Bareboat Yacht Charters Article

Before the early 1980s, almost the only Americans familiar with Grenada were hardcore cruising folk, because the island's location on the 12[degrees] North latitude line (south of which, according to yachtie lore, hurricanes don't go) made it a good hurricane refuge. For most Caribbean travelers, however, Grenada was just another newly independent, badly governed backwater, trapped by a dwindling agricultural economy.

And then, in 1983, Grenada achieved brief worldwide fame when President Ronald Reagan decided to invade it, ostensibly to rescue a handful of resident American medical students but actually to oust the island's turbulent Marxist government and its mostly Cuban allies.

To nearly everyone's surprise, some 90% of the Grenadian populace welcomed the invasion, but the world's attention soon turned away again.

A few months ago, unexpectedly, the opportunity arose to revisit the island. I'd been impressed by how much other Caribbean places had changed for the better in the last couple of decades, and I wondered if progress had touched Grenada, too.

The plane landed well after dark, and when the door finally opened I was prepared for the familiar Caribbean night--inky black, moistly warm, with the penetrating smell of wood smoke on the breeze. What I wasn't prepared for was an island nation that had reinvented itself, a place that has become a first-class destination for discriminating travelers, and most especially for boaters.

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On a small-scale map of the Lesser Antilles, Grenada looks quite similar to at least three of its neighbors--St. Vincent, Dominica, and St. Lucia--and in some ways it is. All four islands are more or less oval in outline, high-spined, and lushly tropical. Both Grenada and St. Lucia have magnificent natural harbors on their leeward coasts, but Grenada's south coast is gashed by nearly a dozen narrow bays, and these (in their new incarnation) make all the difference.

Westernmost of these enclaves, only a few hundred yards from the new international airport's runway, is True Blue Bay, home to a small resort of the same name, with an attached marina containing Horizon Yacht Charters, whose knowledgeable husband-and-wife proprietors operate a somewhat eclectic fleet of bareboats ranging in size from 38 to 50 feet.

Moving east, on the shore of Clarke's Court (aka Woburn) Bay, is one of the most attractive small marinas in the Caribbean. At present it's a single long pier whose individual slips are provided with electricity and water. Ashore are showers, a laundry and a snack bar.

There are also moorings, soon to be replaced by another pier with fuel and pumpout capabilities. The proprietor, Bob Blanc, has plans to construct what he calls "boatel" units--simple accommodations for the yachties using the marina. When I walked down the pier, most of the resident craft were unoccupied, but one, the 43-foot Sea Witch, was home to Boat . members John and Deborah Gerber, who've lived in Clarke's Court since it opened.

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A couple of enclaves farther on, St. David's Harbour is home to Grenada Marine, a working boatyard that specializes in seasonal storage as well as major repair. Because its Travelift is extra-wide, it can haul and launch the oversize cruising catamarans that have become such a feature of Caribbean sailing in the last couple of decades. When I walked through the yard one morning, I noted boats from a dozen different countries blocked up ashore--and this international clientele is also a feature of today's Grenada.

Grenada Marine has no slips, though St. David's Harbour makes a protected and very pleasant anchorage while you're waiting to have your boat hauled. If the joys of cruising are starting to wear thin, you can enjoy a few nights and a few meals ashore in the brand-new Bel Air Plantation, which specializes in one- and two-bedroom cottages that are just about the most elegant accommodations I've seen. The resort is arguably tops among Grenada's 15 small hotels, and its Waterfront Restaurant can stand comparison with anyplace in the Caribbean.

Positive change has also come to the city of St. George's and its two-lobed harbor. The northern segment, known as the Carenage, is surrounded by downtown, which can be fairly described as both bustling and scruffy. The streets are steep and narrow, clogged with second-hand minivans imported from Japan.

On the seaward side of the city, Grenada's new cruise ship terminal is in the final stages of construction. When it's done, one can expect an exponential increase in souvenir shopping possibilities. For the time being, ask directions to Tihal, on Young Street, where you're almost certain to find something attractive and locally produced.

If you're feeling energetic, climb up the hill to Fort George, the 18th-century fort that overlooks the harbor. The fort's guns, matched with a battery on the opposite headland, made the port virtually impregnable. In the main courtyard is a plaque memorializing the members of Grenada's ruling party who were executed--murdered, really--here in 1983. Exactly what happened is still a matter of argument among Grenadians, for whom the bloody episode is still a raw wound.

In the harbor's larger, southern quadrant visitors will find the immensely hospitable and public-spirited Grenada Yacht Club, which offers facilities to any visitor as well as sailing instruction to the island's youth. Nearby is the tiny, unique restaurant called Patrick's Local Homestyle Cooking. Patrick, a self-taught chef, serves up 10- or 12-course meals that really are native Caribbean cooking at its best.

And that's just the southern third of Grenada. Whether you arrive in a boat, a plane, or a cruise ship, you owe it to yourself to take a tour. The island has plenty of guides, but one stands head and shoulders above the rest: Mandoo (real name, Simon Seales; 473-407-0024) is passionately well-informed about his island, and he can tailor a full day ($55) or half-day ($40) excursion to your interests. Do make sure you include the River Antoine distillery, where rum is still produced exactly as it was 200 years ago. (Beware the free sample described as "slightly overproof:" it'll clear your sinuses, perhaps permanently.)

If time permits, make sure you schedule a day trip to Grenada's satellite island, Carriacou. Its low, rolling hills are strikingly attractive in a completely different way from those of its parent.

The fast catamaran ferry leaves from the Carenage and takes a little over an hour each way. Once in the little town of Hillsborough, you can hire a cab to take you around. If you arrive in your own or a chartered boat, you can drop anchor off the town or, a better choice, in sheltered Tyrrel Bay at the island's southwestern end. Be careful entering the bay, whose reefs have snagged any number of yachts.

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Once ashore, stop by the Carriacou Yacht Club, an ultimately laid back establishment right next door to the island's boat yard.

Tony Gibbs is a noted author and contributing editor of Islands magazine.