Mention a Caribbean cruise and most people assume you’re talking about St. Martin / St. Barths or perhaps the Virgin Islands. People usually do not think of the Southern Caribbean which includes St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They also are probably thinking cruise ship instead of private yacht. However, that is starting to change. “The Caribbean is the most beautiful place in the world” said one of the guests cruising aboard the M/Y WilPower , “and the islands of the Grenadines are so spectacular that there is no way to describe this with photos or words – you literally have to see it to believe it!”

Day One
The charter on board the private yacht began in St. Lucia.  After sailing for less than an hour the yacht cruises by two of what have to be the most photographed scenes in the Caribbean; Marigot Bay and the Pitons en route to St. Vincent, about four hours from St. Lucia, where we would begin our journey through the Grenadines.
  
As we approached St. Vincent we were in awe of the incredible lushness of the Mesopotamia hillsides. We were told later that afternoon that it had rained the night before and every plant was showing its richest and deepest color. There was only one basic color, green, but there were no less than a hundred shades of that color on the palate Mother Nature had painted on this lush island landscape.
   
We chose an anchorage between St. Vincent and Young Island which was literally a living picture post card. A small boat ferried guests from the mainland out to Young Island, a 35 acre island which has a hotel with a white sand beach that has chaise lounges for sunbathers, hammocks hung under thatched roofs – perfect for reading a book or taking a nap, tennis courts, a lovely pool and of course the water of the Caribbean. I loved our anchorage and prefer it to the Blue Lagoon just around the corner. Both, however, are quite lovely.

   
As we witnessed the first of many spectacular sunsets, lights began to dot the hillsides around us and we sat on the upper deck doing our best to take it all in before it vanished. We were sure that a setting this perfect couldn’t be real.
   
The shoreline offered several exceptional restaurants and we went to shore that evening to enjoy a fabulous dinner on the beach.

Day Two
We awoke the next morning to the same idyllic setting. Nothing had vanished during the night – it was the same beautiful harbor that had been there the night before, confirming that this wasn’t a dream – but rather – St. Vincent and the Grenadines! We spent the day visiting friends who lived on the hillside overlooking the harbors, the yacht club and beautiful Caribbean water and thoroughly enjoyed life on St. Vincent.
   

Day Three
The next morning following a special West Indies style breakfast complete with homemade “bakes” and salted cod – we headed to Bequia (pronounced BEK-way), just a short cruise from St. Vincent. As we pulled into peaceful Admiralty Bay – we were met by one of the locals who meet all the yachts that pull into the harbor and lead them to an anchorage that will hold them securely for the evening. These locals will bring you supplies if you wish and offer an assortment of fresh seafood, including lobster and conch (called lamby in this part of the world). They will also offer taxi service to those without a dinghy.
   
Their colorful boats are a trademark of Bequia and play an integral role in her history. Bequia is a whaling island and even today – on rare occasions stringently policed by international regulations – the entire island gets involved in the capture of a whale. Their boats – while small – are incredibly well built and in no way lack in seaworthiness. Their bright Caribbean colors add to the island atmosphere and are typical of the spirit of the people in these wonderful islands.
   
Once you are secure – it’s time to take the dinghy and zip into town. There are several little shops, a fresh fruit and vegetable market, lots of vendors selling models of the famous Bequia boats and of course – be sure to get to Frangipani in time for Happy Hour. This is a great place to meet the locals as well as other yachties and sample some of the great Caribbean rums and beers.

If you are lucky enough to be here for New Year's Eve this is one of the BEST places to bring in the New Year!  Hundreds of yachts anchor in the bay, revelers are walking the beach with bottles of champagne and there are fireworks against the clear night sky to add excitement to the evening.

Day Four
The next day we pulled up anchor and headed to Mustique. If you can imagine: an entire island of picture perfect cottages; rainbow colored fishing boats; a story book school house; not just well manicured lawns – but an entirely manicured island; magnificent island estates that are home to people such as Mick Jagger, Tommy Hilfiger, Brian Adams, Phil Collins and more, then perhaps you have tiniest glimpse of what it’s like to be on Mustique.
   
As you approach the island you realize even from a distance that this is not your typical Caribbean island. Even the beach looks as if it has been staged for a movie set with perfectly placed coconut palms, colorful fishing boats on the shore and the flags of Basil’s, the infamous Mustique bar and restaurant, welcoming you to the island. The island is one of extreme contrasts: fishing boats to megayachts and quaint cottages to mansions with guests houses that would rival most homes. And it is all picture perfect.
   
If you want to venture beyond Basil’s and the beach and check out the rest of the island, you can call Michael who will pick you up in his covered jitney and take you around the island showing you the best beaches, the magnificent Cotton House Hotel, the airport (flying the flags of the countries of property owners on the island) and of course – the island homes of some of the famous residents.
   
If you like Blues - a good time to visit is in January or February when they have their two week “Blues Festival”. Money raised during the event is used to send children of St. Vincent to secondary school. You can learn more about this event by going to http://www.basils-mustique.com or http://www.dana-gillespie.com.
   
Our next stop was Canouan, home of the Raffles Resort and Trump Real Estate Development. This 1,200 acre resort offers lovely hillside villas, a luxurious spa and an 18 hole Par 72 golf course. This is the perfect stop for those golfers who don’t want to take a cruise because there is no golf course! Canouan offers a quiet anchorage for the yacht and guests can get up as early as they like and head to the golf course. For those guests who might not have golf at the top of their list of things to do – how about a day in one of the spa huts receiving a host of spa services? A spa hut is yours for the day – some like the huts in Bali – out over the water – and spa services are given in your hut: massages, manicures, pedicures, facials and more. After a day on the island – head back to the yacht and enjoy another magnificent Caribbean sunset.

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