Barbados - Eastern pearl of the Caribbean
Barbados is the most easterly located island of the Caribbean. Thanks to its position it differs from the other islands.
The island unlike the rest of the Caribbean is of a coral not volcanic origin. This means it is mainly limestone, it has enough water and is quite flat (no volcanos).
Thanks to the trade winds the climate is nice - never too hot with delicate breeze. It gets really hot in July/August when even the wind coming from the Atlantic is little. We witnessed it when we left Barbados and arrived to St.Vincent. I was sweating like hell :)
Surprisingly Columbus never “discovered” Barbados on his multiple voyages. It was very late in the year 1536 when Portuguese sailors looking for Brasil discovered it. They probably gave the island its name after bearded fig trees they saw here - Isla de los Barbados - Island of beards. Other routes say los Barbados referred to the inhabitants with beards. I leave it up to you which version you go for :)
It was then taken by English Crown and it became a colony with its standard Caribbean historical path. The island was turned into sugar cane plantations. Slaves were imported from Africa to do the work. English Crown was sending here also the white to punish them. Later Barbados became member of Commonwealth but last year (2021) the referendum decided to go fully independent. When we talked to locals - some of them felt finally satisfied. Yet we heard also voices that in case of troubles UK will no more give a helping hand. What we unfortunately heard was that China is buying the country - building roads, schools, investing into infrastructure, etc. This is quite common for other island in the Caribbean too.
But back to the Crown. British heritage is clearly visible. Barbadians speak all English, are very polite, drive left, pupils wear school uniforms and there is low criminality. Yet they live their own way, locals call it BAJAN way. I have been told it is an abbreviation from Barbadian.
Compared to St.Vincent, St.Lucia or Dominica Barbados is relatively well off. Yet it is an island economy, so anything you cannot produce here has to be imported. The prices of food are quite high. A friend called it Barba-DOS, just multiply normal prices by two and you get local price level.
Along the coast there are not many good anchorages. You can count them using fingers of one hand. We arrived to the capital Bridgetown located in beautiful half moon shaped white sandy beach bay named Carlise Bay. We were on anchor but thanks to sandy bottom and crystal clear water it was safe.
GLYWO arranged for us membership at Barbados Yacht Club which became our base. We usually left dinghy here and either spent a day on the beach or went for a trip around the island.
The Carlise bay is great place for snorkelling and diving too. There are several shipwrecks in low depth of max 15m, so they are beautifully visible even when just snorkelling. There is very little current and the white sand makes all light and colourful.
The only thing we were deeply missing in Carlise bay was a dinghy pier or any pier we could arrive with our dingy, get out dry and tie the dinghy to it. Usually every trip to land (minimum once a day) meant that one or more volunteers had to jump from the dingy into the water and help to get the dinghy out of water so the rest can get out relatively dry. Then we had to use every hand to pull the dinghy further from the waves to a safe spot where we can leave it.
Getting onto the dinghy was also wet job too :) As there are always some waves we again had few “volunteers” among us helping to get the dingy further into the water while the rest of the crew was jumping in. Once we were deep enough it was ok to put down the motor and go. It was 100% sure that our shorts will get wet. Once we got smashed by a wave and half of the Christmas presents got really salty :( But this is sailor’s life :)
We have had great guide, auntie Jana - aunt of our movie makers who built here a house and lives here for 8 years.
