Petit St. Vincent is located about 5 miles away from Union Island in the Grenadines. For those of you with a map in hand, the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is part of the West Indies. The West Indies, if you’ll recall from History Class, was actually where explorers trolled hundreds of years ago for spices. Though we did not explore the history of the area as much as we could have, the facts are still boggling my mind - but that is a completely different set of feelings.
So here we are, on this little island. I don’t think reading about a place online, or looking at pictures really ever does a place justice. You’ll see plenty of pictures below and in the future of Petit St. Vincent, but never will we be able to fully share with you the greatest place on earth until you’ve seen it.
The only way to get to this tiny private island is by boat. You get off the narrow strip of runway, take a van no more then 300 yards to a dock, and jump directly onto the boat. The plane actually flies no more then 100 feet over the boat itself.
You board the boat, are handed water bottles by Maurice, the captain, and sit back for the 20 minute boat ride. Looking into the water at 25’ deep, you’re able to see the gleaming colors of the coral and swimming fish that litter this area of the world’s waters. As the ever seeking fisherman, I was able to spot a school of baitfish, which I believe to be ballyhoo (or my second guess was needle fish…beyond that I’m clueless).
Upon hitting the dock, we were greeted with Pina Coladas…and led directly to the mini moke. These are basically golf carts on steroids. They are manual transmissions, and have speedometers that shoot up to 90 kph. Why you’d ever want to be going over 45 kph in these is beyond me, but I guess the bragging rights must carry some weight.
One of the defining traits of PSV is the flag system which they have set in place for the guests. On PSV, there are NO phones or televisions (Additionally, no cell phone signals help the peace and quiet…entertainment is left to you). Each cottage has a flag pole (see below). Yellow means you need help/service…Red means do not disturb. Below the pull cords is a bamboo tube to leave notes and messages for the staff. If you need ice…write a note, put it into the tube, raise the yellow flag…20 minutes later the bell is rung (with the wind and birds, sometimes a knock isn’t loud enough, so a bell is put in place near each door to ensure that guests know staff is there). The system is set up so you can order breakfast the night before, pick the time, and have it delivered. Early morning coffee is left outside of your room by 6AM each day. Seems early, but when the sun has started rising at 5:30…you’ll surely be up earlier than planned.
Upon arrival, we were immediately brought to our cottage, where lunch was waiting for us. The PSV (Petit St. Vincent) representative back in Barbados had held up the plane for some errands, and informed the resort of our late arrival. We immediately ate, changed, and gunned down to the beach for an afternoon snorkel.
Now it’s important to note that PSV’s shore lines are littered with reefs. At any point on the island, you have between 100 and 300 yards of reefs and sand shoals to navigate through before you begin to see the open ocean. This makes for some wonderful snorkeling without having to set foot on a boat. The reefs and waters surrounding the island are teeming with life. This little island has gained so much popularity within the Grenadines, that people will often sail in and anchor on the leeward side of the island for the evening, and then join in a snorkel the next day. Petit Martinique is the closest neighboring island to PSV . Many of the fishermen leave their own waters for the waters around PSV for chances at fish, crustaceans, conchs, as well as other treats from the sea.
That first day, we snorkeled, showered, and got ready for dinner. After eating out the last few nights, we were anxious to sit in our own room without having to get dressed up. We had dinner delivered at 7:30 pm. Being this far east in the time zone, darkness sets in early…usually between 6:30 and 7. We sat outside, had a few drinks, ate dinner, and proceeded to play a best out of three game set of Rummy 500. The results are being contested still and will be reviewed by a panel of judges at a later date back in the States, though the new wife keeps insisting that she beat my by over 300 points.
This really is just the typical day. The following day we were down at a beach on the opposite side of the island (the island takes 20 minutes to walk around). Again, snorkel gear in tow with the trusty fly rod and gear as well. The plan when we saw the island, was to snorkel different areas, looking for barracuda to try and target with a fly…but they didn’t seem to appear for me. I didn’t bother trying to blind cast, as I didn’t want to get into a “just one more cast” scenario. Snorkeling on day 2, I did see quite a few of what I believe are African Pompano. Delicious fish I hear, and a good catch on a fly rod, however they were located way off the shore…too deep to wade, and too deep into the shoals to have an honest chance at them.
The one fish story I will tell (and I didn’t even wet a line), was directly after my second snorkel trip of the day. Amy and I had gone as far out as we had all trip. We got about 50 yards off shore, and found a spot where the reef dips way down deep (we were in about 10 feet of water, and it went to over 100 feet rather quickly. Having seen too many Jaws movies, and not seeing much more to look at, we turned back to go order lunch. Just as we gat back to the beach hut, and begin to look at the menu, I glance up and see fish flying out of the water just at the reefs end. Not having any way to get a line in the water where they were, I was left to only snap pictures. There were a lot more splashes then were represented, but here is what I was able to capture.
It went on for a good 3 minutes before they dove down. Based on local inquiries, I’m being told that they were tuna, which is just stunning to me. 50 yds off the beach, watching tuna bust out of the water chasing fish is just awesome.
That night we were invited, with the rest of the guests, to the owners house for a cocktail hour. Talk about amazing…
The owner’s house is made of native mahogany, and has an open floor plan like I’ve never seen. There are 3 bedrooms, and two bathrooms that are all closeable. The rest of the house is all open. The living room is open with no walls…only a roof. All the living room furniture stays out all the time. The two kitchens are all open with no walls protecting them from the outside. Upon inquiry, we found out that the when it was built, the house was positioned to not allow rain or wind whip through the open areas. During hurricanes and bad storms, all the furniture is moved into a spare bedroom. The mahogany is weather treated, so it looks as deep brown as the day it came out of the mill. The house is truly an amazing piece of workmanship, and should probably be considered for best views in the world.
Day three was a strategic battle between the new Page clan and the Sun. We snorkeled from 9:30 – 11:30 and then kayaked around the ENTIRE island within about 30 minutes in the afternoon. The rest of the day was spent within the shade of the cabin. Due to crisp shoulders, we were easily scared into the cabin. The highlight of the afternoon was a little casting into the wind for some barracuda. Something I wish had panned out, however I’m a bit low on the luck category. Hopefully the future holds better fortunes…
So here we are, back in Barbados, trying to catch our breath from the last four days of our lives. PSV has me now. No fish were caught, but I’d pay anything to have another week there. Everything you could want out of the Caribbean, with tremendous views, amazing food, quiet nature, and just a peaceful serenity that you have to seek out in today’s world.
Tomorrow is Andrew Day on the Honeymoon. We’ve got a 40’ boat (make not known yet) taking us out for 6 hours on the high seas looking for fish. I’m particularly interested in the wahoo that cruise the island year round. These fish are just amazing examples of power. Scissor jaws with teeth sharper then a barracuda, and able to take fingers off with one bite. While fingers are not the desired meal for our dinner, we are hoping that we can get some of these delicious critters onto our menu for tomorrow. Reviews shall follow.
We love you all and thank you for reading this far into the blog…
Pics to be found below…
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