Dreaming of crystal blue lagoons and island explorations, Pierre Mortefon set sail on a catamaran through the Grenadines to explore the Caribbean foiling paradise. 

The main concept of the trip was to find a good place for kids, wives and of course great windsurfing conditions.

The island paradise St Vincent and the Grenadines is famous for palm trees, lagoons and turquoise water. We decided to rent a catamaran for the trip to make the most of the island adventure and it really was the perfect vacation. Welcomed aboard with a local rum and straight into boardshorts and flip flops – straightaway you are on vacation! On board with us we had my wife, Julie, my 3 year old son, Leon, friend, captain and photographer, Robin, two other friends and of course some gear! In our bags I had all my foil equipment, some freeride gear, some fishing gear and some wing gear. You always say, let’s travel light this time for holidays then you finish with 3/4/5 bags as everyone wants their gear - even Léon now!

Our trip took us from Martinique – Bequia – Union Island – Tobago Cays – Mayreau - Petit Rameau - Petit Bateau – Baradal – Bequia – St Vincent – Martinique.

Within 15 minutes of leaving the harbour, the dolphins were already playing beside the boat – a big tick on the family side! And with the family happy, we could go straight for our first session – easing into the trip with a winging session.

The first session was from Salt Whistle Bay - Mayreau with the 7.9 WARP_FOIL 20.22. There is a really nice run along the beach, it’s short but so beautiful. I went out of the bay and it’s a different story, choppy, ocean swell! I could see from the map that the other Tobago islands are not far and outside I could see them, it’s not far. 15 minutes later I was there! I knew we would go there in the next few days so it’s perfect to have a look and check the place. The wind is more than 20 knots, the current changes with the tide, it’s moving strong! It’s beautiful with the light of late afternoon, they will be happy tomorrow! I go back to Mayreau fully overpowered. When I arrived in the bay it’s quite busy with lot of new boats and not fun to sail. On top of the reef, which is protecting us, there is some waves. We check this with Robin with our wing gear, it’s looks cool but unfortunately, it’s too shallow for our foil. It’s a cool wavy bumpy spot with onshore wind, good for kiting or bump&jump but with fin not foil! Later we met some French people coming from the other side of the island, Wind Ward Bay. From what they say, the spot is cool with less people and good wind but it’s clearly less beautiful. Here in Salt Whistle Bay, it’s one of the best places I have ever seen. A little paradise with palm trees and white sand… a true postcard. The girls are smiling, tanning and the little monster Leon is searching for every possible jump from our boat. Life is good!

The next day we take it easy before we sail to the Tobago Cays. I rig from the beach and we leave the bay - everybody on the boat and me sailing. I will go check ahead and see if there is good place available. Wind is again pretty strong for WARP_FOIL 7.9. I make a full tour of the archipelago before to go back to the boat. I am going around 4 times faster than the boat so I can go ahead and check the landscape. We arrive in Petit Rameau (the island on the west of the canal). We take a mooring mark because there is lot of current and the buoy is really close to a small beach. It’s perfect because I can let my gear on the beach under some mangroves and it’s cool also for Léon to run on the beach and make some sand castles.

"I pushed Pierre to make sure he took all my gear and we didn’t regret it! I was super lucky to enjoy sailing in such beautiful water!  It was really good, the flat water in the lagoon, the wind perfect for 5.7, the water colour, the landscape and sharing the session with Pierre and the turtles! It was so cool so see them flying together also. It was perfect for a break and to let my mind be free.  This stay in Tobago Cays will stay in my mind forever..."

~Julie Mortefon, Pierre's Wife

After those really good few days here, we check a bit the map to set a plan to go back in Martinique. The journey out to Union is normally easier than the way back as the wind is NE and the angle is full North/South. We want to stop again in Béquia as it was pretty cool and then also stop by in St Vincent and St Lucia. If everything goes well, it’s around 5/6 hours sailing every day to see everything. We head north, passing close to Canouan (the island I went sailing), then we see the famous Mustique (the billionaire island). When we arrived in Béquia we moor almost at the same place in the turquoise water close to the little cliff. It’s time for some snorkeling, we meet some lobsters, Nemo fish and even a moray. We headed ashore and made a tour around the island and visit a bit. It’s nice, the driver is pretty cool and knows everything. We made some shopping for fruits and veggies and also a few souvenirs. The village centre is nice, the ambiance is cool with lot of small sellers, you feel the Caribbean vibes!

Next morning we start again early, the plan is to go to the north west of St Vincent to make the clearance (a formality to go out of the country). We put the anchor close to the beach and quickly a local arrived, paddling on an old AHD Diamond from 1999. There is a problem, he informs us that the clearance is closed since the Volcano explosion. Going ashore its clear to see that the population is suffering and whilst our friend couldn’t help us with customs, we tried to give him what we can. It’s the first time that we really see difficulty on a local’s eyes.

We head ashore at Walilabou – the bay made famous by the Pirates of the Caribbean and for Leon it’s mystical and special! You have pirate flags and skeleton welcoming you at the end of the pier.

We use the connection of the bar to re-check the forecast. The wind is forecasted lighter and more east for the night, this is easier with less pointing and more reaching so we decide to go straight to Martinique. So no stop in St Lucia this time - we will miss the famous Pitons but it’s better for the whole team. Everybody prefers a calm, smooth crossing and then enjoy the time in Martinique. We leave St Vincent before the sunset, we set a relay for sailing all the night and we finally arrive at 3:30am in Saline Bay in Martinique.