Storms and Full Marinas - Canouan

 Sunday 26 June - Matt’s 27th Birthday

We left a moody Tobago Cays at around 9am and headed back to Canouan. The bay was empty with only Wind Kat and one other boat there. Once we had dropped anchor we phoned Matt again to see him blow his candles out and open presents. The six hour time difference makes things a little tricky, but we work around it. I had organized with Kay earlier in the week to buy some presents for him from us. Thank you, Kay! And thank you, Richard for the special surprise visit for Matt's birthday!

It rained off and on with thunder rumbling overhead most of the afternoon and the following day, giving us an idea of the impending storm.

Wilbert, our friendly fisherman, caught some snapper for us for our supper. He came aboard and cleaned the fish.

Wilbert

Later that evening Dave upped anchor and moved closer to the other side of the bay to avoid the wind and rolling. We followed suit and dropped anchor near him just as the sun was setting and it was starting to get dark. It was a good decision and we had a fairly good night. We woke up the next morning and found ourselves quite close to some rocks. We hadn't dragged so we were fine, but we weren't too happy about being so close! 

Rocks a bit close for comfort

I loved this view of the houses on the hillside

The wind had come up in the night and flipped our neighbour's dinghy over. Thank goodness he had taken the motor off the night before.

Flipped dinghy

On Tuesday morning, 28 June, we went around the corner and tied up in Sandy Lane Marina to wait out the storm. It was quite different to when we had been there the week before. Many boats were already tied up alongside the marina walls. When booking we had asked for access to electricity and possibly water on the port side of the marina, but ended up with a motor boat in front of us, right next to the electricity box, no water, and on the starboard side. Why, you are asking, did we want to be on the port side? Because the wind was coming from our port side and would push us onto the dock. The friendly marina staff put a line from our boat onto the opposite shore to stop us from banging on the dock, which was brilliant. After they fixed the electricity box, we managed to reach it with an extension cord which meant our batteries could be charged.

We spent the day battening down the hatches; wrapping rope around the stack pack, taking down the bag with the snorkels, goggles and flippers in it, adding extra mooring lines, and putting anything that could blow away down below. We only have three fenders and one of them is a big, orange ball. We lost one in St Helena and left a few back in Cape Town as they had holes in them. Dave lent us a couple of small fenders and a huge fender which was fantastic.

Look closely for Dave's fender

The marina still looks empty but all the boats were up the canal, out of the wind. 

Not actually on the grass

The storm wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be, although I think we were quite sheltered in the marina. We saw gusts of 30 knots and hardly any rain during the night.

We were hoping to get drinks and a meal at Scruffy’s on Wednesday night but it was closed. They are doing renovations. It was a pity as there were quite a few of us who wanted to eat there. We ended up going to town with the Charter guys and eating in a local restaurant. It poured with rain while we were there and on the way back to the boat we saw several rocks in the road after landslides.

Lots of rain

The morning after the huge rain. No we hadn't released our holding tanks, that was mud from the nearby flower bed and construction site over the road.

The morning after

No, our holding tank didn't burst

Mud from the nearby construction site

Clearing sky

On Thursday the sky was clearer and the sun came out, baking hot as usual. We did a bit more cleaning, paid vast sums of money to do laundry - which was vital as Laura was running out of clothes and was wearing Andrew’s shirts to sleep in - and got ready to leave. I ended up walking more than 6km that day, back and forth from the shop and laundry to the boat.

Long walk to the shop

We managed to leave the dock without a hitch although Andrew was not confident that we wouldn't be blown back onto the dock. We had help from marina staff and Nelia from Wind Kat, on standby. Johan had hurt his back so was unable to offer much assistance.

Sandy Lane Yacht Club was so much better with more boats and more people around. We were told that a new marina manager, from Dubai was starting there soon and they were very optimistic that she would be able to turn the place into a thriving, busy marina.

Happy that we all survived the storm, we headed out into the bay and sailed to Mayreau.

Tobago Cays

On Thursday we left Canouan, yes, at around 9am and had a lovely sail across the water with only a head sail out, doing 5 knots!

Sandy Lane Yacht Club

The Lune

Happy Crew

Passage over indicating the blue water we could expect

We had to be careful when entering the Cays, as the water becomes very shallow and there are reefs which need to be avoided. Thank goodness the chart plotter has a marked path which we could follow ensuring a safe passage.

Entrance to the Cays

The Tobago Cays are an archipelago about an hour's sail away from Canouan. They consist of five small islands, Petit Rameau, Petit Bateau, Baradal, Petit Tabac and Jamesby. The blue water and white sand combination is breathtakingly beautiful.

