Much more Caribbean than on the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is hardly possible. Deserted beaches, uninhabited islands, lush vegetation, the 33 islands in total are dreamlike with extremely hospitable inhabitants.
Miranda Phillips runs a laundry and water boat on Bequia. Every morning, the 32-year-old navigates from yacht to yacht with her small bright green service vehicle and is already expected by most skippers. Miranda promises radiantly fresh laundry, which she delivers again the same day. And so there is always something going on in her tiny laundrette in the harbour. It turns into a karaoke bar in the evening, because that is Miranda's great passion.
Eban Olliver has many jobs at once. He is the lighthouse keeper of Kingstown. And that means a lot of responsibility in St. Vincent's biggest port city. Because Eban doesn't just change the light bulbs, he's a pilot dispatcher, harbour master and guard all in one person. First contact with ships is particularly important. Once he even saved the entire nation from an Ebola virus.
Sargeant Brothers Model Boat Shop is a small "shipyard" run by Tim Sargeant and exists since 1966. Tim insists that his company is the "original" and all others are just freeloaders. And indeed, his boats really stand out. Perfectly finished, true to detail and even sailable. Right now a large sailing yacht has to be finished for a customer from the USA. A splendid piece for almost 4,000 dollars.
Omar McInnes is a scuba diver on Canouan. He goes into the water, even in heavy seas. His two colleagues secure him from a small boat. It's a tough job, because Omar has to go down pretty deep. But it's worth it, the price for the so-called conch is stable high and the three friends can live well from it.
Carlos Peters is "Boat Boy" in the dream scenery of the Tobago Cays, on whose beaches Johnny Depp has already lain in a frenzy. Parts of the film "Pirates of the Caribbean" were shot on the uninhabited islands. For many sailors a destination of longing, they anchor by the hundreds between the picture book islands. And Carlos offers service of all kinds: fresh pineapple, cool beer, freshly caught lobsters or rolls for breakfast.
Henrik Siemer, from near Oldenburg, is a volunteer for a unique garden project on St. Vincent. Mostly single mothers without a job learn in courses how to cultivate a piece of land to be able to provide for themselves with their garden and even sell fruit and vegetables at the market. All this is done ecologically and without chemicals, which is not a matter of course at St. Vincent.
Janti Ramage and his partner Rolanda Small run the so-called Happy Island, an artificial island in the sea off Union Island, whose base consists of cemented conch shell shells. The idea came to Janti 20 years ago, but he underestimated the power of the elements. His bar island is in great need of care. Yet Janti would rather mix the typical cocktail of the area all day long: Rum punch with freshly grated nutmeg.
