Part 1 here:
Part 1Part 2 here:
Part 2 Sat June 9th
We were up and on our way by 8:30ish. Our anchor brought up a nice broken piece of coral, but Rodderick happened by while Jim was trying to unhook it without hitting the bow of the boat, and helping him drop it back in the water. There’s a reason why we try to be friendly while we’re sailing – you meet some great people, and they always are happy to help you out!
We had a nice sail to Hillsborough, Carriacou, and anchored off to go to Immigration & Customs. It was pretty wavy and windy in the anchorage, and while trying to bring up the dinghy and hold it for Jim to put the motor on, I somehow slipped on something, and did the splits between the dinghy and the transom of the boat. I did a really good number on my knee, and if we didn’t have to check in, I doubt I would have gone anywhere...
Of all the things to damage, you don’t want to have a bad knee trying to get in and out of the dinghy, walking along pot holed streets, bad sidewalks, etc. But I somehow managed with only a curse or two. Customs & Immigration were quite easy and pleasant ($75EC). Bring your own pen, remember to say good afternoon, smile a lot and act stupid if they ask you something you don’t know and you’re good to go! ~Grins~
We went to Patty’s for some fresh deli meat, frozen steaks, gourmet dips & crackers; Bollen’s for some dry goods; the drug store for a knee support & something a bit stronger than aspirin for the swelling and pain. We were just asking someone about a bakery when a van pulled up outside, opened its doors, and people started buying fresh bread, buns & sweets right there! Fortuitous! I don’t think I could have walked much more! We bought the greatest buns to have our sandwiches with...and cheap too! I asked if he goes to Tyrell Bay, but he said he just does the town circuit...too bad, but we’d be back on the way up, so I’ll look for him again!
Off to get ice, and then back to the boat for some ice cold drinks and lunch with our fresh bread, cheese & deli meats – funny how good it can taste to have a sandwich!
We decided not to try to stay at Hillsborough because it was too rolly, but I wasn’t sure how well I would sail to Tyrell Bay – we decided to try, and bail out and head to Sandy Island if I was feeling badly. It looked pretty busy, but I was hoping that there would be a mooring there if we needed it.
We ended up have a wonderful sail, opting for the outside route around Sandy Island, Mabouya Island and the Sisters, and a straight line into Tyrell Bay. We had to try three times to get our anchor set, but when it did hold, it was solid! I decided to try to snorkel the anchor, figuring the movement in the water would help my knee.
We were visited by several boat vendors, wanting to sell us on an island tour, mangrove oysters, etc., but since we were staying a few nights, we asked them to come back tomorrow. One fellow was very persistent, and since he had rowed all the way out and didn’t seem to be getting any bites from the other boats, I took pity on him and said I would have some mangrove oysters tomorrow at 5ish. He wanted to sell me a dozen, but since it was just me, I said I would pay for the dozen but only take a half. He said he would be back, asked some offbeat questions, and then was on his way.
Since I had a bad knee, we decided that we weren’t going to mess with the dinghy motor while staying in Tyrell Bay, almost everyone had their motor on the dink, so we left ours on and used the cable to lock it onto the boat, hoping for the best.
By the time we got settled, we decided on leftovers for dinner, and I fell asleep with my sore knee propped up in the cockpit after a few glasses of wine and some star gazing...Jim woke me up because he was afraid it would rain and I wouldn’t be able to get everything down below without killing myself, so I went down and tried to get comfortable in the berth – it was a rough night, I woke up several times from the pain.
Sunday, June 10th
We had a lazy morning, rinsing out clothes, doing some cleaning up, and resting my still sore knee. We watched a bunch of cruisers pull up anchor and sail through the mooring field, looks like there are races on Sunday mornings! We watched with interest as several different types and sizes of boats got ready and headed out around the sisters, and beyond our site to the eastern side of South Carriacou.
There is free wifi here, but you need a code provided by the marina, and they ask for a donation for the Childrens’ Education Fund. We decided to try to go ashore, but by the time we arrived at the dinghy dock by the marina, my knee was already aching from climbing in and out of the dinghy. We were going to walk to the road, but by the time we got there, it was all I could do to walk up to the marina (which was closed), and back down to the Slipway Restaurant, which was conveniently located beside the marina. We got the code from some cruisers who were working on their yacht in the yard.
