From St Lucia, we completed a sporty day-sail down the east (windward) coast of St Vincent, and arrived in Port Elizabeth, Bequia, the Grenadines, just before sunset. Bequia is a favorite among sailing cruisers due to its good anchorages, beautiful white-sand beaches, and friendly locals. It also serves as a fantastic base for exploring the neighboring islands in the Grenadines. With that in mind, we planned a ten-day itinerary to cruise around the Grenadines with my best friend, M, who was set to arrive in two days.

Just as I finished baking my masterpiece cheesecake on the morning of M’s arrival, my phone rang. It was M on the other end, sounding irritated.

“You won’t believe this! JetBlue refused to let me board!” she said.

“What? Why?!” I replied, thinking it was a prank.

“Because as a Chinese passport holder, I need a tourist visa to visit St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” she explained.

“But you have a U.S. Green Card!” I said incredulously.

“No, that doesn’t count!”

This was quite a surprise! For someone as well-traveled as M, it was unexpected to make such a basic travel mistake. We found it almost amusing, but at the time, we weren’t in the mood to appreciate the humor. As luck would have it, out of the three or four islands I suggested for a visit, she chose the only one that required a visa! In fact, St. Vincent is the only Caribbean country that mandates a tourist visa for a Chinese passport holder who is also a permanent legal resident of the U.S. To complicate matters further, the requirements for a short-term tourist visa are quite complicated, and the processing time is at least one month. As such, her trip had to be canceled. The lesson learned: never take any country’s entry requirements for granted! What a disappointment!

We decided to promptly eat M’s portion of the cheesecake to ease our disappointment and cut our trip in the Grenadines short by skipping the luxurious private island of Mustique, which is typically reserved to impress friends!

Bequia was as cute, quaint, and friendly as other cruisers had told us. We enjoyed the little town of Port Elizabeth.

After a few blissful days in Bequia, we sailed down to the Tobago Cays.

The Tobago Cays (Not to be confused with the country Trinidad and Tobago) are an archipelago located in the Southern Grenadines comprising five small islands and extensive coral reefs. The whole area is a marine park.

We were here to swim with the turtles!

Even though the weather was a bit on the wild side—with the wind howling and the waves choppy—the underwater world was like a hidden gem just waiting to be explored! As soon as we dove in, we were greeted by four adorable turtles that seemed just as curious about us as we were about them. They swam around playfully. Not far off, a couple of graceful stingrays glided by, their movements so smooth and effortless. It was such a joy to experience all that beauty beneath the waves, and it made for an unforgettable adventure!

Up next, heading south to Grenada, and M’s triumphant second try at a visit!