Rich and Famous in Mustique
Monday, November 27
Britannia Bay, Mustique, Grenadines
N 12 degrees 52.713 minutes
W 061 degrees 11.386 minutes
On Thanksgiving Day it was squally, so instead of dining on the beach, we repaired to the spacious catamaran Rainbowrider, along with the folks from S/V Gypsy Palace, for a real American Thanksgiving dinner. Rainbowrider had the foresight to buy a frozen turkey breast in Trinidad, and various folks made potatoes, rolls from scratch, green bean casserole, stuffing, mushroom dressing, candied sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc. It was the perfect end to 15 days in the Tobago Cays (about which we have gushed quite enough, I think).
Friday we went to Mayreau (N 12 degrees 38.016 minutes, W 061 degrees 23.897 minutes), a smallish island to the west of, and therefore downwind of, the Tobago Cays. I, Dean, had the distinction of wrapping the dinghy painter again around the prop, necessitating the painter's destruction by knife. Ha ha, it is to laugh. We were surrounded by a whack of people who were visiting by cruise ship, so we spent only a short time ashore on the beach, looking at T-shirts and enjoying a single drink at a bar up a very steep hill, overlooking the anchorage. We did not try our luck at impersonating passengers at the cruise ship's private, on-beach bar, though we were tempted.
On the morning of the 25th, taking advantage of the wide open anchorage and favorable winds, we sailed off the anchor and made for Canouan (N 12 degrees 42.515 minutes W 061 degrees 19.750 minutes). We were the only cruising boat in this bay, although there were many Moorings boats there, as it is one of their rental bases. We did enjoy seeing the charterers coming and going. Town was very nice, and we had fried chicken and fresh bread in a tiny little snack shop, served by an elderly woman with no apparent sense of humor. We visited a few of the grocery stores there, and not much else. Unfortunately, Tim, we got your comment regarding the manager of Moorings after we left Canouan, so we were not able to stop in.
Yesterday, we again sailed off anchor and made our way to Mustique. We were able to sail virtually the entire way, but in the end we started our engine about two miles out, as we were growing tired of tacking into wind AND current (on the port tack we were able to do a stately 2 knots, kind of like hitting the tide at the wrong time near Deer Island Light). One has to pick up a mooring in Mustique, and pay a whopping $30 U.S. for up to 3 nights. I think it worth the money, as most of it seems to go toward preserving this beautiful island and its reefs. Also, we are in 40 feet of water, and I'm sick of pulling up all that heavy chain.
Mustique is a privately owned and managed island, with enormous houses nestled up in the hills, and a strict injunction against press photography. Most of the island seems to be beautifully manicured to resemble one's fantasy of a Caribbean island. A visitor might not notice how the whole place is not quite real unless he'd spent time on a few of the other islands nearby. Big tour boats are not allowed to anchor offshore, but there are hotels, and charters and private boats are welcome to come ashore and spend money freely. It's easy to do here.
After a long night of listening to the karaoke fiends in Basil's Bar onshore, we decided to indulge ourselves this morning and went ashore for fresh pastry (so-so). We then found the library, where we spent a leisurely hour and a half on the internet, one computer each. When preparing to leave, we found out that the internet was not free, and we ended up paying $26US! That would have bought us a full week of wireless in Bequia! To add to our injuries, we discovered the sign, as we were leaving, indicating that wifi is free. I had decided to not bring my laptop this morning, as nothing indicated that there was wifi to be had. Oh, the injustice. Our blogs and pictures will have to wait one more day.
Britannia Bay, Mustique, Grenadines
N 12 degrees 52.713 minutes
W 061 degrees 11.386 minutes
On Thanksgiving Day it was squally, so instead of dining on the beach, we repaired to the spacious catamaran Rainbowrider, along with the folks from S/V Gypsy Palace, for a real American Thanksgiving dinner. Rainbowrider had the foresight to buy a frozen turkey breast in Trinidad, and various folks made potatoes, rolls from scratch, green bean casserole, stuffing, mushroom dressing, candied sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc. It was the perfect end to 15 days in the Tobago Cays (about which we have gushed quite enough, I think).
Friday we went to Mayreau (N 12 degrees 38.016 minutes, W 061 degrees 23.897 minutes), a smallish island to the west of, and therefore downwind of, the Tobago Cays. I, Dean, had the distinction of wrapping the dinghy painter again around the prop, necessitating the painter's destruction by knife. Ha ha, it is to laugh. We were surrounded by a whack of people who were visiting by cruise ship, so we spent only a short time ashore on the beach, looking at T-shirts and enjoying a single drink at a bar up a very steep hill, overlooking the anchorage. We did not try our luck at impersonating passengers at the cruise ship's private, on-beach bar, though we were tempted.
On the morning of the 25th, taking advantage of the wide open anchorage and favorable winds, we sailed off the anchor and made for Canouan (N 12 degrees 42.515 minutes W 061 degrees 19.750 minutes). We were the only cruising boat in this bay, although there were many Moorings boats there, as it is one of their rental bases. We did enjoy seeing the charterers coming and going. Town was very nice, and we had fried chicken and fresh bread in a tiny little snack shop, served by an elderly woman with no apparent sense of humor. We visited a few of the grocery stores there, and not much else. Unfortunately, Tim, we got your comment regarding the manager of Moorings after we left Canouan, so we were not able to stop in.
Yesterday, we again sailed off anchor and made our way to Mustique. We were able to sail virtually the entire way, but in the end we started our engine about two miles out, as we were growing tired of tacking into wind AND current (on the port tack we were able to do a stately 2 knots, kind of like hitting the tide at the wrong time near Deer Island Light). One has to pick up a mooring in Mustique, and pay a whopping $30 U.S. for up to 3 nights. I think it worth the money, as most of it seems to go toward preserving this beautiful island and its reefs. Also, we are in 40 feet of water, and I'm sick of pulling up all that heavy chain.
Mustique is a privately owned and managed island, with enormous houses nestled up in the hills, and a strict injunction against press photography. Most of the island seems to be beautifully manicured to resemble one's fantasy of a Caribbean island. A visitor might not notice how the whole place is not quite real unless he'd spent time on a few of the other islands nearby. Big tour boats are not allowed to anchor offshore, but there are hotels, and charters and private boats are welcome to come ashore and spend money freely. It's easy to do here.
After a long night of listening to the karaoke fiends in Basil's Bar onshore, we decided to indulge ourselves this morning and went ashore for fresh pastry (so-so). We then found the library, where we spent a leisurely hour and a half on the internet, one computer each. When preparing to leave, we found out that the internet was not free, and we ended up paying $26US! That would have bought us a full week of wireless in Bequia! To add to our injuries, we discovered the sign, as we were leaving, indicating that wifi is free. I had decided to not bring my laptop this morning, as nothing indicated that there was wifi to be had. Oh, the injustice. Our blogs and pictures will have to wait one more day.
posted by S/V Delilah | 8:47 AM
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