Mayreau
ULA
John & Jackie Richards
Tue 10 Feb 2009 15:41
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Position 012:38.00N 061:24.00W
After a very chilled day in Canouan we had an
extremely unchilled night due high winds in the moorings. The guide book we have
does say the wind can really gust off the hills - it did not lie! We spent
most of the night awake with the noise and hoping the mooring guy Marcus had a
good lump of concrete and chain down there! On to Mayreau which is very small
and a convenient place from which to visit the Tobago Cays. A good anchorage in
Saline Bay where we saw Cassiopea, the German boat we had met on the ARC.
We dinghied ashore to the dinghy dock wondering as
we went why a guy was sitting halfway down it under a nice blue sunshade with
what looked like rum punch and other drinks. A friendly island welcome for
visiting yachtsmen maybe?........unfortunately as we found out, only if you were
a passenger on a big Club Med cruise liner anchored just off the bay. We were
politely asked to buzz off to the ferry dock as they had negotiated sole use for
the afternoon! When we finally got ashore the beach was littered with French
people from Club Med - they seem to own part of the south shore- enjoying the
sunshine and a local band.
We toiled up the very steep hill to take in the
view over to Tobago Cays and try and find a nice place for dinner. Our guide
book mentions two or three places which we thought were worth a look. On the way
up we spoke to a local lady walking down who advised us that the food was best
at the Combination Cafe where the chef was excellent - better than the local
hotspot of Dennis's Hideaway mentioned in our book. Going with the local flow -
we book up for later..........the chef appeared and asked us to choose from his
menu and we agree to return at 7pm. Fast forward to 7.... the skipper and I
enjoy a meal for two with the whole place to ourselves while the party seems to
be starting just up the road at Dennis's place. As we are just starting our main
course, our local informant appears at the bar - the local schoolteacher
and by chance also the chef's wife! The food was indeed good but the place
a bit lacking in atmosphere. It seems that on many of these small islands (we
found the same in Canouan) that the 'restaurants' often only open if there are
customers to serve and are often in peoples' houses or close by. You therefore
need to go and see if they want to cook for you and agree a menu in advance. We
later joined in the fun at Dennis's.............
Jackie
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