As there are nearly no anchorages, it was easiest to travel the island by car. So we get one and explored it with her. There is one main highway from south to north. The west coast is the one with sandy beaches and resorts. I have read a joke calling this coast a platinum one - because of the colour of the sand but more because of the colour of the credit cards you need to be able to afford it. Well, I cannot serve to say if the thing with card is true. But the sand is platinum one :)
On the north of the island there you can find a tourist spot called Animal Flower cave. The spot is on the Atlantic coast. There are beautiful rocks that are smashed constantly by the ocean waves. In calm days you can go there by tour operated boats which was not our case. The waves were huge with very strong wind. So we went to the caves, formed some thousands years ago. The caves were open to the ocean so when you waited a bot usually some big wave managed to splash you in the cave too. And the animal flower? There were these small flowers in the water at the bottom of the cave and if you get closer or wanted to touch them, they hold back into the ground and disappeared. When I dived in the Carlise bay I realised these flowers are actually there too and most probably they are on other places.There was nice restaurant serving pinacoladas and the great taco wrapped in breadfruit. We initially get a few as a starter but then kept ordering and ordering. Even kids could not get enough :)
Next stop we did was Long bay on the east coast. Imagine powerful Atlantic Ocean and sand beaches framed by limestone rocks. And us, idiots jumping in these waves :) Everybody gave a try. Luckily all swimsuits stayed on.
Auntie Jana invited us to her house for a lovely dinner. She resides at the southern part of the Atlantic coast close to a Shark hole, a tiny bay in the middle of rocky coast. This is the residential part very different to the west touristic coast. People have here summer houses they either partially rent or don’t. It is quite and well taken care off.
We also visited Oistins - a vibrant town of fried flying fish, fish cakes and colourful food stands and close by Miami Beach.
What is great when travelling the island by car is shopping the groceries along the roads. There are stand everywhere and they offer great quality vegetables, fruits, coconut water for very good prices. What we also recommend is a Mount Gay rum and Banks beer - local production :)
There is one more world class product from Barbados and that is Rihana. I knew she was from here. You can even visit her house in Bridgetown. But I have to say to make it from a place where time goes by so slowly, she must have been really special to get to the global music charts.
When tired from cooking we tried few restaurant too. At Surfer’s cafe close to Oistins you sit above the ocean and enjoy your meal. Local specialty is a salty cod dish called Buljol. I am not sure I liked it. I was probably not enough hungry!
The best restaurant in Barbados with few days to weeks waiting list is called la Cabana. No surprise it is run by a French guy who managed to combine local resources with French charm. All was great - food, drinks, the place. We left very very late.
How I took the diving course
Michal has a diving licence. I do not. I knew I had to get one. So the second day upon our arrival to Barbados we found some stand on the beach offering the course. But the guy left already. So I called next day in the morning to find out more details. He said, he was starting in 30 minutes a 2 day course. Michal put me on a dinghy and drove me there. I did not even know how I appeared there. In an hour after watching some short instructional video we (me and young German couple) went for our first dive! To the shipwrecks. I was scared and thrilled in the same time. What if something happens? I had no idea what to do. Nothing happened and it was the best start of my underwater career I could have imagined. Second day we did more practical skills, taking the mask off under water, sharing air, etc. We did another dive, this time not in calm Carlise bay but a boat took us out of the bay at the reef to another shipwreck. This time it was deeper and the sea was rough. I wanted to descent but was not able to get down. Then my mask fell off when I was in about 4 meters. I completely freaked out and went up. I was shocked by the depth, by the open sea, by my mask falling. I did not want to continue. For one moment I thought that is it. I am fine with snorkelling! I am going back to the boat. Then the instructor got up too, told me to breathe. Then he said I was going down again, no return to boat. So I calmed down and went down with him and I made it. He managed me pretty well.
We booked this guy for a dive with Michal and Jarda in two days after. It was great. We went to the shipwrecks in Carlise bay. We saw turtle, barracuda, muraena, crabs fighting. We went through the shipwrecks. At one point instructor took us into a shipwreck with air bubble, so we could take off our regulators and breath down there in 16 meters! For a diving virgin like me that was something. No I still have to accomplish my tests online :( But I am in for this adventure. Thank you Mr.G Fish!
On our last day we sailed to Port St.Charles on the north west part of the island where we did our clearance out of Barbados. Adios Barbados! It was a pleasure.
Next stop St.Vincent and Grenadines.
