Story and photos by Lexi Fisher and Chris Doyle
These days, Barbados is more often associated with pop superstar Rihanna than it is with cruising and sailing, and while her childhood home in downtown Bridgetown certainly draws a crowd, Barbados also offers some interesting and worthwhile sailing for those willing to go out of their way to get there.
Though often grouped with the Windward Islands, Barbados is a geographic anomaly in the Eastern Caribbean. Ninety miles to the east of St. Vincent, it is way outside the arc of the other islands and straight to windward. It is the only island in the Eastern Caribbean that is not volcanic. It is the top of a buckle in the seabed that got pushed above the surface during tectonic plate movement. At a later period, it was largely submerged, which gave it a heavy limestone capping; it then rose again to form a relatively flat island (the highest hills are about a thousand feet) with spectacularly beautiful white sand beaches.
The island is 21 miles long by 14 miles wide. It is an orderly country with a gentle topography of rolling hills and green fields. Under British rule for over 300 years, it is often called Little England. Barbados became independent in 1966 and is today a stable parliamentary democracy and active member of the Commonwealth. It is a relatively affluent country. The driving force of the economy is tourism, and this has fueled many other light industries, including printing and light manufacturing. The second largest source of revenue for Barbados is its overseas financial services sector.
In the days of sail, especially on square-rigged ships, it was very hard to reach Barbados from the rest of the island chain, which helped it remain outside the battles between the British and French that characterized the histories of most of the other islands.
Left to their own devices, English-speaking Bajans evolved the most distinctive accent in the region. It is a pleasant, friendly sound, thick enough to cut with a cutlass. After you have spent a while here, you will recognize a Bajan anywhere else in the world as soon as they speak.
Bajans count among the finest seamen in the Caribbean. Their fishermen venture far out to sea in all conditions. For their yachtspeople, visiting any other destination and getting home involves serious windward work in the open ocean, with seas often rougher than those in the island chain. There is usually a foul current to deal with as well. I am always amazed at the casual way Bajan yacht crews turn up for races throughout the Caribbean, then think nothing of beating their way back afterward, a trip that would give most of us considerable pause.
Barbados was claimed for England in 1625 by one Captain John Powell and colonized two years later by his brother Henry, with a party of 80 settlers and 10 enslaved people. During the early years of settlement, Barbados had many small farmers, but around 1650, the advent of sugar brought about a sharp change. Small holdings were bought up by the wealthier landowners, who imported enslaved people and created an immensely rich plantocracy that lasted for several centuries.
Slavery was abolished in 1834, but power to the people only became a reality in the 1930s and ’40s, long after sugar had become a far less profitable industry. It happened as a result of class struggle, with the formation of labor unions, serious unrest, and street riots.
As the sugar industry declined, tourism evolved to take its place. The island is flat enough that a large airport required no special feats of engineering, and, unlike square riggers, jet planes have no problem getting here. Barbados’s quiet beauty, dreamy beaches, and pleasant climate make it a natural for tourism, and Barbados was the first of the eastern Caribbean islands to develop this industry on such an intensive scale.
As a result, there is plenty to do here, with many types of restaurants and shops, lots of nightlife, and plenty of roadside attractions. The people are very welcoming; they understand the value of visitors and treat them well. While the south and west coast are heavily built up to cater to this industry, if you head to the northeast or the center of the island, you soon get away from it all.
It is well worth visiting Barbados, but from a yachting perspective, it can be a challenging trip from the other islands. For Europeans, it makes a lot of sense to make Barbados your first landfall as you come across the Atlantic. However you get here, you can be sure of enjoying your stay.
Barbados Entry and Exit Procedures
Ports of Entry
There are two ports of entry: Bridgetown to the south and Port St. Charles to the north.
Advance Paperwork
All visiting yachts should pre-register with SailClear prior to arrival. For visitors from many countries, a visa is not required.
Entry Process
On arrival the captain should proceed to the Health, Immigration and then Customs offices with the SailClear notification ID number, crew passports and boat paperwork. A cruising permit is needed to move between anchorages.
Exit Process
Same as the entry process, but the order is Port Authority, Customs and then Immigration. Outbound clearance is valid for 24 hours.
Rates
Clearance fees are paid upon departure and are $100 Barbados dollars ($50USD).
Check www.noonsite.com/place/barbados/view/clearance for more detailed information and updates. This information is provided by noonsite.com, specialists in worldwide formalities for yachts, and was accurate at press time.
