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CHARLOTTEVILLE
This protected deep water basin that characterizes Charlotteville must have been a great haven for sailors during the years of the fighting sailing ships. No doubt, too, it was a great place for launching surprise sorties on passing vessels. It certainly is a great favorite with the yachtsmen today, as there seems always to be several yachts here enjoying safe haven.
The approach to Charlotteville by road is down a steep but scenic winding descent to sea level, with a fascinating view of houses clinging to the amphitheatre-like hillsides.
Cruise ships do call here from time to time. So many that Charlotteville has its own Customs and Immigration stations. Most visitors, however, come by jeep from the western part of the island. There is some snorkeling here too, close to the shore. Surrounding the concrete jetty the Charlotteville the fishing fleet can be seen at anchor. It is not unusual to see high-prowed clinker-built wooden or fiberglass pirogues with powerful outboard motors cutting a swath through the harbour. There is a small cold storage facility here for the fishermen, and something of a fish processing mini-plant. Charlotteville is the easternmost community of Tobago. It is a favorite with some visitors and some accommodation can be found here. It is also the venue of a local celebration - the Charlotteville Fishermen's fete, held each July allegedly in honour of "Saint Peter". but more, I suspect, as an excuse for a carnival. Running off to the east, a dirt road cut in the mountain, only partly traversible by motor vehicle, leads to Pirates' Bay. The approach to the bay is by foot, down about one hundred steps. If you come at the right time you may see fisherman "pulling seine", that is , hauling in their dragnets. Join them in the pull and you may find yourself rewarded by a fish or two, as fresh as it could get.
One weekend a group of us set out to picnic on the beach here. Someone had recommended "Pyrex Bay". We wondered for a while how such a name could have come about, until it dawned on us that Pyrex was a corruption of "Pirates". "Pirates' Bay'"For this occasion we came thoroughly prepared. Foodstuff. Cutlery. Cooking pots. We were going to cook on a fire we would build from beach-finds. We would scrounge around until we found three large stones to rest the cooking pot on. Everything went according to plan, until we were ready to cook. Then Pamela exclaimed, "You know what we forget? We forget to bring water! But we can't cook without water!" The thought of using sea water came up but didn"t last long. Then a native Charlotteville beach person came to the rescue. He gave us some directions, and we came to a stream running out of the hills nearby - clear and cool and pure. It was only then that we paid attention to the fishermen pulling in the nets. Helping them out gave us a richer meal than we had planned for. Charlotteville gives you easy access to St. Giles Island. The island is really the largest of a set of rocks donated to the Trinidad and Tobago Government nearly 40 years ago. St. Giles and its other rocks is a breeding station for a variety of sea birds - terns, boobies, Tropic birds and Frigate birds. Nearby Man-O-War Bay is one that illustrates the fluctuating history of Tobago. Man-O-War Bay is the name given to this yacht-basin by the British, because it did provide secure anchorage for their men-of war and other vessels. They also named it for their naval Commodore John Moore. The French call it Jean Le Mort. The Dutch caled it Jan De Moor's Bay. The Courlanders called it Kurische Bay. But the Marine Capital is Speyside And For A Really Cool Beach - Go To Pigeon Point Click here to Return from Charlotteville to Home Page
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