This trip went like clockwork.  There was not a single “Winston incident,” line squall, anchor mishap, breakdown, or Boat Boy dispute.  Our cruising itinerary was simple – Mustique, Salt Whistle, Tobago Cays, Union, Canouan, and Bequia - two days each.

Previous trip reports have been written in chronological order, detailing every step through paradise.  No paragraph appeared without some superlative, describing the experience.  Paradise has now become routine, so it is no longer necessary to use superlatives everywhere.  The whole trip was Fantastic, so I’ll issue one blanket superlative here and give it a rest.

Will the Weather “Kindly” Buzz Off!!!

I can’t catch a break when it comes to weather.  The previous two fall trips have yielded one hurricane and a solid week of rain, interrupted by periodic white squalls.  I sat in a resort in Cancun last October and waited in the rain for an entire week while Hurricane Michelle cruised the Caribbean.  Now it was Olga.

I purposely scheduled this trip to occur almost entirely in December, in the hopes of avoiding a hurricane or the Intra Tropical Convergence Zone delivering an hourly dose of the wet stuff.  Hurricane Olga formed in the sub-tropics after several weeks of a growing low pressure zone.  This disturbed weather patterns in the Atlantic and Caribbean for several weeks, including the week I chose to be there.

We did not get the “premium” weather I was counting on.  It was nice, but there was still a lot of moisture in the air, and the timing of some of the rain showers threw a wrench in some of our plans.  After a week, I was only marginally tanned.  It seems that I stand no chance of contracting skin cancer in the Caribbean .

The Condition of The Usual Suspects

I have always had an ongoing concern that charter income would not be sufficient to maintain the boat.  I was worried that after several years, the boat would become too beat up for me to keep up with it.  In order to put this problem in check, I asked for a complete refurbishment of the boat, inside and out.

The boat was hauled in September.  The keel was sandblasted, Boat Boy nicks and scratches were filled, and a fresh coat of bottom paint was applied.  As well, I requested that the interior be sanded and varnished.  I wanted the boat to look new.

You can understand my apprehension when I arrived at Barefoot.  I would finally find out once and for all if you could keep a boat refurbished.  I was not disappointed.  I first saw the boat at the dock from Barefoot’s base up on the hill.  It glistened.  It shone.  It looked great!

They had removed some blue/gold cove striping that I never liked.  They selected royal blue as the bottom paint, and matched it right up to a new navy waterline stripe that they added.  It no longer looked like an ex-Sunsail boat.  In fact, to look at it, you really weren’t sure what it was, but it looked great!

Inside, every panel had been sanded and varnished to a shine.  They used a gloss varnish instead of the original matte varnish, so it had a different look.  While I prefer the matte finish, the inside looked bright and clean, which is all I really wanted.  I will ask for the matte varnish on the next interior refurbishment.  Given how inexpensive this work was, I could have it done next week and not notice the extra cost.

In summary, there is no question now that charter income can in fact keep up with wear-and tear.  While the boat will age all-over with use, my experience has been that it is not excessive.

The REAL Hilltop

Unbeknownst to most visitors of Mustique, there is another bar on the island besides Basil’s and The Firefly.  It is called the Hilltop.  It is located at the very top of the hill behind the Pink Cottage.  I had previously reported that it was in a ravine, and it was only on this trip that I learned that the place in the ravine is in fact NOT the Hilltop.

The real Hilltop is located about 100 yards past the ravine, and I am pleased to report that it is indeed at the top of the hill!  Even more surprising is how busy this place gets.  While the crowds at the other places thin out as the evening progresses, the crowd at the Hilltop gets bigger, and I’m talking in terms of hundreds of people.  Yes, you read this correctly, hundreds!  Here’s why.

Remember that there are about 80 private villas on the island, each has a minimum of four staff.  There is also a large human resource requirement around the island for a variety of operational and maintenance reasons.  I am told that there is a population of about 1,500 of these people, and they must live somewhere – in the village at the top of the hill.  The Hilltop is their bar.  So, on a busy night, it is not unusual to see several hundred locals packed into this one place.  It is a happening place!

Basil’s Bar - 25 Year Anniversary

In December of 2001, Basil’s celebrated its 25^th Anniversary.  While the Suspects could not squeeze it into our busy schedule, we did have a ceremonial Rummer on the deck at sunset.  We did not see the Green Flash, but we did enjoy an excellent beverage, as did thousands before us over the past 25 years.  As a result, Basil’s is featured on the January 1, 2002 background photo of this website.

