Island Windjammers runs just one itinerary right now – a round-trip from Grenada through the Grenadines. Luckily, it’s a great one for sailors and beach lovers alike, as the Grenadines are full of lovely areas to snorkel, swim and explore, including the beautiful-beyond-belief Tobago Cays. 

What also makes the itinerary special is that, with the exception of Bequia, these are tiny ports where bigger cruise ships can’t go.

We took a dinghy onto the islands, occasionally making a wet landing on the smaller beaches (miraculously, my laptop and cameras didn’t get wet, which I attribute to the skills of crew members Troy and Aubrey). In some cases, we were the only people on the beaches!

Overall, I liked all of our stops. I saw some new beaches and have now been to all of the inhabited Grenadine islands, except Canouan. I was a little irritated that mechanical problems with our anchor prevented us from visiting Mustique (what can I say? I was hoping to spot a celebrity at Basil’s or Macaroni Beach).

And it’s not necessarily an itinerary I’d like to do over and over again, particularly because Grenada isn’t the easiest place to get to. I’d love to see the company expand to the B.V.I. or other islands – maybe once they get the kinks worked out and have the Diamant under control, they can turn their attentions elsewhere.

Carriacou. Technically, Carriacou belongs to Grenada, although it’s considered part of the Grenadine chain, most of which is lumped with St. Vincent (confusing, I know). We harbored here at Anse La Roche, a white sand beach with little on it except a few cows that kept wandering down. We snorkeled here near some rocks and enjoyed the drinks from the cooler that the crew members brought us.

Union Island, Clifton. We made two stops at Union Island, overnighting in Chatham Bay on the island’s west end twice. On the first visit, we didn’t get off at the beach and instead went to the island’s main town, Clifton. It was a rainy day, but I enjoyed walking around and taking photos of the colorful buildings and shops.

There isn’t much else to see here – from what I could tell, Union Island is more of a stopover for sailors and yachties fueling up on their way to Tobago Cay.

Mayreau. From Clifton, we continued on to Mayreau, the smallest of the inhabited Grenadines.

The main attraction here is a Catholic church, perched high on the island near the elementary school. It was quite a hike but well worth the view.

At the back of the church, you had a great view of Tobago Cays and the brilliant blue water there.

There’s also a handy map painted on the back of the church, just  in case you forget what island you are on!

We clowned around with some of the school children, many of whom wanted to take photos with my camera. A few people continued the walk to Saltwhistle Bay on the island’s northern end. Both of the island’s internet cafes were closed when I was there, so I ended up sitting outside on a free connection. Several islanders came up to talk with me, all expressing happiness that our boat was stopping here. A very friendly place.

Bequia. Bequia is one of my favorite places. For me, it has the right mix for a small island. There are plenty of restaurants and bars – plus lobster pizza! – yet nothing seems too crowded (although I’ve never been there when a larger cruise ship is in port). To read more about Bequia, check out my November 2009 report here.

Our day here started well enough. I brought Bob, who makes historically accurate boat replicas for the Naval Museum in Annapolis, to Sargeant Brothers, where he talked with model boat makers there.

After a lunch of lobster pizza at De Reef (I had been to Mac’s last time), I headed back to Lower Bay, which had some excellent snorkeling  – not to mention some excellent hard bodies of all nationalities). 

Alas, our night didn’t go as well. We were on our own, and there was some miscommunication about whether or not the dinghy would take us in. In absence of a leader, we did nothing – and were a little bored. This is when I also found out that snorkeling trips to Moonhole were available – but we had never been told about them.

In my opinion, the Diamant really needs a social director, someone who can organize shore dinners or activities at least once during the trip. Keep in mind that the Diamant doesn’t have the PPP parties, crab races or other fun traditions that the Windjammer cruises were known for. I know people come on the ship to be casual but a little bit of organized fun wouldn’t hurt the casual atmosphere.    

Union Island, Chatham Bay. We returned to lovely Chatham Bay at the end of the cruise and had a lovely morning. Capt. Matt told us that the rocks here house “rivers of fish” – and he was right. It felt strange to be swimming in the middle of so many schools.

This area has several beach bars so you really could spend a day hanging out. A luxury property is being built at one end, so if you like your beaches to yourself, go before it’s too late.

Tobago Cays. Last but certainly not least, these islands - protected as a marine park – are among the most beautiful in the world. Word is out – when you arrive, you can’t help noticing all the other boats, ranging from tiny sailboats to massive yachts, surrounding you. The beach was a little crowded when we arrived. The snorkeling wasn’t quite as good as it was when I was here on the Friendship Rose daytrip (read about that here) in November. I did see a turtle though, and followed it for quite a while.

The beach on Bagatelle was a little windy to sunbathe on (although we tried), so I went back to the boat. Several members in our group went across to another island, which was completely beautiful and deserted. The Tobago Cays really are the perfect desert islands!

I’d love to hear from others who have been to these islands. What did you like the best – and the least – about them? Tell me in the comments section below!

Read my other Island Windjammer posts!

The Diamant

Rope swing

Other passengers

Seasickness - and how to fight it