Wallilabou and the Boat Boys

Approaching Wallilabou we were looking out for a radio mast on the shore, knowing that just after that was our chosen anchorage in St Vincent. About 2 miles off our destination we could start to see how green and luscious the coastline was, taking in the spectacular scenery the ambience was ruined by 2 big cigarette boats speeding towards us. Putting down my camera (in case they fancied it for themselves) we awaited their arrival. A boat on our starboard side arrived first asking us if we were going to Wallilabou bay. Having read Doyle's guide prior to leaving, we were aware these guys could be pushy to the point of aggressive and so tried to shrug them off by being vague and saying we would meet them in there if we needed assistance. That didn't seem to work and no sooner had we explained that to the first boat, the second boat came to port side trying to get our attention. We shrugged off one boat and continued on, where around half a mile out, another boat boy came rowing towards us and started getting into a rage. Now these guys apparently speak English but unfortunately we couldn't understand a word they were saying apart from the expletives littered throughout their conversation. Turns out the first boat boy had promised the second that the next yacht to approach the bay would be 'his' to assist. Not playing game the two boats started getting into a slanging match with us in the middle and the second boat boy then proceeds to jump into our dinghy (that we were towing behind) and tow his boat complete with child of around 10 years old. From observation the more affluent guys have the freshly painted boats with 15HP engines whilst the poorer guys have only oars for propulsion. I did feel for the guy who had no motor on his boat so must have rowed the entire way out but on the other hand, he was being rude, aggressive and extremely intimidating. Remember at this point in time, we hadn't given our custom to either party! We tried to ignore the commotion as best we can (when we had 2 adult males yelling at each other) and puttered into the bay eyeing up the mooring balls to find a good spot.

On sussing out the situation we realised we would need a hand with the 'parking' as we needed to attach the bow to a mooring line at the same time as manoeuvring in a tight space and securing a stern line to another mooring ball 100 feet away. Deciding to go with Winston (“no problem man”) that showed no animosity towards us, we asked him to secure our stern line ignoring the crazy guy we towed telling us how unfair life was. By this point I was most fed up with their behaviour and thought if I went below and waited it out...they may just disappear (ostrich.....sand). No such luck, no sooner had we killed the engine, 4 more boat boys arrived, sticking their heads into our cockpits and banging against our hull. Now I realise these guys need to make a living but when all they offer is a hand to tie a line you start to lose respect for them. If they had made something or were offering fresh fruit then I would happily give them money. The crazy guy was still in a rage, eyes wide with anger filling the quiet bay with his woes when he declared he was thirsty and could we possibly get him a glass of water. I was in no mood to provide him with anything and so went for the cold shoulder approach but after a further 10 mins of repeating his plea we caved in and I went down below to get 2 glasses of water, one for him and one for the young boy with him. The crazy guy downed it in one and when Dylan gave the second glass to the young kid, the kid replied 'F*CK YOU'!! I tell you, we made quite an entrance into this anchorage!!!! I just wish I had videoed it as that situation has to be seen to be believed.

Taking a philosophical stance on the experience, you can see that there is little for the locals to do to make money here with incoming yachts seen as a prime source of income. Unfortunately there are so many guys all competing for the same service and as such it has turned sour. This aggressive attitude will certainly make us think twice about returning which is such a shame as it really is a lovely place to visit. If only they could organise themselves and regulate the service similar to what Bequia have done it would encourage a larger volume of yachts to frequent the town as a port of clearance. Dylan tried to explain this to them, attempting to improve their 'service' but any suggestions were met with indifferent grunts. Aaah well, you win some you lose some.

After Dylan had stopped simmering and all boat boys had been dealt with, we dinghied ashore to clear out of customs as they only open from 5pm! Wallilabou was the set for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and so everywhere you go there are props, storyboards and pictures from the movie. Wary of the aggressive boat boys and after a few spates of theft recently, as soon as the sun started to set, we headed back to Orion to guard her for the evening. Thankfully this effort was in vain as we had no trouble and a peaceful nights sleep with the exception of the party boat next to us who decided that 1am was the perfect time to go swimming and blast out a bit of Jessie J.