Our new crew, Dianna and Joel from Sydney (Ex Perth) joined us at the True Blue marina. They had recently been in New York where the temperature was near zero so they needed to relax by the pool and be entertained with the resorts rum appreciation class. We soon set sail heading north up the leeward side of Grenada. The winds were strong and we few found shelter in the small bay north of Halifax next to Calypso Island. Joel snorkelled to inspect our anchor, the water was fairly shallow and our anchor chain weaved between rock….not ideal. He did find a disused mooring, a concrete block with a small length of chain. Joel took our line, dived to the sea floor, looped our line through the chain and we secured Aura safely in a garden of coral. We had the perfect anchorage to ourselves….. or so we thought. Then came a call from the island, Si was snorkelling and he went to investigate. The island has a few structures scattered across the island and a dock. It was the caretaker/builder who was calling out. He was stranded and he’d run out of food and was catching rain water to drink. I searched though our stores and put together a belated Christmas hamper for him, it comprised of a few basics so he could make a few meals. I even scarified one of my Picnic chocolate bars that recently arrived with Di from Australia. I pondered if he would enjoy it as much as me but it was Christmas after all. Joel kindly swam the food parcel to shore while Si created his version of a locals rum punch.

A couple on a kayak had paddled into the bay and started having difficulties. They continued to capsize and they could no longer stay in the kayak. We rendered assistance, they came aboard and attempted once again. The kayak was taking on water due to a crack in the hull. They, who we refer to as “the Germans” joined us for a rum and we radioed their yacht. The sun was now setting and “the Germans” friends didn’t answer the radio or appear to miss them. We hadn’t dropped our dingy into the water as we had a few miles of sailing planned back to Carriacou, so we were not in an easy position to return our new shipwrecked friends. We then sort to gain their yachts attention with the spot light, it was now dark. We eventually made contact. Before their rescue party arrived, we had a person at the stern of Aura calling “I hear from the island you are nice people, I have rum, permission to come aboard!”. Si helps him aboard as the Germans return to their yacht. Our new guest is Daniel, a Czech/USA guy. It was as if Aura was an impromptu meeting place for the UN. A fun night was had by all, however the next morning we all felt a little dusty.

We returned to Sandy Island to show Di and Joel one of our favourite spots. We took them across to “Off the Hook” to say hi to Curtis and had a leisurely afternoon while Si walked into Tyrell Bay to check us out. We had a loose schedule; the idea was to be at Mayreau for New Year Eve. Mayreau is in the neighbouring country Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Si set off on his trek over the hill to complete the formalities so the next day we could set sail for Union Island and thus Mayreau. He completed the mini mission and at the same time he ran into Rohan and Alison on JoJo who we hadn’t seen since Gibraltar. They were heading south but am sure there will be another catch up somewhere up the island chain soonish. Later that afternoon, Si was in the cockpit enjoying the colours of the water and reflections of Sandy Island and an unmanned kayak proceeds to float past. Action man, dives in to secure it before it drifts out to sea. Would you believe it but “the Germans” are in pursuit, it’s their kayak! A good laugh was had by all.

It was NYE and Si had been told at “check in” by a charter skipper that our destination Salt Whistle Bay at Mayreau was full and overflowing with yachts. We considered alternatives and had a backup plan but still made passage to see for ourselves. On the outside of the bay we were approached asking if we wanted a mooring ball. We had a prime mooring until conflict amongst the locals occurred. We were recognised by a local who ran a bar that we’d previously visited. Our chat caught the attention of the new guy who assisted our mooring. The moorings are owned by the marine park but the locals must allocate them amongst the bars and restaurants. You get assistance with the mooring and the restaurant is expected you’ll join them for dinner, especially on NYE. After a little discussion we calmed everything down and enjoyed a few beers at the correctly allocated beach bar. This evolved into us booking in for an early lobster dinner. This had Di in the “kitchen” doing the misenplace. It was an awesome dinner, maybe the best meal that we’d experienced ashore. The lobsters where massive, great flavours and a fun evening dining on the sandy beach.

Next stop, Tobago Cays. We swam with the colourful fish and turtles. Joel took a turtle photo that we decided was worthy of national geographic fame. Our German friends are following us; this time “old mate” joins us for a chat, laugh and a beverage or two.

Our friend aka "The German"

We back tracked once again, passing Salt Whistle Bay and continued our way north towards Bequia. The wind was favourable, with a short and easy passage. We anchored at Admiralty Bay in 6 meters of turquoise water in front of another sandy beach. The shore is dotted with a number of restaurants and further afield we could see the main town of Bequia. We found the local supermarket to restock on the essentials such as the local rum and Doris’s the yachting specialist gourmet market. We frequented a number of the restaurants and Joel made friends with several of the locals. We indulged and enjoyed our new neighbourhood plus Di’s famous expresso martinis. We busted out the lilo’s (another gift from Di) and tied them to the back of Aura so we can sit back and relax without floating away.

Joel and Di’s time aboard Aura was coming to an end. They were flying out of St Lucia so once again we needed to clear customs and repeat the process. We had security concerns about St Vincent so we planned an early start sailing past beautiful anchorages, some with only a single yacht at anchor. We’d considered the security risk and hoped that these fellow yachts enjoyed themselves without issue.

Our highlights during the various passages included sightings of pilot whales, dolphins, turtles, flying fish, boobie and frigget birds. The most exhilarating was an Orca breaching approx. 10 meters from our stern, only wish we’d snapped a Polaroid of that

The wind and sea’s between the islands had moments of strength but Aura easily cruised her way to the bay of Soufrier. This town is shadowed by one of two peaks, known as the Pitons. This is another beautiful anchorage where we had coral and fish right under the yacht. The next morning we enjoyed the last few hours with Di & Joel, swimming and farewell Margaritas. Once again, it was a happy and yet a sad farewell. They were heading to New York where it had been snowing all weekend while set our mind (& Aura) towards a little piece of France.