St Vincent and the Grenadines is possibly the most cruiser-friendly destination in the Lesser Antilles. The country comprises 7 main islands and countless anchorages, all offering a different insight into paradise.
There was a time when sailing was all about staring off into the distance, looking like you are deep in thought before extending a brass sight glass and barking an order to adjust the square sails. While we would love to wear one of those hats and cool coats, sailing on Indioko is slightly different.
Catamaran sail plans can be fantastically complex. everything from standard sloop rigs, cutters, rotating masts and even ketch rigs have been tested and each with their own merits and shortcomings. But what about Indioko?
Following our initial work with NGO Watts on Water (an incubator project of Watts of Love) we were asked to fly to St Vincent with charity representative Brooks Watson to capture some video footage of life in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption.
Probably the biggest factors in our searching for a catamaran, the desire for shaft drive propellers and skeg hung rudders were paramount to our technical requirements.
On Friday 9th April 2021, La Soufriere, the volcano on St Vincent, began erupting with great plumes of ash which covered the island and surrounding areas. We were struck by the significant impact the cloud of ash had on the residents of the island as well as those on neighbouring islands and sailors in the local area.
When our grand plans of buying a boat and living onboard completely fell apart, we found ourselves homeless on the other side of the world and didn’t know which way to turn.
December marks one year since we bought our boat. A year of living in paradise, of learning new skills and chasing down new challenges everyday.
Walking through the streets of Phillipsburg, Dutch Sint Maarten’s capital, we were struck by the many brightly painted walls around the town. Some seemed to simply brighten people’s day while others had historical and cultural references to the island or hidden messages within them.