We had a few drinks and decided to order some lunch. We both had “specials” from the board, Thai beef salad for me, and a hamburg and fries for Jim. It was, by far, the best lunch of our trip! The beef was actually a huge steak cooked perfectly and sliced thin over a nice salad with a great thai vinaigrette, just like I make at home! We sat enjoying the food and the view, and watched all the sailors come in from their Sunday morning race. There was much laughing and joking within the crowd – someday, we’ll be one of these people, part of the cruising community...
We decided to head back to the boat, and got back just as the skies opened up. We sat down below playing Yahtzee and reading, and as suddenly as it started, the sun was out, and back up top we go. Finally got to try the Wifi, but it wasn’t working – it would come back on later though...
At 4:45 I saw our boat vendor Warrior rowing his way around the mooring field. Tough job in this bay, as it is mostly cruisers who don’t seem interested in doing business with many boat vendors (I can understand why – it’s a premium fee for delivery to the boat!), but since we’re on vacation, we can afford to be a bit lazier and enjoy the luxury of it! I have my plate, tobasco sauce & lime ready! Warrior starts shucking oysters and hands them up to me, keeping up a steady stream of chatter. Of course, he won’t do just ½ dozen, and gives me 18 of them for the price he quoted! There’s no way I can eat them all...or can I?
They go great with my bourbon Manhattan(s) – there were 18 of them, I needed more than one drink! Then it’s time to relax before thinking about what to cook for dinner – I am not in the least hungry after that treat!
Sam, another Boat Vendor comes by, but he’s not happy to hear that we won’t be going on an island tour with him after all. We had told him yesterday to come by today, but for some reason thought it would be in the morning, so we (and he) missed out. He wasn’t very pleasant after that, which made me pause – a misunderstanding is one thing, but jeez...something tells me having his name in the cruising guide hasn’t done anyone any favours...
We decided to eventually open the rack of lamb that we had bought in St. Vincent. Amazingly, there are TWO of them in the package, and even more amazing, it's still good! So we decide to cook one tonight and have another tomorrow night. What I thought was expensive turned out to be not so much when you figure it was enough for two meals! I throw the rack in the oven, (still can’t be bothered with the BBQ!), put some cristophene on to boil, and had an amazing Amarone with it. What a wonderful end to the night – nothing like sipping the last of the Amarone under the stars on a boat with your loved one in a very quiet anchorage.
Mon Jun 11th
Up early, as usual, enjoying the morning watching the world come alive around me, I sit with my coffee in the cockpit and do the paperwork – we’re checking out today and starting our leisurely journey back up to St. Vincent.
We had a nice sail up to Hillsborough, but the anchorage was a pain – it was packed with boats waiting to check in (forgot about it being Monday morning!) and we had a horrible time trying to get the anchor set...it took us almost an hour of puttering around, laying chain, bringing it back up, and starting all over again. By the time we finally got settled, it was almost lunch time, and I knew that the office was closed at some point for lunch....and then to top it off, the ferry comes in so there will be a line up at customs & immigration – Bah!
We decided to have lunch first, and then go ashore. Nigel was waiting at the dock, he’ll watch our dingy for us while we’re in town for $10 EC. We talk to him for a bit and he’s selling some wood carvings so we said we’d look at them later.
Off we head to town, and as we're wandering, who do we see but Nigel, walking through town! Hey, I thought you were watching our dingy! He laughs – I have to each lunch! I laugh too, and say we’d better get a deal on the price then – everyone is out for a scam, it seems... at least he had the courtesy to look sheepish!
Upon getting to customs, we had the same issue that ThirstyToad had – knock on the door and enter. I saw a sign saying closed for lunch between 12:30 and 1:00, and it was 12:50, but people were still there – I asked if they were open or not, but the gentleman just looked at me. I said – I knocked before coming in, but he still just looked at me. I said, excuse me, but are you closed for lunch or not, since I just saw people coming out with paperwork, I wasn’t sure. It’s a simple question, isn’t it? Still no answer, so I just stood there, with the door open, waiting. Two can play this game!
He says close the door, so I step inside and close it – he says no, you have to be on the other side – we’re closed for lunch. Oh, so he does speak! I give my most saccharine smile and say thank you so much kind Sir for the information...and leave.
Thoroughly disgusted with these small time officials who think they are the kings of the world, I go down to Bollen’s to arrange for ice and water to be delivered to the dinghy, then head to the bakery to buy more buns (they are so delicious) then to the vegetable market, where we find lovely bok choy and fresh arugula, as well as bananas.
Back to the immigration office, and now there is another huge line of people, some from the ferry as well as some cruisers. The office, apparently, is still closed for lunch, although it is well past 1:30.