On arrival we were accosted by the boats boys who came out to tell us about the beach barbecue they supply at vast expense on the beach in the evening. It sounded delicious with a promise of lobster, fish, and salads, however, we told them that we would rather braai on the boat and went through the cut to the other side of the islands.

We only spent three days here, but it felt like longer. We snorkeled and swam a lot in the beautiful blue water. We didn't see much near the reef, but we didn't go out far into the choppy sea. Dave did and he said it is something we should do. Sadly the wind picked up and made the sea really rough and choppy so we decided to rather snorkel in the safety of the bays and near our boat. We finally saw a ray and lots of turtles.

There is a cordoned off section on Baradal, which is part of the turtle sanctuary where we saw a few turtles calmly munching the sea grass.

There wasn't much more to do in the Cays other than swimming and snorkeling, reading and sharing meals with Sandy and Dave, which we enjoyed immensely. The wind came up quite a bit on the last day and most of the boats had left before we did. Andrew did have to do another water maker repair to the high pressure hose. It's getting a bit short. Perhaps we should buy a spare when we are back in civilization.

Fixing the high pressure hose

A tropical storm was predicted to arrive the following week. There were all sorts of discussions on various media platforms of what people were planning to do. Some decided to head to Trinidad, others headed into the mangroves. We decided to book into Sandy Lane Yacht Club where we would be tucked away and secure if and when the storm hit.

We were very sad to leave this pocket of paradise but we had to. Hopefully we can make our way back here soon.

We left on Sunday, 26 June, after chatting to Matt in the morning and wishing him a Happy Birthday, and made our way back to Canouan.

I hope you enjoy the pictures below. Feel free to leave a comment. I would love to know you visited my blog.

Another sunset

Canouan

We left Mustique after a wet and rainy night and set off for an easy 3 hour motor sail across to Canouan. Dave suggested we anchor in a little bay but there were already two boats there and it didn’t look much like a bay, so we went into Charlestown Bay. As we were dropping anchor, a charter cat came zooming in and dropped anchor just behind us, leaving no room for Dave. He ended up just in front of us, probably in a better position, out of the way of the ferries. 

Charlestown Bay

We were immediately accosted by the Ice Man, Marcus, in his speedboat, who has a pub on the beach. After hearing that we didn’t need anything he left us alone. We went ashore and went for a wander around the very small shops and stalls selling fruit and veg. 

Soho House Hotel

Canouan is a tiny island divided into three parts. The Mandarin, a boutique hotel is at one end and Sandy Lane Yacht Club is at the other with the town in between. Both The Mandarin and Sandy Lane are gated and one needs permission to enter, although Sandy Lane has a couple of restaurants and a few shops which you are allowed to frequent. There is a glaring disproportionate amount of wealth in the two ends of the island compared to the middle section. The shops and houses in town look run down and in need of paint. There were lots of stray dogs wandering around and goats tied up next to the side of the road. Lots of people seemed to be milling around on the dock, cleaning fish and sitting outside the little shops having a natter.

Mommy ferry and baby ferry

We decided to walk to Sandy Lane Yacht Club and, after enquiring how far away it was, realised that we would need a ride. A taxi came passed and wanted to charge us 30EC. We weren't sure if that was for all of us or each, so we said no, thanks. Next minute a mini bus stopped and two guys said they were going to the supermarket in the marina, they would give us a lift. The two guys in the bus worked at the airport which is right next to Sandy Lane Yacht Club. They said that they go to the supermarket at the marina as it is far cheaper than anywhere in town.

It was far!!

The supermarket looked well stocked with fresh and frozen goods and fairly good prices too. We went to find the marina manager who was very friendly and she organized for one of the marina staff to take us on a tour of the marina in a buggy. Yes, it is that big that we couldn't walk around it.

Empty super yacht docks

View from the marina office

Pool next to the expensive restaurant - Shenanigans

Shenanigans Restaurant

Free mooring

Drinks poolside

Super yacht dock

Apartments on top. Shops on ground floor

Empty apartments

The marina is owned by wealthy Irishman, Dermot Desmond. His son, Brett, is married to Andrea Corr from the band The Corrs. The new marina has been tastefully renovated with space for 120 yachts, apartment accommodation, and boutique shops including a jewellers, a bakery, and a mini market. The only problem is, it is empty! There were only two charter cats and two monohulls and the vast expanse of concrete docks made it feel totally soulless. The cost to moor was $1US per foot per night. So we would have to pay $43 which is around R700 a night, more than half our daily allowance. Andrew and I decided that we wouldn't, even though the bathroom was air-conditioned and there was Wi-Fi! Electricity and water was extra. 

