Carriacou Boat Building

We woke on Ash Wednesday to a peaceful sunrise on Tyrell Bay. There was no external evidence of the previous night's revelry. A short, au naturel swim off the back of the boat cleared out the remnants of fat Tuesday. Hard to feel the need to repent in such surroundings!

As we enjoyed a cup of coffee, we were visited by a local merchant. "Hello, my name is Simon, I am mentioned in the cruising guide and sell the wine". We selected a couple of bottles. Simon clearly had been out fishing early and we bought some snapper for dinner. Simon has a good reputation among cruisers and we asked if he'd be willing to give us a tour of the Island. Simon met us at the yacht haul-out dock with his small car. Once we had squeezed into the car, I mentioned to Simon that the guide books refer to him as Simon the smuggler. He took offense at this characterization, but he didn't let his offense stand in the way of giving us a great tour of this beautiful island. We were particularly interested in visiting the local boat builders in Windward.

The Windward shipyard is just off the beach hidden behind the mangroves.  It was quiet the day we visited.  Simon introduced us to Charles McLauren, who took a few minutes to explain a little about the two boats they were building.   One was a 30 ft boat that would be used by a local fisherman.  The other was a 44 ft sloop that was being built to race in the classic regattas.

The keels are made of Greenheart trees imported from Guyana.  The remainder of the ship is constructed from Cypress.   Charles explained that shipwrights take forms into the forest and find trees that match the shapes they need.  Charles guaranteed that these boats, if maintained, will last over 100 years.

It seems like the kids are let out of school at mid-day in most of the Caribbean.  As we left the shipyard, we spotted two kids who were have a great time playing in the gentle surf.

As we headed back to Tyrell Bay, Simon stopped to show us the weather beaten side Atlantic coast.  Carriacou is a beautiful island with friendly inhabitants.  I look forward to a longer visit.