Bequia – St. Vincent and the Grenadines

20.03.2023 28 °C

Throughout our two-week voyage on board Star Pride we will be travelling overnight and arriving in port just as the rising sun brings the islands into focus…

Bequia is one of the smaller islands on our itinerary and is revered for its crystalline turquoise waters…

And its beautiful beaches...

Bequia and neighbouring Mustique are renowned as the playgrounds of the super rich and famous, and this beach with its coconut palms and soft white sand was named in honour of Princess Margaret, whom, it is said, loved to swim here…

While there are a few thousand residents on Bequia, we soon discovered that many of its inhabitants at this time of the year are Canadians escaping the harsh northern weather. With perpetually warm seas, almost guaranteed winter sunshine, and a 5-hour direct flight from Toronto to the neighbouring island of St Vincent, it’s understandable that so many Canucks would want to while away winter here.
There are some pretty fancy watering holes in the Bequia’s small harbour of Port Elizabeth…

There is also a cheeky little Pizza Hut...

But, with a sky-high cost of living, it doesn’t look as though everyone enjoys la vie en rose…

One thing that Bequians, and Caribbean islanders in general, enjoy are the ubiquitous breadfruits which are cooked and eaten much like potatoes. The main difference is the size. Breadfruits grow on trees and are as big as bowling-balls…

Bequians are known for their boatbuilding skills and, according to legend, the infamous Caribbean pirate, Edward Teach known as Blackbeard in the early 1700s, had his ship outfitted here. Today, some Bequians make model ships, (accompanied by a good yarn of hidden treasures), to sell to the tourists, while others still engage in the culturally protected whale hunt. There was great excitement onboard at breakfast when a large whale breached several times in the distance. None of the locals took to sea to pursue the leviathan and the excitement soon faded as the whale slipped out of camera range with just an occasional spout of water.