After two days enjoying the tranquility of Mustique, we set sail for Salt Whistle Bay in Mayreau,  just off the Tobago Cays.  Our perfect sailing day was followed by another perfect anchorage, another perfect white sandy beach, and a completely civilized fine dining experience.  Who would have thought that an island with only 250 residents could serve up such an elegant meal.  Seated at hand-carved stone tables just off the beach, we ate like royalty.  With no city lights and not a phone in sight, the beauty of the islands gently embraced all of us.  Total repose for the entire team and it only took three days.  Quite an accomplishment for Admiral Rob and his yacht The Usual Suspects.

Dining out at the Salt Whistle Bay Club

The pristine beaches of Salt Whistle were followed by the spectacular reefs and diving at the Tobago Cays.  From there, we journeyed south to the private resort of Palm Island for the day, and to Union Island for the night.  We then headed to Petit St. Vincent and yet another spectacular private resort.  While impossible to believe, each day, each island was more beautiful than the one before.  It seemed much like a dream that kept getting better as it went along.  Time seemed to stand still for all of us.  So much so that we decided there would only be three times to each day… morning, daytime and night time.  No need for a watch and no need to know the actual day of the week.  By day four or five, the days of the week had become totally unimportant.  We had our trusty boat, the team, steady winds, blue skies and Admiral Rob to guide us.

The beach at Palm Island

One of the truly significant advantages to undertaking this trip with the “Admiral” is that he has made friends with most if not all of the island locals.  His friendships include but are not limited to ( sorry, but that’s the lawyer in me) the “boat boys” ( I’ll explain shortly ), restaurant owners, store owners, priests, bartenders, and waitresses, along with anyone else who works within 500 yards from the water’s edge.  As you can guess, that includes just about everyone on a small island. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with a smiling face from someone who yelled out “hey Usual Suspects” or “hey Rob man, how’s it going?”.  Kind of neat considering you’re a thousand miles from home.

As promised, I’ll try to explain the “boat boys”.  You’re on your anchor at the Tobago Cays, essentially in the middle of nowhere.  You wake up at around 7:00 AM or so only to hear the sound of tapping on the side of the hull.  As you make your way on deck, the Admiral is shaking hands with one of his many friends who has pulled along side with a 12-15 foot wooden motor boat.  The boat is filled with fresh baked bread, bananas, fruit, ice (always required on a daily basis to keep the cooler nice and cold) fish, lobster, as well as a few other island goodies that I will let you figure out yourselves.  Twenty dollars and a few beers later, you have cold drinks, fresh fruit and warm bread for the day.  It’s better service than you’ll ever get in the city.  They also deliver fresh cooked lobster to your boat for dinner no matter where you are.  Somehow, they just find you.  Quite remarkable actually.