{"id":942,"date":"2026-04-08T05:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T09:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westindiesregatta.com\/?page_id=942"},"modified":"2026-10-16T16:23:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T20:23:01","slug":"charpentiers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/westindiesregatta.com\/en\/charpentiers\/","title":{"rendered":"carpenters"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CARIBBEAN MARITIME HERITAGE<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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THE SLOOPS OF THE GRENADINES<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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History of shipbuilding in the Grenadines<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Developed between the 18th and 20th centuries in Bequia, Carriacou and Union Island, the sloops of the Grenadines are among the last traditional working sailboats still built in the Caribbean.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The origins \u2014 18th and 19th centuries<\/h3>

The first sloops appeared during the colonial era to meet a simple need: to travel quickly from one island to another. Transporting goods, fishing, inter-island trade, and passenger transport\u2014everything relied on sail, as airplanes were still unavailable. The islands were close, but the currents were strong and the wind constant. Fast, sturdy boats capable of sailing upwind were essential. Local shipwrights developed a type of sailboat perfectly optimized for these conditions.<\/p>

An influence from the North<\/h3>

In the 19th century, whalers from Nantucket and New Bedford frequented the region. They brought with them the hull shapes of their whaleboats<\/em> and shipbuilding techniques. The shipwrights of Bequia adopted these techniques and adapted them to build larger, more seaworthy boats. From this fusion, the sloops of the Grenadines were born.<\/p>

Technical specifications<\/h3>

Wooden-planked hull on frames, fine bow, sloping transom. A length of 8 to 15 meters, with a generous beam for stability. A sloop rig\u2014a single mast\u2014and a large triangular mainsail, sometimes accompanied by a jib or staysail. These boats are renowned for their speed, their ability to sail upwind, and their robustness in the short but sometimes choppy seas of the Caribbean.<\/p>

Traditional construction<\/h3>

Everything is done by hand: fitting the curved frames, laying the planks one by one, caulking between the planks with cotton and tar, casting the iron keel, and then rigging. Most often, no plans are written down. The shapes are memorized, passed down from one shipwright to another, and corrected by eye.<\/p>

The Golden Age, 1900-1950<\/h3>

At the beginning of the 20th century, sloops completely dominated local maritime transport because they were smaller and cheaper than the large sailing ships from Europe that made the transatlantic crossing. They carried essential goods such as charcoal, cotton, sugar, fruits and vegetables, animals, tools, and passengers\u2026 Each island then had several dozen sloops in operation.

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Grenadines sloop or Carriacou sloop?<\/h3>

The two are often confused. They belong to the same tradition, but have diverged depending on the island.<\/p>

The Grenadines sloop, Bequia type.<\/strong> Historically, it was a transport and coastal trading vessel: wide hull, large cargo volume, pronounced stern, moderate draft. Stable and robust, it was designed to carry freight, not just to travel fast.<\/p>

The sloop of Carriacou and Petite Martinique<\/strong> took the other path: a longer, narrower hull, a very fine bow, a deeper draft, and an immense sail area. Much faster, excellent upwind, but more demanding at the helm. They are, in their own way, speed machines.<\/p>

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Cultural heritage of Saint-Barth\u00e9lemy?<\/h3>


Like all islands, Saint Barth\u00e9lemy depends for its survival on supplies brought by these ships\u2014even more so than others, because it is a tiny island, where rainfall is very low, where there are no natural water sources, and where almost nothing grows, except for a few goats. But Saint Barth\u00e9lemy has one advantage: it is a free port, meaning that goods are exempt from taxes and are not inspected. Everything can therefore pass through legally, at least from the island's perspective.
The sloops then found an even more lucrative market: the smuggling of rum and cigarettes. These goods were legally purchased in Saint-Barth\u00e9lemy, then unloaded at night on the beaches of the other islands and resold on the black market.
It is precisely in this game of cat and mouse with the neighboring authorities that the sloops of Carriacou distinguish themselves by their speed: they easily outrun the customs sailboats that try to board them.
This trade would become the primary source of prosperity for Saint-Barth\u00e9lemy and would make Gustavia a stronghold in the eastern Caribbean.
In the 1950s, the island's prosperity, and indeed its survival, depended primarily on the boats built in Carriacou. This is what links these two islands within a shared cultural heritage.


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