Eventually people start going in, but rarely come out. It’s like the black hole of immigration, but finally it’s my turn to go in. The lady in front of me doesn’t have her own pen (oh oh, you broke rule number two, rule number one being knock on the door before entering!). I pass her a pen, and say Good afternoon to the official behind the counter – he still seems to be in a bad mood, but gives me a little smile when I tell him I am checking out, and I have all my paperwork already filled out. He takes my paperwork, my passports, etc., and moves me to the front of the line.
Suddenly, I feel like I’ve been promoted for being such a good girl, having all my paperwork done, having my pen, knocking on the door, saying Good afternoon, explaining why you're there; you just have to hit all the right combinations – it’s easy to forget that they have bad days too, so I make a joke about how difficult Mondays are – we had a heck of a time anchoring out there, and he must feel like it’s Wednesday already, with all the people he’s had to process today. He gives me a bigger smile, now we have comradery – we both are having a bad day!
e stamps all my paperwork with a flourish, grabs my pen back from the ungrateful woman, and sends me on my way with a big smile and a “have a nice day”!
I’ve learned my lesson – it’s hard to remember to be pleasant when you’ve had a bad morning, but it goes a long way to getting things done – especially in the islands.
Back to Bollen’s where the delivery guy is waiting to bring our ice and water to the boat, and away we go. Nigel is there waiting, and has the decency to look sheepish when I ask him how his lunch was... but I’m grinning, because we finally can leave and get going. I even buy a small carving from him, I'm so happy to be halfway done the paperwork!
By this time, it’s well after 3, and my leg is aching yet again. We had already decided to try to get a mooring at Sandy Island, and if it’s not pleasant because of the waves, we’ll head back to Tyrell and do an early morning leave tomorrow.
The first mooring we grabbed was horrible, so we went to another one, trying to stay as close to shore as we could. There was only one other boat there, and another one joining us later in the day, so it was nice and quiet. We hung out, played Yahtzee, read, and generally relaxed..
Dinner that night was the other rack of lamb, leftover fried cristophene, and the fresh bok choy – I miss my greens down here! It was very good, and we sat looking at the stars again. It was yet again an early night.
Tuesday, Jun 12th
We are up early, so we dingy over to the island and take a wander around, stopping to take some photos, look at the signs, and enjoy the feel of the sand under our feet.
We head back to the boat, drop the ball, and head north. We decided to forgo Petit St. Vincent & Petit Martinique, since we were leaving a day later than we had intended. We were close hauled and reefed all the way up, but Jim started not feeling well, so I decided to motor sail instead of tacking all the way, and we brought in the jib and fired up the engine. We made good time, but the waves inside of Clifton were bigger than before, so we tried to anchor closer in to shore since we were going to be using our own dinghy instead of Rodderick’s taxi service.
Rodderick came by in a speedboat, he wanted to say hello and let us know that he was going to be busy with another group that day, so we could use his friend’s services if we wanted – I can’t remember his name – he was trying to get us to grab a ball, and I had to yell up to Jim at the front of the boat to listen to me, not to him, since the boat vendors can be very insistent!
We tried to anchor a few times, but couldn’t get good holding and Jim wanted to try one of the moorings, since we’d only be into shore long enough to check out.
We decided to follow the boat vendor, but he brought us in to a ball very close to another boat that was anchored, so I told Jim no, and we headed back to the other side of the bay, after the boat vendors and the owner of the anchored boat started to get into an argument over who has what rights in the bay – I did not want to get involved in a pissing match, so away we went.
We ended up anchoring just off Happy Island, the same place as before, and off we went to town. It was a long wet dinghy ride, but we grabbed a dock closer to the town instead of the airport, and went to the customs office. He wasn’t happy to know that I didn’t have my cruising permit with me from the last time I was in the Grenadines, and I couldn’t figure why I needed it, since I would have to pay for a permit again. He sent me back to the boat to get it – by this time, I am thoroughly fed up with customs and immigration via charter boat on vacation...and another long and wet dinghy ride, and we’re back again. The gentleman charges me for another permit, even though the first one was valid until June 18th. I think it’s because he could, more so than any legal reason – he claims since I left the country, I forfeited my permit, but yet he needed proof that we paid to sail here before we left to come back? Not sure what the reasoning was. If anyone knows, please enlighten me!
Next time, I’ll head to the airport and deal with the very friendly gentleman there instead.
