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Thursday, January 26th 2012

5:23 PM

A Visit to Happy Island in The Grenadines

When planning my trip to The Grenadines this year, first on the list of things to do was a stop on Happy Island.

We sat sail early in the morning with a nice tradewind breeze, and the water was quite smooth. The water colors are amazing in the Grenadines, changing from light aquamarine to a deep blue indigo. A school of dolphins appeared suddenly and accompanied us for a bit, and then just as quick disappeared from sight.   

Happy Island is not your typical island destination. This is a man made island formed out of conch shells, and can be found just off the coast of Union Island in the Grenadines.


As the tiny island came into sight, we could see a man moving around the perimenter. The captain anchored, and as we drew closer in the dinghy the man waved happily, and greeted us with a big smile. He said "Welcome to Happy Island " - OK, I'm already happy to be there!


The island's owner is Janti Ramaj. He came up with the brilliant idea for his own island when helping remove conch shells from Union Island's beach. Janti used tons of shells over the years, and added lots of cement to hold the island together. 

One Happy Man!

I should note "conch " is the name for these shells throughout the Caribbean, but in the Grenadines "lambi shells " is the preferred name. 

As he made rum punch, I inquired as to how he picked this particular spot. He stated there is a large reef below, so this was the perfect place to build. 

Another question - did he have to get permission from the government? Of course not he replied - they were just glad to get the over abundance of shells off Union Island. As he continued to build over the years, the government finally gave him approval, and now Happy Island is official. 

After the island rose from the sea, the next project was building a house for he and his wife to live in. The two room wood structure is extremely small, but it seems to work for them. The kitchen area serves two purposes - cooking/bedroom, and the other room is for the bar. Janti planted palm trees in the sand for a nice landscaping touch. Plastic white chairs round out the island bar's decor. 

Reggae and Soca music blares from giant speakers 

The island runs on wind and solar power

Janti has the true spirit of an entrepreneur who saw an opportunity and took full advantage. I've met many people in my travels throughout the years in the Caribbean, and he is by far one of the most interesting. 

As the rum punch kept flowing, we shared stories and many laughs. This will always be a stop when visiting The Grenadines. Janti and his wife are great hosts.

Happy Travels,
Linda
 www.travel2thecaribbean.com

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