Carriacou Sloops
Tradition, a classic Carriacou Sloops, is part of a rich Caribbean sailing and boat building heritage that can be traced back into the early 19th century.
On an island measuring a mere 13 square miles and with less than 5000 inhabitants, Carriacou, the largest island of the Grenadines, has built more wooden boats than anywhere else in the Lesser Antilles. Most of these have been built in the northern village of Windward. Why?
What happens when it’s the 1830’s and the landowners on a small island in the Grenadines struggles with the high prices of getting their goods to markets like Grenada? Typical of the clever independence that islanders are renowned for, the local planters of Carriacou decided to stop depending on cargo boats that found Carriacou too small as stopping ground. Instead, they did some importing of their own – Scottish shipwrights to be precise. With the Scottish shipwright’s skills enhancing the traditional methods of the local boat builders they developed their own style of which Tradition is an example – the Carriacou sloop!
Built to be fast, sturdy and large enough to carry a variety of cargo, Carriacou sloops were perfect for the inter-coastal waters of the Caribbean.
Carriacou Sloops: Building boats the Carriacou way
From chopping down the trees needed to build the boat to launching her once it’s done,
Carriacou boat building is steeped in tradition, superstition, local customs, and age old wisdom.
The locally grown white cedar trees, which apart from Greenheart timber for the keel, are the primary wood for these boats. It takes an experienced eye to choose the perfect trees, as many are chosen for their bends and crooks to form the structural timbers of the frame. According to local belief, cutting down the perfect trees for the project could only be done three days after a full moon, otherwise, the wood would rot from the inside out.
Once the wood was gathered, the perfect crooked branches assembled, and the keel laid, a traditional keel laying ceremony is required to ensure a strong, safe and sturdy vessel is built. In Carriacou, the blessing includes a lot of rum and the blood of a sacrificial goat to be spilled on the keel. Making sure that all bases are covered and all God’s are appeased, the local priest also says a prayer and sprinkles holy water over the keel.
Once the keel is properly blessed, the builders get to work. Forget the blueprint! In Carriacou, the shipwrights have the plans of their forefathers locked in their heads. With this vision and not much more than the traditional tools of an adz and a hammer, the boat takes shape and slowly transforms into a unique, beautiful, and seaworthy vessel.
Once the boat is finished and ready for the water, it’s time for the time honored boat-launching ceremony. Launching a boat is a very big deal in Carriacou, an event reserved for Sundays when huge groups of people from Windward and the surrounding villages can attend. Open cooking fires get blazing at dawn in preparation for the feast to come. The priest shows up with the church choir. The drummers and the fiddlers start setting up their instruments and warming up their fingers. The sacrificial goat and rooster are waiting for their big moment. The Jack Iron rum starts flowing.
In keeping with the age-old custom, it is vital that blood be spilled on the Samson post and on the hull to ensure safe passages. As the owner of the new boat gives thanks to the for the animal about to sacrifice it’s life-blood for the safety of the new vessel, he takes his knife and slices the roosters throat. The blood, and plenty of rum, is smeared on the boat, and the priest sprinkles the vessel with holy water. The church choir sings, the musicians play, and the animals get thrown into the cook pot for the feast!
Getting the boat off the beach and into the water is no small feat. Dozens of people assist in pushing the boat into the water, a time consuming process that is accompanied by frenzied shouting and lots of muscle. Luckily, there is lots of rum and many pots of stewed goat, chicken, cou-cou to fortify the hard workers. Once the boat is in the water, the celebration really begins! The builders, the owners, the friends and spectators who have all witnessed another beautiful Carriacou sloop take its rightful place in the sea are part of a tradition since the first boats were built in Carriacou.
Carriacou shipwrights are artisans renowned for their beautiful craftsmanship. They are also known for building boats that can sail fast. Stories abound about the need for these boats to outrun the customs and excise cutters, as smuggling rum, cigarettes, and wine was, for some, the business of the day. However, most of these boats were trading boats, carrying perishable cargo such as bananas, mangos, and other produce to various islands. As the first to market was always the first to get the trading contracts, having a boat that could out sail the competition was essential for their business success!
To leave Carriacou Sloops page and return to home page, please click here
