dick").

Brandy L

We departed from Bequia today—what a lovely stop. It’s a charming island with fantastic people, great food, and sweet little beaches. Cruisers love it for good reason: easy garbage drop-off, simple provisioning, and boats that cruise the anchorage offering fuel, water, laundry services, and more. We met a few folks who’ve been hunkered down there for weeks, using it as their hurricane hole unless something gets too close. But we’ve got a timeline to keep (a whole post in itself). So, it was time to move on. We’d heard glowing reports about the Tobago Cays, so we set our sights there. We left just after 11, waiting for the winds to settle a bit after a big rain squall passed. Two reefs in the main, two in the genoa, and off we went—cranking along in 17–20 knots, gusting to 22. The sea state was a little confused, wrapping around the islands and making for a bumpy but manageable ride. Harbor was a champ and held his bucket (no pukes), Aria watched anime and forgot she was on a boat, Adam was getting an ab workout from sitting at the help and I was holding on for dear life like a maniac 🤣. Midway through, we hit some steep swells that gave me a few heart palpitations. Oh—and speaking of heart palpitations, let’s talk about the charter boats. Two Dream Yacht charters decided that rules of the road didn’t apply. The first one cut across our bow and then decided it was the perfect time to stall out and unfurl their headsail—sure, why not? But the second one really took the cake: they clearly saw us, full under sail (read: we had right of way), and instead of taking our stern, they attempted to squeeze in ahead. We tried to hail them on the radio—crickets. No AIS. Nothing. They did get close enough for me to shoot them a few award-winning ugly faces and my best ARE YOU BLIND? expression. Adam followed up with a radio hail: “Dream Yacht Charter, way to be a dick!” 😅 They heard. Oh, they definitely heard 🤣 (for those from Floatchella, you may have heard these words outta the skippers mouth before...not a coast guard phrase at all). As we pulled into the Tobago Cays, the wind and swell made the anchorage a bit rolly—and just to round out the excitement, our starboard engine lost oil pressure and shut down. Last week it was the port engine, thanks to a clogged fuel line. Adam suspects the same culprit here—likely stirred-up sediment from running low on fuel (in prep to haul out). So MacGyver is at it again. Honestly, I’m beyond thankful he’s so handy. He’s always repairing, maintaining, prepping, etc. Last summer, he and his buddies put in serious hours restoring these 20-year-old Volvos—and those hours are paying off. Tonight, we’re tucked into a little anchorage off Mayreau. Four charters (Mr D himself) and a big old ship are sharing the bay with us. We’re just here for the night before continuing south. The sailing season is winding down, and I’ve got so many emotions swirling—but I’m not quite ready to unpack those yet. We still need to make it to Grenada and haul out at Spice Island Marine. As much as sailing stresses me the F out, I’m also incredibly grateful we’re doing this. We would never have experienced these incredible places any other way. Cheers 🍻

Boat & Crew

Kaikoa

Dolphin, 460

Adam

Owner

Harbor Reef

Child

Aria

Child

Brandy L

Owner