Day 5 - Barbados Catamaran Tour, Barbados

#notaffiliated just a great day out

Before we left for our holiday we had done some research on tourist trips and decided we wanted to do a catamaran tour of some sort while we were there. There are a lot to choose from, and they all seem to do quite similar things, so we compared the prices and sizes of boats and found one that we liked the look of. Some of the tours seem to cram people in but the one we were looking at went with around 20 people rather than the 50 people some of the other boats of the same size took. Since we were still a bit wary of large groups, as Covid is still present in the world, this sounded perfect to us. The Catamaran "Wasn't Me" had a WhatsApp number, so we gave them a quick message to see if they were running on my birthday, so we could have a nice day. Captain Ron was quick to respond and said it did depend on numbers, but they were hoping to be able to run a trip on that day, and that they would do all that they could to make the day happen for us. We explained that at that time Heathrow airport was having major issues, and had been cancelling several flights a day with little to no notice, and because of this, we didn't want to book and pay for our trip until we knew our flight was running. Because of the way Heathrow airport were running things, we wouldn't actually our flight would be running until we were up in the air. We asked Captain Ron if it was OK for us to book with him once we landed in Barbados, and he replied he was aware of the issue with flights from Heathrow and that it would be absolutely fine. What a star!

Once we got to Barbados we let them know we were still keen to have our day out with them on "Wasn't Me", but could be flexible on the day if they needed, so we could get to go. Captain Ron confirmed they had enough people to run the day before we were due to go, which was fantastic news. The communication from him had been brilliant all the way through. The cost for the trip was 170BBD per person and this included hotel pick up and return, food and drinks on the boat, 5 hours onboard and two stops for snorkelling in Carlisle Bay.

We started the day with muffins and coffee at our hotel, then we packed our bags with towels, sports camera, waterproof phone cover, camera gimble etc, and excitedly awaited our pickup at our hotel's reception area. As promised Rosalia arrived to collect us, and took us to the dock. One person from each group headed into the office to make payment, one at a time (Covid safety measure), while everyone else waited on the dockside, with the impressive boat getting set up next to us. Once Captain Ron was ready, he gave us a quick safety talk and showed us where the bathrooms were. We all put our shoes in a big container and stepped onboard barefoot. Captain Ron and Jason, the first mate, made us feel very welcome. There are two big seating areas at the front, and a large covered cabin area, which was open to the back, to sit in if you want to get out of the sun for a while whilst still having a nice breeze. It also had shelved areas to stow our bags. We were advised to make sure we use plenty of high-factor sunscreen, since with the constant breeze when out at sea, we might not realise you are burning until it is too late.

We all settled in as we motored out of the port area and around into Carlisle Bay, a few minutes away. Our hotel overlooks this area, so we had seen lots of boats pulling in for people to snorkel around. The first stop they call the turtle stop. Everyone donned the gear provided and made their way down the steps into the water. There were life jackets and pool noodle floats for the less confident people, and Jason, the first mate, got in with us and helped people spot the turtles. The water wasn't the clearest, as it had been a bit stormy the day before, but visibility was still around 15 metres. We were bobbing along and then all of a sudden out of the depths swam our first turtle! It was amazing to be able to see them in their natural habitat! Some people from some of the other boats did get a bit close, but the turtles seemed to be used to people turning up, and they do sometimes get some fish as a reward. Swimming with turtles has been on my bucket list for a long time, so I was so happy to be able to do this. Here is a short clip of a turtle being fed by a guide from one of the other boats.

The Captain allowed us plenty of time to enjoy our swim, then we climbed all back onboard and headed to the next stop just a little further around the same bay to one of the shipwrecks. We all got back into the water and went off to explore the wreck, a boat of around 10-12 metres in length, sunk in water about 4 metres of water. It was surrounded by an amazingly colourful array of different fish, and we were lucky enough to see more turtles at this stop as well. We had only been on the boat for about an hour and it had already been worth the money in my eyes.

Once we got back onto the boat we were given drinks, from a good choice of soft and alcoholic beverages, and some delicious little pastries. As we set off from the swim site, we were advised to take off hats and move our bags inside the cabin as they could easily fly away once we were under way. With that, the captain and first mate hoisted the sails and we immediately picked up speed and were on our way under the power of the wind. We travelled up the West Coast, relaxing, talking with the other guests, trying to find our sea legs and watching the world go by. Not a bad way to spend a Monday! The first mate kept coming round to offer drinks and ensure everyone was okay. We sailed for about an hour and a half, to just past Holetown, and anchored for lunch, overlooking a deserted tropical beach. The most idyllic setting possible. For lunch they provided fried fish, chicken, macaroni pie, rice and beans, garlic bread, coleslaw and salad. It really was a delicious selection. Once people had finished eating, some had more of a swim or went over to the beach to have a little walk. Only when we stopped moving did we realise how hot it had been, so the swim here was well received. Before we left the lunch area the first mate brought out some fairy cakes, and presented me with one which had a candle in it and all the guests onboard joined in to sing happy birthday to me. This was such a special touch for me, as they had obviously remembered us mentioning my birthday. So many of the people on the trip were repeat customers, they said the smaller numbers and the effort the team took to look after them meant they would come back again and again which I completely get from our experience. I am not affiliated to "Wasn't Me" or Captain Ron in any way, I am just writing this blog about my experiences. Our day trip with them was absolutely fabulous, and I would definitely recommend it to you if you get the opportunity.

After our cakes, we started the sail back to port. More drinks were offered around, and we even had a couple of the rum punches on offer.....well it was my birthday! They were the best we had tried so far, though as we are not big drinkers, we hadn't had many to compare it to😉. We sat on the shady side of the boat on the way back, as we could see some people really had caught the sun. We had really enjoyed the day, and didn't want to have to deal with sunburn for the rest of the holiday. The sail back down the West coast was equally amazing, what's not to like about being on the Caribbean Sea and watching the beautiful Barbados coastline pass by. "Wasn't Me" had an impressive turn of speed under sail with Captain Ron at the helm. Near the end of the trip the waves got a bit bigger, but "Wasn't Me" always felt safe and stable

Once we pulled back into the port we all made our way off the boat, and tried to find our land legs again. We were taken back to our hotel, where we took some time to relax and let the experiences of the day sink in. It had been a fabulous day! I really couldn't have asked for more for a birthday away from home. https://www.barbadossailing.com/

We relaxed on the hotel balcony for the rest of the afternoon looking at the photos we had taken and reliving the day, never wanting to forget, and thanks to Captain Ron, Jason, Rosalia and their catamaran "Wasn't Me", I don't think we will ever will.

Once the evening came we decided to get the ZR bus back to the boardwalk area and get some food. We decided to head back to Chill's Beach Bar, where we had eaten on our first night in Barbados. The food was just as good and the view over the beach is great. We had a couple of delicious cocktails from there to finish off the day.

Once we had taken the ZR bus back to the hotel, we headed back to the on-site cafe. I had been eyeing the huge meringues on the counter all week so decided to get one as a final birthday treat. It was huge, certainly more than one serving, so it was well worth it.

Steps - 4,048

Costs (between 2 people including tips where applicable)

Hotel cafe - 42.55BBD (£17.61) - Raisin Bran muffins today with coffees

Catamaran tour - 350BBD (£144.84) - food, drink and transport to and from the boat

ZR bus - 7BBD (£2.89)

Chill Cafe Bar - 92BBD (£38) inc 2 cocktails

ZR bus - 7BBD (£2.89)

Hilton - 10.85 (£4.48) Birthday meringue

My map with all the areas talked about in my blog can be found here -

Map