After a day’s rest and with the autopilot repaired I push on south. I make one more stop in St. Lucia, back down at the two Pitons.

With the wind being a bit more southerly than usual, the anchorage here is a somewhat rolly. But it is so nice here that I decide to stay for a day. I had hoped to do some scuba diving but the weather is a bit too cloudy and the dive shop where I am is not going out today (Sunday). So I go on a hike instead, exploring the area around both Pitons.

Making up for the missed scuba dive, I go snorkeling at the base of the Petit Piton and find crystal clear water and an abundance of reef fish.

I push on the next morning and soon JACE leaves St. Lucia in her wake. It’s a good 30nm to St. Vincet and open to the Atlantic to the east. It blows pretty good, again with that southerly element, making, what would usually be a comfortable beam or even broad reach, an upwind leg. But JACE can handle just about anything and we make good progress nonetheless. As we near the northern tip of St. Vincent the wind pipes up to 25kn and more and I get caught with too much sail up and too tired to reef. I know it’s just 20min until we slip into the wind shadow of the island.

I only stop in St. Vincent for one night and leave early the next morning for the run down to Bequia, the first of the Grenadies. It’s just 15nm but a dead beat upwind and I am glad when we sail into the large Admiralty Bay and drop anchor. Still, it is quite windy (look at my hair!).

I am eager to push on. It is Tuesday now and I have less than a week left and want to enjoy the Grenadines one last time. I leave Bequia at 10a and set course for Union Island. There is another boat of similar size that has been on the same itinerary and we have anchored in the same place for three days running. This morning they round the southern headland just behind me and seem headed in the same direction. You know that that means? A race!

At first they slowly gain on me, now just a hundred meters behind me. That can’t be! I am under staysail and slightly reefed main. We are 50 degrees to apparent wind of 20-22kn. So I unfurl just a third of the genoa and sheet it like a flying jib. Bam! With a full knot more speed JACE pulls away and by the time we arrive, I have lost sight of them way behind me. Love the way JACE sails.

I anchor in Chatham Bay on Union Island. Right next to such famous spots as Tobago Cays and Carriacou, this island is far less popular. But it is my most favorite. I am not quite sure why but I have loved this place from the first time I came here. Clifton Harbor behind the big reef (where I did kitesurfing), the lovely anchorage behind Frigate Rock, or this one, Chatham Bay. All lovely. And the people are just great. My faithful supplier of banana bread and the fisher man who sold me mahi mahi and a big red snapper.

In the afternoon I load the big heavy battery that I replaced in Martinique (anchor windlass and bow thruster) into the dinghy and go ashore. The beach bar here, run by Vanessa and her boyfriend, is a really cool place.

Last time I was here Vanessa told me she was looking for used batteries to store more solar power so she can run her bar all night without needing a generator. Well, turns out I have one that I gladly trade for dinner and a bunch of drinks on the house.

It is just a lovely evening. Caribbean temps, a nice breeze, good music, delicious food, enough to drink to get a bit tipsy. And my favorite: a swing at the beach and later on a bond fire!

The coolest part of the evening: As I sit there on my swing watching the sunset, there is this woman walking toward me who looks so familiar. It takes a second until I recognize her, Sue! Sue is the wife of the husband and wife skipper team who I crossed the Atlantic with in 2017. Chris is also here and it is great fun to sit down, enjoy a few cold ones, and catch up and talk sailing and all. I really enjoy the opportunity to socialize and it dawns on me that maybe I have had enough solitude by now. I get so into it, I even forget to take a picture of them. Can you believe it – me and no selfie? Crazy!