If you find yourself in the West Indies…

…somewhere in the vicinity of St. Vincent, do not miss the opportunity to cruise on the Friendship Rose, Caribbean schooner extraordinaire. The crew are lovely people, the captain friendly and the experience will be one you will soon not forget.

We departed from Bequia but they also have cruises from St Vincent as well. The crew coaxed my very seasick SO on board with bribes of ginger fudge and a beautiful day of sailing. By the end of our time on the schooner, he was ready to climb up the rigging and unfurl the sails himself.

Petit Rameau, Tobago Cays, far side beach

Ours was an all day cruise out to the Tobago Cays,

a marine park surrounded by a horseshoe shaped reef, hence its name Horse Shoe Reef. We snorkeled with sea turtles nibbling seagrass, watched colorful fish defend their mini-territories and marveled at the elkhorn coral.

As gorgeous as it was (and it was truly breathtaking), the waste pollution was disturbing. Seeing sea urchins with plastic bottle tops stuck to their spines and old cans on the sea floor reminded me once again to rethink my own personal reduce-reuse-recycle policy.

Chef and Crew were the epitome of hospitality and good times.

This cruise was the maiden voyage after hurricane season and Friendship Rose had just received a fresh slick of paint. The owner was on board for this particular trip and I got to hear about his adventures “meeting” the boat and what it took to get her looking like she does today. The owner and the crew genuinely love what they do and it shows in their hospitality. For me, this was a magically slow travel moment gently cruising the waves, getting to know my fellow passengers and listening to the flap of the sails in the wind.