By the time we’re done with customs, the bank and grocery are closed, so we head back to the boat and decide to get the hell out of Union Island – I’ve had enough of it all, and just want to move on.
Rodderick’s buddy comes by to tell us that we should get on a mooring since the winds are supposed to increase overnight - man, do they think I was born yesterday? My anchor will hold better than any of the moorings I've seen in the bay so far...and that makes the decision for me – we’re heading to Mayreau, get ready to go.
We have heavy waves and not a great heading to get to Mayreau, but I’m glad to be heading to my favourite island in the Grenadines, so I don’t mind the slog. In no time, we’ve rounded the point to Saline Bay and drop anchor close to the south side. The bay is pretty empty, only a few live-aboard boats, and it’s very quiet and calm. I snorkel the anchor, but it appears to be sitting in grass, and when Jim backs on it, it starts to skip, so we try again. This time it’s dug in well in pure sand, and it’s time to relax. I go for a swim, then sit down for happy hour - and it takes no time at all for the antics to start!
I watch a charter cat come in. They pull up to the swim buoys that line the beach, and I see one of the guys grab a swim buoy with the gaff hook, intending to moor on it! Too funny! The boat obviously starts to drag, as the guy holding the gaff hook pulls the whole buoy onto the boat...they drop anchor back a few feet from where they tried to grab the swim buoy, and one of the guys decides to snorkel to see if he can find where to put the buoy back. He obviously doesn’t find where it belongs, as he drags it ashore and leaves it in the sand instead. Nice...
The sailing ship Diamonte shows up in the harbour, but thankfully it stays on the other side of the bay. It’s a pretty boat, and it soon disgorges it’s passengers ashore to walk up to the settlement.
One of the boat vendors pops by and takes our bread order for the morning – fresh baguette and CROISSANTS for breakfast – can’t wait for that! We have pasta for supper, and Jim went to bed as he was tired and still not feeling all that great. I surfed the net for awhile and watched people coming and going from their boats, it’s a quiet night.
Wed Jun 13th
I went to bed later than has been usual for this trip, but for some reason have trouble sleeping, and end up awake at 4:00 am. I read for a bit, and then decide to get up since I haven’t had my usual morning solitude on the boat this trip. I make coffee and get myself settled in the cockpit to watch the world around me awaken. It’s my favourite part of cruising in the islands, early rising and listening, watching and smelling the harbour awaken, watching the fish jump, the dogs on the beach, the fishermen heading out for the day, the vendors and homeowners awakening, and people on other boats going about their lives.
It was nice to have the solitude. As the morning wears on, the winds pick up and it looks like it might rain. Our croissants and baguette arrive, and I enjoy my croissant slathered in butter while sitting in the cockpit. Some momentsin life have no comparison, and this morning was one of said moment.
We finally get our act together and head to shore. It’s a hot walk up to the settlement, but we finally get to Robert Righteous’, and he’s there all smiles as usual. He remembers us both from our visit in October, and Jim presents him with our booty – some router bits for his new router. We were going to bring both a router & some bits to him, but when we called, he said that he managed to get a router, and only needed some more bits. He is very pleased with our gift, and gives us big hugs!
He proudly shows us around, and there has been a lot of progress on the VIP room on top of the bar. We sat around and chatted, meeting his grandson, and talking with Robert and his daughter for awhile. We eat some great conch fritters and have a few drinks, and then we’re off again to walk to the church and then down to Salt Whistle, since Jim has never been to the top, and barely remembers our visit last time, since he was so seasick.
We get some great panoramas from the top of the church, and meet a nice young man named Freddie on our walk down the other side to Salt Whistle.
We meander down the beach, and wander along, finally making our way to Black Boy & Deb’s at the far end of the beach. They’re all there, and big hugs all around. Dora has grown so much since our last visit, and Deb has a new grandchild as well! We stay for a few rounds, I play bingo with the locals with Phillip’s help while Dora plays with Jim – she is fascinated by the size of his sandals, and plays and draws with some pens & paper that I give her.
We head out eventually, Black Boy giving us a ride right to the dinghy dock, with a quick stop at Robert’s to say our goodbyes. I really wish I could spend more time here, but we’ve left it too late in our trip, and we still have so much to see.
I sigh as we head back to the boat – this is such a lovely island, and the people are so friendly. I miss it every time I leave, and can’t wait to get back again.
After such a long walk and hot day, we decide on a simple dinner of meats & cheeses & fresh baguette, and decide to watch a movie on the laptop, and then look at some of the pictures we have taken so far on the trip.
To be continued...
