Paradise Lost: How Yachtsmen Are Helping Carriacou

Tropical Paradise

The Grenadines archipelago is well known to many yachtsmen. Hundreds, if not thousands of boats annually visit one of the most popular islands of the archipelago - Carriacou. One of the attractions of the island is the local tradition of producing wooden sailboats. 

Along the coast of Carriacou, from Jack Iron Point, a rocky outcrop in the southeast of the island, all the way to Tyrell Bay, you could see dozens of yachts of varying sizes. The locals live mainly on the money they earn from serving tourists, but the level of service here has always been appropriate.

Carriacou was rightfully considered a true tropical paradise for cruisers. Some yachtsmen even relaxed - sometimes you could even see unmoored boats. Another surprising feature was the almost complete absence of hurricane shelters for boats and marinas with normal protection from the wind. 

Is it strange? Yes. But in its defense, it should be said that, miraculously, Carriacou has not been hit by a major hurricane in the last 20 years. The last one, Ivan, graced the island with its presence in 2004. Then, the island literally tore off roofs. However, this sad experience does not compare to what awaited the island at the beginning of the hot June of 2024.

"Beryl" and its consequences

On July 1, 2024, the entire archipelago was hit by the devastating Hurricane Beryl. The islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique took the brunt of the blow. The southern islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were also badly damaged. The hurricane was a category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 knots, i.e. about 260 km/h.

According to the UN, the islands of Carriacou were virtually "razed to the ground" due to the damage caused by the hurricane. Unfortunately, there were casualties on the island - four people died. However, given the scale of the destruction, this figure could have been much higher.

The local hospital and airport were also badly damaged. Vegetation, especially crops, were destroyed. Along the coast of Carriacou, there will be literally mountains of boats for a long time. Some of the yachts were washed ashore, some were piled up and waiting to be towed. 

Yachtsmen help fight the consequences of "Beryl"

For the second month now, Carriacou has been gradually recovering from the terrible disaster. Not only international organizations are helping, but also yachtsmen - for many of them, this island served as a transit point on their travels and a place of rest for many years. 

The yachtsmen focused on collecting funds that will go to the victims on the island. More active cruisers are independently participating in the restoration of the islands of Grenada and Carriacou in particular. Yachtsmen and caring people from the less affected islands headed to the island with supplies of food and drinking water.

The island's restoration is currently ongoing. There is much work ahead - from constructing many buildings from scratch to clearing the island's territories. Local residents are gradually returning to their homes, but there is no normal electricity supply. However, no one has lost hope. People are steadfastly enduring the hardships of deprivation, restoring what was destroyed by nature. 

There will be no conclusions in this story. Natural disasters are a terrible phenomenon that can happen at any moment. We, yachtsmen, can only help those in need as much as possible.

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29.08.2024