From one extreme to another
Tillymint.fortescue
Mon 4 Jan 2010 15:44
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12:27:46N 61:29:31W
Monday 4 January
After the glamour and frivolity of New Year on
Mustique it was time to move on, by the end of New Year's Day the anchorage was
all but deserted, how things had changed in 24 hours, the presence of a small
oil tanker off loading its cargo onto the island probably served to persuade the
more fragile that an early escape was expedient but we are made of tougher stuff
and gave into a boat wide attack of inertia and decided to stay another night.
We recorded unprecedented levels of inactivity aboard ship on New Year's
Day but rallied at the end of the day when the the crew of Nika came aboard for
a little snifter as the sun went down. Nika are a family with 3 children close
in age in our own and we crossed paths several times on the radio net during our
Atlantic crossing, there however the similarities end as Nika are sailing onto
their home town in Sydney, having started their voyage in Croatia. Following a
conversation we'd had about how hard it is to get good tea abroad I was
delighted to bequeath my large assortment of teas, both herbal
and builders, to Nika for her onwards voyage. So, although Tilly Mint won't
be nosing down the Panama Canal and out into the Pacific, our tea bags will
and we'll follow their adventures with great affection. Bon Voyage Nika and
looking forward to a photo of a brew-up on an atoll.
Next morning we moved on south, a wet, windless
morning (sympathy please) brightened by the landing of another barracuda, there
was supper sorted. A quick pit stop to refuel and a little swim over lunch in
the clearest water yet, then onto the island of Carriacou which couldn't be more
different to Mustique. It is the least developed of the Windward Islands, barely
a nod to tourism to be found and the harbour had tugs instead of super yachts.
Yesterday morning we walked from our anchorage to the main town to complete the
immigration process. This is something we've done several times before as
you check in and check out of each island group, it is a straightforward bit of
paperwork and bureaucracy that usually passes off with little to report. This
time was a bit different, the Customs Officer was the bureaucrat from hell, rude
to man and child alike and ranting in the street about "a lack of respect"
because Alex had told him that a form he wanted from us had been retained by the
police officer who had just cleared us through immigration. Our first hint as to
why tourism was not a burgeoning industry on the island...
Eventually, with signed & stamped immigration
papers in hand, we fled the town on the local bus and headed hard for the
sanctuary of Tilly Mint. It had been a fascinating morning, time to observe real
life and to count the numerous rum shops along the way, every 4 houses or so
there was shack or hut discretely signed "licensed to sell spiritual
liquor". We later discovered that the custom is to have a swift one on the way
to work and a swift one on the way back, a habit which might also
account for the gentler pace of life on the island! Carriacou was also a
favourite haunt of the infamous pirate Bartholomew Roberts, in the early 18th
century he used the island to shelter and overhaul his ships, dragging the great
wooden hulks out of the water and onto beach where the wood was scraped and
cleaned. Back to present day we had walked past a primary school with a fine
mural on the wall extolling the need for preparedness for disasters through
education; landslides, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, hurricanes and tsunamis
are all covered on the syllabus. We did wonder what good old Health & Safety
would make of that in the UK. Rather trumps worries over a wobbly climbing frame
in the playground......
Today is our last day on the beach (more sympathy
please) and tomorrow we head 30 miles down the coast of Grenada to a marina
in Clarkes Court Bay. This is where we say our farewells to Tilly Mint as
we must remember to get on our flight on Thursday and head home. Some time
during May Tilly Mint will sail back across the Atlantic (not with this crew
though) and return to Southampton for some tender loving care from the boat
builder. We have sailed over 5500 miles in our adventure to cross the
Atlantic and it doesn't do to dwell on the irony that Tilly Mint
will end up back in her home port ready to start all over again. Next
summer will bring something of a Ground Hog Day experience, an opportunity to
re-cycle the blog maybe?
This is all from Tilly Mint. We're missing home,
family and friends and very much looking forward to seeing you all soon but we
all know that we'll miss our Really Big Adventure, it has been amazing and if
anyone out there is contemplating something like it, well just go for it, you'll
only remember the the good bits - I promise!
If I may borrow a quote from Mark Twain (a
favourite with our boat builder too)
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Lots of love from Tilly
Mint
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