Boat Boys

Recently we received the following comment from one of our blog readers :

Steve – very curious as to your experience with the “Boat Boys” – there’s been so much published, positive and negative, about encounters, particularly in the Tobago Cays – but elsewhere in the Grenadines as well – How have you made out?

I’d like to address this question.

First, for those of you who don’t know what “Boat Boys” are, let me explain. In many anchorages, perhaps most of the none-French islands south of Antigua, one is often approached by locals, always males, in boats/on surfboards selling goods and/or services. Very often one will be approached by many on a given day. Sometimes you can be met a number of miles from the anchorage by those eager to establish a relationship. What’s on sale is some combination of local fruit, garbage/laundry services, island tours, water, diesel, etc. Here in Tyrell Bay one can even get oysters. The attitude and competitiveness/aggressiveness of these guys seems to vary island by island, bay by bay.

As the commenter says – much has been written about them and peoples opinions seem to be divided. Our own experience has been pretty positive. We rarely need their services and find that if you treat them decently, give them a chance to sell their wares, be curtious and respectful, thank them for making the effort to come and see you, we find they cause no trouble at all. In the Tobago Cays they were pretty unobtrusive. In St Lucia they could be quite pushy, particularly down in Souffriere. We know boaters in the Tobago Cays who simply wanted to stay a little longer and found the guy who could bring in a little extra food a lifeline.

We do wonder why others have a negative experience with the boat boys. From talking to others our ‘conclusion’, for what it’s worth, is your experience of them is going to be driven very much by what we ourselves bring to the table. If you recognise the “boat boys” merely as local entrepreneurs who see opportunity in the huge relative wealth dangling on anchors off their shores, who are respectful for their broader reputation and their relationship with you, you will find them ok and often quite helpful. If you bring to the table western expectations and, perhaps, unfounded fears, you will not like them at all. If, through not finding them adhering to your imported and non local standards, you are rude to or brusk with them, it is not surprising they may treat you in kind.

In Portsmouth, we made good use of Alexis to help organize shore side tours. While it is evident he was trying to make the best deal for himself he also didn’t push services on us he knew we didn’t want and he was quick to offer helpful information to us. In the end he became another of our temporary cruising friends and we delighted in having him and his girlfriend aboard for dinner before we left.

A little more troubling sometimes are those around the periphery. In some areas you’ll find people, often children, willing to ‘look after’ your dinghy while you are on land. It almost feels like a protection racket at times as one wonders what happens if you don’t agree to their services. Again – if one remembers these are poor people who are only hoping for the chance to make a little something with folks immeasurably more wealthy than they could ever be – you can survive this. In Vieux Fort we had the greatest implied threat as one of the boys said he would protect our dinghy from one of the others who would other wise ‘pick’ our boat (with a knife). I pretended not to hear them properly and asked them why I needed protection from someone picking his nose. I then handed out some sweets/candy which they seemed delighted with. We had no trouble.

So – all I can say – is whether you love them or hate them is really going to be more down to you than them. These islands are their country, not ours, and respect begets respect.