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Larry's LogAfter getting the hook down in Saline Bay, Mayreau, I got the boat straightened out and Lili and Bill came over to remind us about the party later and we said, "We'll be there." We relaxed a bit and then went into the beach. Footloose, Kristali, Lady M were there already. Some new boats also came in - Esther N, LuLu, and several others. After several rousing games of baci, we started on the drink and snacks. During the party, it started to rain and several people went out to their boats to close the hatches. We didn't because if the inside of the boat was going to get wet, it was wet already. Since these showers typically don't last very long, by the time we got out there, it would most likely stop. And true to form, the shower lasted only 10 minutes. Amazingly, when we got back to the boat, it really wasn't wet inside. Destiny must have been on the edge of where the rain fell - uncharacteristically lucky. Tuesday morning, most of the boats went over to the Cays. We had decided to stay and walk around Mayreau and then clean the bottom of the boat, which was badly needed. The walk revealed a small village on the hill and a Catholic Church, very unlike most of these islands, which are Protestant, based on the English Church. The village also had no electricity (except for a few generators powering the restaurants and bars) and no source of fresh water except large cisterns that had been erected. The view from the top of the biggest hill, right near the church, was simply spectacular. You could see the Tobago Cays and the large surrounding reef as well as another large reef just on the windward side of Mayreau. The colors of the water were simply unbelievable. We also walked to Salt Whistle Bay on the northeast side of the island, down a dirt road that is the only road to there from the village. It was pretty hot by that time but the views at the end were worth it. Salt Whistle Bay is much smaller than Saline Bay but also very pretty, with just a barrier beach with palm trees protecting it from the wind and waves. We walked to the windward side and also got a good view of the Tobago Cays, although not as spectacular as from the hill. The walk back was uneventful until we saw 2 guys, obviously sailors, trudging up the hill from the beach toward the village. One jokingly called to us, "Can you carry me?" We said you haven't got enough to pay for that. It turned out that he owned a boat named "Destiny Calls", a CS 27, and had cruised to the Caribbean from Canada a few years ago. Don also had maintained a web site that I used to read all the time, and was one of my favorites. He was here helping a friend bring a boat back from Grenada to Florida. It didn't strike me until later, but he was also at the party the evening before and Mike from Footloose was really happy to see him again. Just from our brief chat, he was a really nice guy and very funny. I remembered his web site showed that too. We let them continue their trek up while we went down and went back to the boat. After a light lunch, we started on the bottom. It was two hours of really tough work. At the end of this task, I always wind up with leg cramps because of the constant hyperextension. Oh well, there wasn't a diver to pay there anyway. That night, there were only 5 boats left in Saline Bay. All of our friends left except Lady M and Footloose. Most everyone had gone to the Cays, and we would be there tomorrow. Wednesday, we left Mayreau around 10am. As we left, there was only 1 boat left in Saline Bay, and that one was local. We went around the reef protecting the bay and went north to the easier of the two entrances to the Cays. It was about 15 to 20 knots but it was in protected water most of the way. And since the Tobago Cays are only 5 miles from Mayreau, we were there in about an hour. The entrance between Petit Rameau and Petit Bateau was a little tricky, but in the good light, no problem. As we came into the anchorage, we saw all our friends anchored, and others we didn't know as well as several charterers. We picked a spot near Bob and Mona on Mutual Fun and dropped the hook in 14 feet of absolutely clear turquoise water. This promised to be a very special place. |