Mayreau is a small island with only about 300 people living on it, it’s hard to make a living as there is very little there except, boat boys who come out to the boats offering moorings, lobsters, snappers or other fish they have caught, beach BBQs, bread etc, there are a number of  bars and restaurants and a couple of small shops – Anita who runs the best stocked shop is very friendly and told us a bit about the island, there are only 5 government employees on the island – they are the teachers at the junior school which has about 30 pupils, there isn't a secondary school so from 10 years old children have to go to either Union island near by, they get a boat there everyday or board on St Vincent which offered a better education but although the education is free the parents have to find the money to pay for their children's food and board  .

If you walk up through the village you get to the church which is rather cute and behind it is the most spectacular views of Tobago Cays and  Palm island, Petite St Vincent, Union Island to the south .

 

  

We came up a few times to admire the view. The lovely Davies family on Moonlighting (who we first met in Porto Santo) arrived in Saline Bay on their way north and we spent some time with them exploring the island and playing on the beach.

  

Will even managed to get a rare photo of us!

The girls all wanted to put one of these in their pockets – one of the locals had collected these babies and was looking after them until they were big enough to let go free again.

 

and of course you have to stop for refreshments on the way!

 

The beach in Saline bay is lovely and usually empty,

  

although we found out that it is leased to someone from Union Island and when cruise ships come to the island it’s closed off as is the dinghy dock, cruise ship customers are taken to the beach and entertained with dinghies, paddleboards etc from the ship and all food and drinks are bought ashore from the ship as well, a couple of trip boats from Union take the customers to visit Tobago Cays so basically the actual islander's get absolutely nothing from the visiting cruise ships. St Vincent’s government really doesn't look after the their islanders very well!

There is a long beach on the other side of the island we went to as well , it has a very narrow strip of sand and lots of coral reefs around it.

 

We enjoyed our stay on Mayreau and catching up with Will, Alyssa and their girls but our month in St Vincent and the Grenadines runs out on 26th so its time to head for Union Island to checkout, we had planned to spend some time there and visit Chatham bay but aren't going to be able to this time.