Hey everyone! I wrote this a while ago about Carriacou. Although we’re now in Bonaire after a successful passage, I think you guys would enjoy reading it.
A few days ago, we moved our boat to the quiet Tyrell Bay of Carriacou. After all the excitement from Carnival in Grenada and all the kid boats we met, our latest anchorage feels remarkably sleepy. Although it’s different here, I definitely still enjoy it. And the peace and quiet is a nice change for a little bit.
There’s a fairly sizable reef in Tyrell Bay that makes for wonderful snorkeling. The maximum depth is about 12 feet, so it’s quite easy to get to the bottom to get a closer look at some interesting coral or a long abandoned motor. You’ve got to be careful of sea urchins though – the floor is like a minefield of big pokey black sea urchins, which twitch around and make awfully scary noises. They’re pretty easy to avoid, as long as you watch where you’re swimming.
Within the past few days, Sally and I have been on some adventures in search of some critters to consume. Sally spotted some lobsters which we tried to catch (with Boat Dad’s help), but they evaded us with relative ease. The only ones we netted were too small to bring home. A day after we saw lobsters, I spotted a gang of about five lionfish! Lionfish are an invasive and deadly species to Grenada and Carriacou, and as such, we’re allowed to kill them on sight.
Along with Boat Dad, Sally and I set out to spear the lionfish for both our own nourishment and to rid the ocean of some roaring bad guys. You get the mane idea, yeah? Whenever we spot something that looks tasty, I tread water above the thing and Sally swims back to the boat to get the spear or Boat Dad. Either way, I always seem to be stuck treading water. The most recent time, I suggested that I swim back, but Sally (correctly) stated that she would be faster. So, I waited for her.
With Boat Dad and Sally (and a spear) catching the lionfish was simple work. Boat Dad stabbed the biggest lionfish pretty good, but he swam deeper into the reef, out of range. Two of his friends were not so lucky, and they were soon vanquished and returned without glory to our boat to be prepared for an appetizer. Fun fact: fried lionfish is actually pretty good. Someone even claimed it tasted like lobster!
After our fish catching adventures, we went on to the island with a boat friend for a fantastic supper. If you’re ever in Carriacou, I would highly recommend going to a restaurant run by a woman named Mavis, who operates the restaurant with her husband and children. She’s friendly, and makes delicious fried chicken with spices that make KFC seem like dirt. So far, my post-Grenada adventures have been splendid, and I’m sure they’re only going to get splendid-er. Until next time!
~Fenton