Thursday 4th March (Lini’s Journal)

Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Mon 8 Mar 2010 13:51
Back to Bequia.
At 7.40am we dropped the mooring buoy and left Tobago Cays under
genoa. To port the sea turned green in the shallows around a sand and
rock bank, and off to starboard sat the sweetest little island, just
sand with a solitary palm leaf umbrella but doubtless far from sweet
for numerous boats at night in the past. We hoisted the mainsail off
Charlestown, Canouan and blasted off with the wind just free of
close-hauled. Frequently we topped nine knots in ESE winds force 4-6
with the usual ‘out of the blue’ gusts several knots higher, making
the helm rather heavy. We dropped the anchor in Admiralty Bay, Bequia
at 12.30pm and to my surprise Si suggested lunch on board before our
trip ashore to check out. He had been craving another Chicken Roti and
the ones we ate several weeks ago at the Green Boley were wonderful.
After onboard baguettes we dinghied ashore in the scorching heat of
the afternoon sun. The brightly painted shorefront buildings were so
pretty in the bright sunlight I couldn’t help but take even more
photos. I could almost feel family and friends sigh at even more
similar photos and smiled at my thoughts of them. I left Si outside
Customs and Immigration and went in search of vegetables. The Rastas
in the market must have seen a mug coming as I paid dearly for my few
odds and ends in a bag made from an animal feed sack. Why do I always
feel I have to support the locals when I know I’m being ripped off?
The prices would have been a quarter in the Marketing Board shops in
Grenada but as usual I did have an entertaining time as they always
like to chat and are so happy. I met Si in the cool of the
air-conditioned customs house then back into the heat we found a
supermarket to buy crates of beer and coke while the dinghy wasn’t too
far away and also found some skinless chicken breasts. Yeehah! I was
forgetting what meat tasted like! Back onboard however tonight’s
offering was vegetable curry before preparing Brindabella and
ourselves for an early start tomorrow.