There was a pool which is also available and near the pool was a very fancy restaurant called Shenanigans, with very fancy prices in $ US. The menu looks delicious but let me give you an idea of what it costs. Basic Carbonara $20 plus 16% VAT, plus 10% service charge: $25, 20 = R424 33. Three scoops of ice cream $13 plus 16% VAT plus 10% service charge: $16, 38 = R275,82. I have no idea how big the portions are but I can imagine they aren't huge. Sadly us poor South Africans couldn't afford to eat there.

Scruffy's Restaurant apparently has the best burgers at good prices. They weren't open so we couldn't eat there. We will have to give them a try next time we are here.

Space in the table for ice and beers

Shark braai?

100 thousand welcomes

Anyone for a beer?

Thanks for the pic, Dave

When it was time to head back we enquired about a taxi and was told it would be $30 US, R480!! We thought we would just walk. Next thing we see Sandy running after a lady who was getting into her car. She tapped on the window and asked her if she could give us a lift back to town. Initially the lady said no as her car was not huge and would only fit 3 in the back as she already had one passenger. She couldn't believe, when we told her the price of a taxi, that it was so expensive and phoned a friend who confirmed the price. I think she felt sorry for us at this point and agreed to take three of us back to town. On the way to town we got chatting about the price of things. We told her how expensive it was for us with the US/EC/R exchange rate. 

She dropped us at our dinghy and went back to fetch Dave and Andrew. What a lovely lady. Her name is Debbie and she is the head housekeeper at the Mandarin Oriental. She offered to give us a tour of the hotel. There are really some good people in this world. She also told us that she has a cool drink business on the side, which we were very interested in perusing.

We had a sundowner at Marcus' place on the beach before heading back to the boat for the night.

Earlier in the day a fisherman had come past our boat and asked if we would like some red snapper. When we got back to Marcus' place he was there with the fish for us. We had to pay extra for him to clean it for us, but it was delicious.

Ferry

On Wednesday morning we went ashore to find that Sandy and Dave had not only rented a buggy at a good price, but they had also organised the hotel tour for the morning. 

Laura, Dave and I in the mule

We drove up the hill to the hotel and spent 2 hours on a guided tour. The hotel, which consists of 26 suites and 13 villas, is beautiful but very expensive. It would cost between R 20 000 and R60 000 per night, depending on which suite or villa you choose. Oh, and then you would have to eat at the beautiful restaurants, which boast delicious food but the prices... A beer, which is usually between 5 and 7 EC, was 19EC. Our tour guide told us that the owner liked the colour pink, which was quite evident in all the furnishings, as well as a liking for sea horses. If you are at all interested, Google The Mandarin Oriental and have a look at the extensive wine list. Remember prices are in $EC.

Waiting for our tour guide

Main Entrance

Hotel Laundry

Beauty Spa

Tortoise sanctuary

Stairs from the main entrance to suites

The next few photographs are of our favourite villa. It was so beautifully decorated.

Our favourite villa

Thank you, Sandy! If it weren't for your brave move in asking for a lift, we wouldn't have seen this beautiful Hotel.

We found a little church which was lovely. Unfortunately the Sargassum on the beach behind the church was foul smelling!

After the tour we had lunch at a local place that had made a playground out of recycled materials.  We met up with a guy who sold us Debbie’s juices which were basically cranberry juice mixed with various flavors. We bought a mixed pack of various flavours and looked forward to trying them with our rum.

Nice to know where Affrica is

We went back to the marina to so some shopping but were told it was closed until 3pm, so we went on a drive around the island. 

Sargassum on the shore and in the water

A beautiful beach

Buggy known as a mule

Eyes on the road!

View from the top

After shopping at the marina, we went back to the boat to drop off supplies. We had met another South African couple, Johan and Nelia, and had agreed to have a drink with them later. So Andrew, Dave and I went back ashore and sat in the water drinking beer with them.  They are a very interesting Afrikaans couple who have been sailing on their cat, Wind Kat, for the past 8 years. Needless to say, we practiced our very rusty Afrikaans over a few beers. Johan clinked bottles often with a "cheers" and "in die oë" which made me miss my brother-in-law, Anthony!

Marcus' pub

Both Johan and Nelia mentioned there was a bad weather system coming though the following Wednesday. Apparently it was going to be a big one, so we should either find a hidey-hole in the mangroves, or book into a marina. We had decisions to make, but not ready to let that get us down, we headed off to Tobago Cays.

Calypso