The coral reef, a nursery for ocean going fish, is overfished and pressure on it is increasing but this area off Canouan still provided a bounty of food. Our own fishing culminated with the catch of a three foot long Cubera Snapper with a long line off the beach at evening. Salting down and storing our catch, we prepared to disembark at dawn. To windward of the Cays, one line of palms marked Horseshoe Reef. Distances were not great, only wind and current were pushing us off course to the west.
Swells are large and choppy.
Aware that rocks and reef with shallow draw would be appearing, we had not quite registered their emerging out of exposed waters, open sea and breakers. To avoid jagged rock, we came about and headed Atlantic-wards into the wind and pulled hard, followed the north shore of Petit Rameau to a channel. We beached on Petit Bateau. Three fishermen, just leaving, abandoned their camp to us, a protective palm frond lean-to with counters, a raised fire pit built of conch shells and view of Union Island. Our intentions at the time of leaving Canada had been to cover the distance between the Vincentian Islands and Antigua.