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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. 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 Velista, “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!”



Couple this beauty with the economics of $2.60 EC to $1.00 US and fuel that in some places costs less than $1 per gallon and you have the makings of a great yachting destination. Add to that a great motor yacht like Velista and you have an incredible charter experience waiting for you.
   
Velista’s new owners, Antonia Philip and Wilfred Espinet, had invited a few lucky people to cruise with them as they took the 70' Maiora Motor Yacht Velista www.myvelista.com from Fort Lauderdale to her new home in Trinidad.

Day One
I joined the trip in St. Lucia and had been sailing for less than an hour when we cruised by two of what have to be the most photographed scenes in the Caribbean; Marigot Bay and the Pitons. Thank goodness for digital cameras and a laptop – I had taken more than 40 photos in the first two hours of our trip!
  
Fortified with the best Bloody Caesars on the planet, just one of Antonia’s specialties, we settled in for our crossing to St. Vincent, about four hours from St. Lucia, where we would begin our journey through the Grenadines.
  
As we approached St. Vincent I was 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.
   
It didn’t take long to realize the intense passion of the islanders. They are very dynamic and emotional people – especially when it comes to cricket! The World Cup Games will be held in the islands in 2007 and people are already vying for tickets to the games, hotel rooms and transportation. (If you would like to attend, you might want to start making plans now!) Much of our afternoon was spent in heated discussions regarding the best teams, the best players and how best to see the games. The M/Y Velista is already getting inquiries from people wanting to charter her for the entire tournament. A yacht will be the perfect way to see the games as it will provide both hotel room AND transportation to the games which will be on various islands throughout the Caribbean. Just settle in to your stateroom – and enjoy the games. No packing and unpacking or fighting security hassles at the airports – just luxury and relaxation!

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