The Mayreau Highway Report     (Brought to you by Mayreau Toyota)

In the February 2000 Trip Report, I described a major event that I witnessed in the history of the Island of Mayreau – the opening of Highway #2 from the Village to Salt Whistle Bay.  The old dangerous path had been widened to a road, with Government plans to pave and light the new thoroughfare.

As it turns out, this was a pre-election gimmick used by the ruling Party.  They have since been defeated and plans for the Island have changed.  As a result, Highway #2 paving is off the table and the road has been left in a state of disrepair.  Serious ruts have formed in the steepest section as a result of soil erosion.  While the “road” is still passable, even at night after several Rummers, it remains to be seen how much longer a vehicle can safely pass.

The new Government has started plans to reduce the steep grade on Highway #1 leading from the Village to Saline Bay.  This work was in progress in December, along with an extension to the public pier which will allow the ferry to dock.   Previously, it approached shore and passengers were shuttled to and from shore using water taxis.

Finally, the new Government has changed the location of the new diesel generating station.  Previous plans had it tucked away at the remote end of an unused beach on the west side.  Difficulties constructing a pier to offload diesel fuel have resulted in the change in plans.  It is now being constructed at the foot of Highway #1 in SalineBay.

Unfortunately, they have not thought this one through well enough.  The noise and smell of diesel is likely to destroy Saline Bay as a yacht anchorage.  Given that the small businesses in the Village rely exclusively on Saline Bay yachts for their incomes, their future is possibly being threatened.  With Highway #2 development off the table, it is unlikely that they will be able to substitute business from Salt Whistle Bay.

What are these new Government people thinking?

The Children of Mayreau

I have written many times about the beautiful children of Mayreau, but have never had the presence of mind to snap a photo…until now.

The Boat Boy Report     (Brought to you by Mercury™ Outboards)

My Boat Boys of The Grenadines report was created and refined over several visits.  It was based on my impressions formed in a short period of time.  I have always been concerned that there was more to some of these “characters,” things that might make them less than desirable to do business with.

Fortunately for me, I was able to speak with someone who has known all the Boat Boys for many years.  I was relieved to learn that I was bang-on with most of my assessments, with one exception.  I was disappointed to learn that Mr. Plat has earned the reputation of being a dinghy thief over the years, and a terrible one at that – he usually gets caught!  It was described to me that the best way to protect your dinghy from Mr. Plat is to make sure that he’s with you!  So, my recommendation to use Mr. Plat for a beach barbecue still stands.

The battle for the t-shirt business on Tobago Cays is heating up.  They have discovered that t-shirts yield the most profit, so many of them are turning to it.  In addition to Mr. Quality and Sydney Dallas, Free Willy, Walton Bob, and a few others are now at it.  Unfortunate for me, these guys are all my friends, and I do not have sufficient dresser capacity to buy from all of them.

The island beach barbecues are in full swing.  In addition to Mr. Plat on Jamesby, Free Willy and Tuffer (the scary looking guy on the boat Desparado) host barbecues on Baradal and Petit Bateau.  I had previously given Tuffer a bad review as a result of one unpleasant experience, however recent reports are that he has sought counseling and cleaned up his act.  A trusted source told me that he commissioned Tuffer to host a beach barbecue on Baradal and it was excellent!

I was fortunate to visit with one of my favorite Boat Boys, Ken Williams, also known as Free Willy.  Over the years, I have always respected this young man, and I have heard similar reports from charter guests all over.  I learned that he is now hosting beach barbecues in addition to his t-shirt business.  He will also fetch groceries from Union AT COST – that is, he provides the original bill from the grocery store, and offers the service at no additional charge in order to leverage his real business- t-shirts and barbecues.  A tip is purely optional.  I wish Free Willy well, and hope that he profits from his approach.  I also hope that others see the benefits in such an approach.

As a final gesture, Free Willy took my garbage and refused to accept any money.  I had reported that he forgot to take it in 1998 and have kidded him about it ever since.  He has now wiped the slate clean!

Erika’s Marine Services Boat Boy Allex Hutchinson has left the sunny Caribbean and is now in Toronto pursuing the “good life.”  Recent reports indicate that the “good life” involves freezing his butt off in winter. Allex in not so sure any more.

His position at Erika’s has been filled by local Fitz Hutchinson.  Fitz has also taken on the role of master baker, as Erika’s now sells freshly-baked bread, delivered right to your boat.