Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
I spent the day yesterday ashore on Carriacou which is an island that belongs to Grenada.
It is Carnival here which is like Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
The people are very friendly and the atmosphere of Carriacou is very laid back. We are anchored just off
the main pier at the biggest town called Hillsborough.
We hired a taxi and went for a tour of the island. On the opposite side we went to a village called
Windward where there is a boatyard that builds traditional wooden boats. Being Carnival they were
closed but we saw some nice boats at anchor off the yard.
The reefs on that side of the island really stand out from up on the hills (the highest point of the island is
just 20′ short of being officially a mountain apparently). On the reef are three wrecks high and dry. One
was tossed up there by hurricane Ivan and though relatively undamaged couldn’t be moved so there she
sits.
After the tour we went back and basically hung out in town as the place got wound up for the nights
festivities! Carnival here is really something, there are massive speaker banks set up outside on the street
just far enough apart that the poiunding muic doen’t interfere with the next one. As it got dark everybody,
old and young, came out on to the street and just chilled and danced. There were two steel band
orchestras with 20 or more players that pounded out complex Caribbean music. The many little bars and
food vendors all were hopping. Carnival is very family oriented with all ages staying out till late. Despite
the large amounts of beer and “spiritous liquors” consumed there were no altercations and the police spent
their time standing around in their crisp and neat uniforms watching the fun.
Each village on the island puts on a parade through the main street. Each village develops a theme for
their presentation and then makes costumes for it. One group last night for example, had the theme of
“Flames of Freedom” and they were all wearing T shirts with pictures of President Obama on them.
Another had beautiful crimson and gold flashy costumes and a family of stilt walkers the tallest of which
was probably over 15′ high. Each group has a truck loaded with huge peakers and a DJ that drives just in
front as they drive slowly through the crowds with the group (and the crowd) dancing along behind. They
turn off the street side speakers as they pass which is nice.
I stayed ashore till the late skiff run and really had a blast. It’s a good thing there was a lot of dancing or I
would have succumbed to the fatal allure of too much rum :-)
This morning it seems pretty quiet ashore however it is the last day, Mardi Gras, so I suspect the evening
will be wild again. I have another day ashore so David and I are going to try and find what the cruising
guide says is the prettiest beach on the island and chill out with a cold coke and maybe a drop or two of
rum
Thanks for reading.
KJ
Photos of my wander around the island are here.
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