Day from Hell, Again

I was irritated, again. We had another day from hell planned, as we would have to retrace our steps of two days ago to get back to Union before advancing to Saline Bay.  So, before everybody was fully conscious, I started the diesel.  No coffee, no breakfast, no shower.  If I were going to be miserable, everybody else would have to be as well.

I was not looking forward to the hassle of Customs in Hillsborough.  We would have to anchor, prepare the dinghy and outboard (mashing my fingers in the process), pay the Dinghy Mafia at the dock, deal with Customs, Immigration, then get back to the boat.  Since I was probably going to be out $5 or $10 EC to the Dock Mafia, I reasoned that for $20 EC, a water taxi could pick me up alongside the boat, run me to the dock while I cleared Customs, then run me back.  The Usual Suspects would motor around in circles in the harbor until I returned.  This worked out perfectly, as I avoided the anchor, dinghy, outboard, and Dinghy Mafia, all for only $1.85 US more!

That plan worked out so well in Hillsborough that we repeated it in Union.  The Boat Boy Calvin on Skipper 2 was a little shrewder than I expected, and wanted $30 EC.  “No way I can do it for $20” he claimed.  He must have seen the look of desperation on my face, knowing that I would go to my grave before using the dinghy.  He definitively took the Chester Karrass correspondence course on negotiating, and it was paying off.  I consulted with my Chief Financial Officer who confirmed that we could afford the extra $1.85 US, and that it was probably not a bad idea because the deal came with a mooring, and so we could relax and have lunch.  I caved.

Customs was generally uneventful, except for the brief moment of excitement when I announced that I had Beckett aboard.  Alston “Beckett” Cyrus is a very well known Soca recording artist who hails from St. Vincent.  Now living in the US, he is a legend down here.  The official called in his pals to have a closer look at the paperwork.  They nearly barred me from entering the country when they scrutinized the passport of this white guy I had aboard named Winston Beckett.

Safely back in the country, we motored over to Saline Bay on Mayreau and dropped anchor.  My day from hell was done.

A Stroll Up The Hill

No afternoon in Saline Bay is complete without a stroll up the hill to the village that is perched at the top of the hill.  For a village with a population of only 262 and no electricity, this is one interesting little place.  We were planning on dinner at Island Paradise, so we thought we would reserve a table and place our dinner order, given that the meal is prepared from scratch and can take upwards of an hour.  We do like to plan ahead sometimes.

With that bit of logistics behind us, we rolled into Righteous & de Youths for an afternoon beverage.  We were in luck.  Linus and Julian, cousins of Righteous were playing guitar and singing a fine repertoire of popular and Caribbean favourites.  I settled in with an ice-cold Carib and listened as they sat around the table and played for us.  Over time, a number of young children joined us all at the table and began singing along.  It was quite an experience to hear the young voices join in to a reggae version of Cher’s “Believe”. 

Right smack in the middle of it all was a very friendly fellow from Sweden named Ulf, who, with his wife and young daughter, had rented a cottage from Righteous.  Not your average day in Sweden, Ulf was having a great time relaxing and taking it all in.  His wife’s brother Thomas ran a skippered yacht charter business out of Bequia, had taken them around the Grenadines, and now dropped them off in Righteous’s custody for a few days.  The daughter had made many new friends and was now leading the vocal chorus.

In a short time, Robert “Righteous” Lewis himself joined us and the fun continued.  It was great talking with Robert about the island and the many challenges facing this small community.  Later, Robert gave me a state tour of the village in his pickup truck (one of the island's four vehicles).  I felt like a real celebrity; perched in the passenger seat, as we drove down the steep hill on the only road in town, to the beach, then back up and around a back road.

Night Out

James Alexander, owner of Island Paradise, picked us up in his truck at 7:30 sharp after I called on the VHF.  The VHF in his restaurant survived my transmission, unlike our unfortunate friends at the Firefly.  We arrived at the restaurant and were soon faced with generous bowls of callaloo soup, the local favorite.  My main course of Creole conch was simply the best I've ever had, just like the last time.

James joined us at our table and we enjoyed catching up on the news, as always.  A little while later, Father Mark Da Silva popped in and also joined us.  These two provide a very interesting insight into island living.  Both are well traveled and very friendly.  It is occasions such as this that really makes the trip that much more worthwhile.  I asked Father Mark about a wedding that had taken place on the island, involving the local community and a couple from the U.S.  I had read about it on the Internet (see the original report) long before my first trip here, and it was interesting hearing Father Mark’s first-hand report.

A little later, we headed next door for some reggae music and cold beverages at Righteous’s.  Julian and Linus were back for a return engagement and were just getting warmed up.  They played many requests, including the perennial Caribbean favorite “The Big Bamboo”, for several hours while we sat around and listened.  This was a real Caribbean Experience.