Looking for advice

[woodbine]

Hello. We are looking for advice about the Caribbean and what places to avoid, where we might find hospitality, good places to anchor/live. We are currently in Key West. Any ideas?

[DefinitelyMe]

Depends a lot on what you are in to. Personally my favourites are Bequia and Dominica, although it can be tough to anchor in Dominica. I did not like St. Vincent at all, or St. Lucia on account of the crime and being constantly hassled by people waking me up at ungodly hours of the morning banging on the side of the boat trying to sell me fish or t-shirts or something.

Tobago Keys are beautiful for a couple of days. Also Illes Des Saintes. Martinique is lovely if you want somewhere with good food, wine and general infrastructure. Grenada is beautiful but i didn't find the people very friendly. Antigua seemed to be entirely populated by people trying to sell me drugs, prostitutes, both, or to do my laundry for me (at the same time!)........ but that might have something to do with the places i was hanging out! The BVI's are nice, especially Jost Van Dyke but i wouldn't want to stay there for too long. I've never been to any of the US islands but i haven't heard anything particularly good about them other than there are many things there that can't be done anywhere else (like, for instance, life raft inspections).

There are other threads on this precise topic. The general consensus seems to be that everyone has their favourites (and least favourites) and no-one agrees on anything! Good luck!

[woodbine]

Thanks! You are the second person to recommend Dominica. Is depth the anchorage issue there? We draw almost 6 feet, which is challenging in Key West... we're loners, don't drink, not big on socializing (which does NOT mean we aren't friendly folk!) and are looking for solitude. Your comments were most helpful and most appreciated.
Woodbine

[belizesailor]

If you prefer your solitude then you might consider the W Carib, crazy crowded in much of the E Carib.

S Bahamas, like Acklins etc, offer lots of space too.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Howdy and welcome to this forum. There is another sub forum on the site focused on the Caribbean and there are other area forums too, similar areas here's a link:

Atlantic & the Caribbean - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, woodbine.

[Bluemansailor]

My favorite- for old world caribbean has always been Tobago - very friendly people and Grenada. To get away from it all - South coast of St. Johns. true you have to use moorings but their not that expensive. Like someone else said, any of the French islands for food and wine.

[Paradox36]

Let's face it, they nearly all have places to avoid and your experiences are going to depend a lot on you too; how you behave, what time of night you decide to explore the hidden depths of town etc. Poverty and drugs have influenced some local behaviour but I have visited nearly all islands from Trinidad to BVI and would happily go back to them all - and almost certainly will. Enjoy it and learn as you go, take sensible precautions and don't take anyone else's view as gospel.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[woodbine]

Thanks, Paradox 36. You make some very good observations, and i appreciate you taking the time to reply. Fair winds!

[captain58sailin]

I liked Ponce, Puerto Rico, nice atmosphere.

[DefinitelyMe]

Originally Posted by woodbine

Thanks! You are the second person to recommend Dominica. Is depth the anchorage issue there? We draw almost 6 feet, which is challenging in Key West... we're loners, don't drink, not big on socializing (which does NOT mean we aren't friendly folk!) and are looking for solitude. Your comments were most helpful and most appreciated.
Woodbine

Yes, depth is the issue. Too much of it! About 100 feet off the beach in Roseau it's about 100 feet deep and it keeps going from there. You can anchor close in and then take a stern line to shore and tie it around a tree or a rock or something. If you have a depth sounder a don't mind doing a bit of charting it is possible to find little valleys in the sea bed with good holding. Alternatively if you have a couple of bucks to spare there's a guy called Suki that seems to own everything down there from gas stations to ice machines and moorings. He has 2 or 3 moorings off the fuel dock (in 135 feet of water!) that rented out for $10ec a day when i was there and they were in very good shape - the best moorings in the Windward Islands in my opinion. That was 5 years ago though. Might have changed since then.

Based on your description of yourselves i think you'd like Dominica. It has a genuine feel about it and it isn't teeming with tourists (yachtie or otherwise). The walks are spectacular (though hard work) and the landscape is breathtaking. The island is volcanic and you can find hot springs and beautiful waterfalls if you like that kind of thing. We liked it a lot, ended up staying for a month and would happily have stayed longer.