We still have the car for a few hours so Terry and Alice go out early to explore further. As soon as they are back, we let go of the mooring ball and leave for Mayreau again.
Having managed to buy some salad stuff and frozen ham (yes, frozen!) we have lunch at sea, arriving once again into Saline Bay in the middle of the afternoon and while Ann decides to stay on board the rest of us go ashore. It’s a whole lot quieter than when most of the WARC fleet were here back in April!
Photo: From the dock, Saline Bay, Mayreau
Photo: From halfway up the hill, the view of Saline Bay
Of course, the bloody hill up to the village is just as steep as it was the last time we were here and half way up Terry and I stop to admire the view and catch our breath (only not in that order) while Alice and Mike stride on ahead.
We stop at Righteous and de Youths, the bar owned by Robert Righteous, a character if ever there was one. He is an engaging man, worldly in his outlook and proud of his island. Although not educated in a scholarly way, he says his education comes from his clientele although they didn’t teach him much in the way of maths as we find out when we get our bill.
Photo: Righteous and de Youths bar and restaurant
Today he is very jolly. Whether it’s the rum or the sweetly scented cigarettes around that are the cause is probably irrelevant. He decides that Alice and I will accompany him musically (and error of judgement on his part I have to say). He hands Alice a drum which she immediately hands to me. He is not to be thwarted though, and another one comes out of the back room and is thrust at her. We play a few … um … tunes … and he is kind enough to not laugh.
Photo: Jamming – of a fashion!
Alice and I excuse ourselves and walk the rest of the way up the hill to the church. Already the light is fading and the reefs around the Tobago Cays are losing their colour. A dog joins us and accompanies us back down the hill, much to Alice’s discomfort.
Photo: Alice and I find a friend
The sun is rapidly setting as we get back into the dinghy. We have no torch and Ann hasn’t managed to switch the outside lights on but as there are only three yachts in the anchorage, we manage to find our way back without mishap.
Photo: Mike and Terry stroll along the dock to the dinghy
On Wednesday we motor over to Union Island and anchor in front of Happy Island. Mike goes ashore to check us out for tomorrow (God this is getting monotonous now) and Ann and I have a wander around. Low season means that many of the restaurants and shops are shut but we find that Bougainvilla is open for business and after having a rather nice cocktail there, we book a table for the evening.
Photo: Happy Island, Clifton Harbour, Union Island
Photos: The shark pool in front of the Anchorage Yacht Club … and its inhabitants
We have a lovely meal in the evening and even manage to fit in the Gavin and Stacy Christmas Special.
The next day, having checked out of the Grenadines, we now have to check into Grenadian territory by going to Carriacou. Once the boring bit is done, we have a great sail down to Grenada. The sea is smooth but the wind just right and we romp along at 8 knots. Of course all good things must come to an end and almost as soon as we are in the lee of Grenada, the wind dies and we end up motoring.
Photo: A laden freighter leaves St George’s as we arrive
We put down the anchor and stay overnight in the anchorage outside St Georges. I have heard from Jutta and she and Jochem, and of course, Chessie, their boat, are in Port Louis marina having work done and we arrange to see them tomorrow morning.
Terry gets the second part of his haircut and despite his protestations, I finally deal with his eyebrows. This causes Ann to have to sweep the decks although she is happy to do this in exchange for the ending of the owl-like expression that Terry’s brows have been creating. The jury is out over the growing of some of his other face fuzz – Ann likes it and the rest of us vary in opinion from it being OK to … dickhead!
On Friday morning we go over to Chessie. Poor Jutta and Jochem are in the midst of a whole list of work and I count five workmen all busily at work on the outside and down below. We stop for a ‘little drink’ of course!
Photo: Terry, Jutta, Ann and Jochem aboard Chessie
We take the dinghy over to the supermarket and Mike stays on the dock with it, along with Joshua, a little local lad with a nice line in patter. Making no pretence of ‘looking after the dinghy, mister’, he just asks Mike for money. Mike says his wife has it all. So he waits for us to come back and tells Ann that he lives alone and has no parents following it up with a request to go and live with her. Even though we know we shouldn’t, we give him a couple of dollars and as our dinghy pulls away from the dock, we see him scampering across the main road to spend it in the shop.
It’s a much nicer day than when we left St George’s, so we take a ride around the Carenage again.
Photo: Ann and Mike
Photo: The Carenage, St George’s
We pull the anchor up and head around the south side of the island to Clarkes Court Bay where we will spend the last night of the Roses’ holiday at the marina.
All week it has been so humid it has been almost unbearable. We have been lucky in that the only rain, apart from a few showers, has been at night. In the marina, it’s only mid afternoon, but attached to shore power, we have the air conditioning on full blast while they pack.
We have arranged for Rock, the taxi driver from the beginning of the week, to pick us up and take us to the restaurant he owns and runs with his wife, Joan, called the Little Dipper. Although it is only a relatively short ride across the bay in the dinghy, you never know what the weather can whip up at short notice, and by going in a taxi, it means that Mike can have a drink.
By the time we arrive, the sun is almost set, but there is still a lovely view over the bay.
Photo: View from the Little Dipper
While Ann orders chicken, the rest of us order the local lobster – and it is delicious. It is served with local vegetables and we have fried breadfruit with Joan’s special spicy sauce to start. Yum. It’s really good value too and I thoroughly recommend anyone visit. I know Mike and I will go again.
Photo: Terry and Alice
Photo: Mike and I
There’s a bit of a flap at the end when we realise that the restaurant doesn’t take plastic but Terry manages to cobble enough together to pay for the meal. He’ll have to go to an ATM for the money for the taxi but as Rock is picking them up at 5 am tomorrow to take them to the airport, this is no problem.
There’s no real time to watch the last three episodes of the final series of Gavin and Stacey but Terry is placated by Mike putting it on a hard disk for him. Given that they have 7 hours to waste at New York, this might just come in handy!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment