Life Can Be a Beach

The main objective of my husband Nik’s company was that of saving of Bequia’s beaches. At the urging of Prime Minister Son Mitchell, Nik and his three partners delivered sand and gravel to Bequia with tugs and barges, giving those wishing to build homes access to building materials at a reasonable price. The removal of sand from Bequia’s beaches for construction purposes was definitely having a negative impact on the island, and rapidly-rising sea levels weren’t helping. The importation of building materials was a welcome and necessary move; the beaches needed to be preserved for future generations, and I for one was grateful to see some positive action taking place.

When Mac and I opened the Pizzeria in 1979 there was a large beach in front of the property. When our children were babies they played on that beach, a beach that narrowed as they grew. In the space of just a few years there was little space for foot traffic let alone beach towels and yacht dinghies, the beach was disappearing at an alarming rate! Soon water was lapping against our sea wall, the beach was gone and so was the easy access to our restaurant. It was quite frightening to watch a beach disappear so quickly, and I was therefore intrigued when Nik and his partners invested in a dredging machine in the late 1990’s.

I watched with interest as the men assembled their machine at the Sandpit and tried it out. The objective was to restore the beaches to Bequia’s waterfront, and they worked hard to assemble what they needed to make it happen. The owner of the Plantation House was paying to have the beach in front of his hotel enlarged, the rest would have to be done free of charge. It was a massive undertaking, and I kept my fingers crossed that the dredging would work!

It was an amazing sight, not pretty and quite noisy but still amazing. The dredge pumped water and gradually built ridges of sand, coral and shells. People scrambled to collect the shells as the dredge made its way slowly along the shoreline, leaving a miraculous beach in its wake. The process wasn’t fast, it took Nik and his partners a few frustrating months, but it worked. Building back the beach was very much an experiment, and critics as well as enthusiasts abounded, offering words of encouragement along with insults as the men worked.

Was dredging the beach a success? Was the experiment worth the effort and expense made by Nik and his partners? All I can say is that it was nice while it lasted! Mother Nature in the form of Hurricane Lenny effectively removed the beach in the space of one day as huge waves ripped through Admiralty Bay, throwing sand and coral ashore in a fit  of rage. Strangely enough, the only part of the dredged beach that survives to this day is the section that was actually paid for by the owner of the Plantation House! That small and lovely beach remains intact.

The purchase of new pizza ovens a few years later posed a dilemma; with no beach access the process of removing the old ovens and installing the new was daunting, and Nik actually put the dredge in place and make me a beach so that he and his crew could deliver the new ovens. That beach didn’t last either but served its purpose, and gave me new bragging rights; after all, who else is given a beach as a Christmas gift??

The only other part of Nik’s dredging operation that has survived and seems to thrive is the base for Bequia’s first floating bar! It was once used to support the living accommodations for the dredging crew when they worked away from home, and it’s nice to see it being utilized in such a fun manner.