ndsurfer, rower, folklorist and hiking guide Telfor Bedeau is unique. He

is the first person to have climbed Grenada’s highest mountain, Mount

Saint Catherine, 100 times (the record hundredth time at age 60), and

has circumnavigated his home island of Grenada by windsurfer (self-
taught, in his 60s), by rowboat (twice — once in each direction) and on foot (to raise
funds for charity in the name of his late daughter).

Telfor Bedeau was born in Grenada on October 15th, 1939, just about the time the
Second World War started. He grew up on the island’s coast on the outskirts of the
town of Grenville. He became a seaman, sailing the old cargo schooners up and down
the island chain. He built his first rowing boat and called her Sea Hiker. He rowed
his boat up and down the coast, visiting the outlying islands and exploring the sea-
shore. He was also a land surveyor for a few years, giving him the opportunity to
explore many places in Grenada. He is now a full-time hiking and walking guide to
all parts of Grenada and knows the interior better than anyone else.

Aweek before his 70th birthday this year he invited me to join him on a commemo-
rative boat ride around Grenada to celebrate his last rowing circumnavigation, which
was 12 years ago in Sea Hiker IL. Four of us took off .
from the fishing village of Soubise on Grenada’s east
coast at seven in the morning, in a fast open fishing
boat. The sea was calm, the weather fine: a perfect
day. Heading north, we passed by Sandy, Green
and Sugarloaf islands, London Bridge, Isle de Caille
and Isle de Ronde, fishing all the way with no luck.
We stopped in the lee of Isle de Ronde and cracked
a bottle of champagne before heading down the
west coast of Grenada.

Reaching the capital, St. George’s, we pulled in
to Port Louis Marina for another drink, Telfor try-
ing out the quality of their margaritas. Our next
stop was True Blue Bay on the south coast, again
for margaritas. Last stop was Clarke’s Court Bay
Marina, and then we sped up the east coast and
arrived back in Soubise by late afternoon. (Rowing
around Grenada had taken Telfor two days, with
in a net rowing time of 20 hours.)

But the boat ride wasn’t the only birthday activ-
ity; Telfor celebrated his 70th for the whole month
of October. On the 15th, his actual birthday, he
wanted to climb Mount Saint Catherine with
friends. This would be his 158th ascent of the
2,750-foot (845-metre) mountain, more than a
hundred of which he did as a guide for hikers.
About 20 of us met in Grenville at eight in the
morning, took a bus to Mount Horn and started
hiking. The first couple of hours were relatively

 

   
  

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easy; there was a road many years ago so the trail is well defined and not too steep.
The last part is a steep incline, a narrow, muddy and slippery trail. Fortunately the
vegetation offers good handholds, otherwise it would be an impossible task. The
views when the clouds parted were spectacular. The top portion was misted over,
appearing and disappearing in the fast-moving clouds. It was this last section that
Telfor wanted to time himself on. His fastest time was 30 minutes, set years ago, and
now he wanted to see how much slower Father Time had made him. It made him 15
minutes slower; he made it in 45.

At the top, three bottles of champagne materialized and we all toasted Telfor’s
health and made jokes about the next time we would all climb up again.

Telfor Bedeau can be reached for hikes in Grenada at (473) 442-6200.

 

Above: Telfor and friends ascending Grenada's tallest mountain on his 70th birthday
Inset: His love of exploring the land and sea keeps Telfor Bedeau young

Below: A champagne toast in the lee of Isla de Ronde

 

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