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Day 22: Union Island Blues

Currently sitting in the Tourist Centre opposite the jetty in Hillsborough, Carriacou island waiting for the guy who said he’d take me to Union Island in his speedboat (for a fee) to come back. He’s been gone an hour.

Help!

7:30pm update: I finally got a small motor boat over to Union Island in the Grenadines at about midday, it only took about 40 minutes but I got utterly utterly drenched on the way over.

Missed the coastguard leaving for St. Vincent in a goddamn SPEEDBOAT by five minutes. So I’ve progressed about 3 miles today. Still on Union Island, I’ve asked half the population if anyone is going north today, but no joy. The ferry for St. Vincent leaves at 6am, so it looks like I’m getting that.

Not a bad place to be stuck for the night, though – this place is as close to paradise as I guess I’m ever going to get. Palm trees, warm breeze, coconuts, white beaches, tree covered hills, turquoise waters gently lapping at the shore and Ennio Morricone on the cafe stereo. Not bad at all.

I’m losing hope of getting to the container ship in Canada for the twelfth of February though – chatting with the yachties here there is no way I’m going to get to Barbados from St Vincent – against the wind and talk of 20ft waves, no less.

I should have gone from Trinidad, they tell me.

Great.

However, drastic times call for drastic measures and Lorna and I are cooking up a plan to get me to Barbados and back in the blink of an eye. But, unlike the trip so far, it’s really going to cost me.  It’s going to cost me a lot.

Graham Hughes

Graham Hughes is a British adventurer, presenter, filmmaker and author. He is the only person to have travelled to every country in the world without flying. From 2014 to 2017 he lived off-grid on a private island that he won in a game show, before returning to the UK to campaign for a better future for the generations to come.

This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. Matt the Mick

    Ooh ooh, cost you what? You tease, don’t leave us in suspense…

    I’d say cheat, the 12th Feb is far too important a connection to miss and it’ll make good footage.

    Wooo on the YouTube stuff too, though might I point out that getting shitfaced with a bunch of Paddies isn’t going to get you far (in the physical sense).

    Awesome work overall, keep going!

  2. Hugh Sheridan

    Graham

    Tell the yachties not to be so lazy and tack to barbados against the westerley wind.

    20 foot waves are easy – its the 50 foot ones you need to be careful of.

    H

  3. Sean

    I think the overall goal is whats important – and how close you can get to it. So if you do not make this connection its seemingly over – so do whatever you have to do to make it i reckon.

  4. Tess Hennigan

    Graham,

    It is Sunday, January 25, 2009 – I’m trying to find out if you are still stuck in the Caribbean? I am trying to do an article on your Odyssey while you are here. Can you give me some details?

    Tess Hennigan
    Caribbean Net News Staff Reporter

  5. Nadine Crawford

    dibs to ya Graham. you’re doin a fantastic job and you are a true inspiration. shame about all these lost connections however if its any consolation i am learning from your mistakes before i go off on my own world tour. Keep smiling Mr 😉

  6. sweetcecile

    Call me as soon as you read this; checked y/e-mail & you are welcome at my place in Prospect, St.Vincent; had to check my user name: I like your project ; sending e-mail now in response;
    By the way: slow motion here….you ‘re not stuck… just getting into the vibes….! 26.01.09

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