Canouan and the Tobago Cays.
|
12:42.4N 61:21.4W Canouan. Having left Mustique in 20 - 25 knots again, we reached south for seven miles to the windward side of Petit Canouan, then bore off to a run for the remaining four miles to Rameau Bay, where we intended to anchor for the night. The sail was again terrific with ten foot Atlantic swells threatening to slop aboard on the port quarter- just where Sheila was sitting- as the picked up Swiftwing and hurled her surfing forward. We anchored in about 14 meters of water with 150 meters of chain out. We carry 200 meters of chain on the main anchor in the hope of getting peaceful unbroken sleep. As it was there were strong gusts coming off the hills down into the little bay keeping the boat fresh and airy. Rameau Bay is a little like the shores of Erraid on Mull. On the east side of the anchorage there is a cliff which continues underwater and gives good snorkelling. To the north there is a well sheltered white sand beach with the usual palm trees. Rather than go swimming this afternoon Bev baked scones and we all read our books in the pleasant if occasionally gale force breeze. Well to be honest, I fell asleep in one of the deckchairs after my late night at Basil’s bar. www.basilsbar.com It was 0100 when we got back to the boat and the last act had just started! - I’m afraid I’m getting too old for late nights and need bobos at 10 pm. Or as my friend, Robert Westerman used to say, “The driver of the bedy-bye-bye bus is tooting his horn and calling my name” at the end of every nightshift.Through the night I kept an anchor watch (up about six times through the night) just to check that we weren’t dragging in the occasional near-gale force gusts. I did however notice that a large charter catamaran, with loud - party into the night people aboard, was edging back nicely towards other boats. I waited for the fun and games to start and was rewarded by the skipper of a neighbouring boat diving into the water, swimming to the cat and banging on the hull to gain a response. Then lots of fat men in pants running about the deck of the cat. Great fun. We hauled anchor after breakfast and motored slowly down to the main village on Canouan. Canouan is in transition at the moment as the north part of the island has been bought up by Italian developers who are putting in a couple of hotels and a casino. The locals all have splendid new houses, all private, which drove us to the conclusion that the island had probably been owned by dozens of farmers and that the Italians had approached them and made them an offer they just couldn’t refuse. The resulting sale of the land had financed a relocation of the subsistence farmers to the south where they all built large and tasteful houses. The most magnificent building in the village by far was the new police station, built in the Colonial style, but for a town of fifty thousand people, not a village of one hundred. The building was again very tasteful and one suspects that it was paid for and designed by the Italians. There is also a new airstrip, and new roads were in the process of being put in whilst we were there. When at first I read in the pilot book that a casino and hotels were being built, I immediately jumped to the conclusion that this would ruin the island. But as the island is again relatively low lying and covered in scrub as opposed to the rich rain forests of the more northern islands, I have to admit that there is nothing much to spoil. If the design of the police station is anything to go by, then I would imagine that the hotels and casino will be tastefully built and the project has the added benefit that it has dragged the locals out of poverty, giving them all jobs and by far the finest houses of any native community that we have seen so far. We entered the local supermarket to top up with groceries and were astonished to find that the Cornflakes (£4) were more expensive than a bottle of good quality rum at (£3). We bought the cornflakes together with lovely American chicken breasts that Bev made into a lovely Thyme and Lime Chicken with Okra Fried Rice. Again as we’ve found throughout our travels, the locals were very pleasant and friendly and the service at the supermarket was with a smile. After a relaxing Pepsi in the Moorings thatched hut type buildings we headed back to Swiftwing and set sail for the Tobago Cays. |