January 6
We left Carriacou on January 3rd, early morning: perfect winds, gorgeous scenery along the way - Union Island, Tobago Cays, Mayreau Island. By lunchtime, our anchor was holding us in sand bottom, azur water by Canouan Island.
When we clear Customs, we should always ask if it's a local holiday or lunchtime. I made a mistake this time; I didn't ask. The Customs officer's lunchtime is 13:00 to 14:00. So even though he was courteous and helpful, we paid some extra money to clear in. Same thing with holidays on the islands. Customs may be open but we pay overtime. It makes sense and I agree with it. I just want to avoid paying for it. I will remember next time.
Now, let me backtrack a little bit before I move forward about our life in Canouan. After spending a lonely Christmas holiday, we made some new friends: Martin and Gisele on Time of Dreams from Lanoraie, Quebec. Martin doesn't speak English; Gisele gets by with some vocabulary and lots of hand gesture. Talking with our hands comes naturally for us Frenchies.
What a pleasant surprise, as they passed by Komeekha in Tyrrell Bay, Carriacou to find a mooring ball near shore, I heard in Quebec French "they're from Quebec!!!". They had seen one of our courtesy flags. Frank had gone ashore so they thought no one had heard. When Frank came back, Martin dinghied to us to introduce themselves. We invited them for Happy Hour. They are such nice people. Martin reminds me so much of my brother David: speech, manneurism, jokes. They still have their business making custom-made kitchens. So they co-own their catamaran and share the sailing season with a friend.
The following day, I had a pedicure appointment in Hillsborough. They came with us to visit the city and experience a local bus ride. We also celebrated the New Year together in front of a bar that had a live jazz/blues band. When we invited them for a lunch, I had made a green banana salad (the one that tastes like potato salad). They like trying new cuisine. We really enjoy spending time with them.
So back to Canouan, on Day 2, we found out they were at Mayreau Island, only 3 nautical miles away. They lifted anchor and joined us in Canouan.
We had found out that we could rent golf carts by the day. Martin and Gisele were also interested in discovering the island with us. Canouan is only 5.6 x 2 kms. There is only one flat road; the rest of the island roads lead up, down and around mountains. I mentioned before that Canouan is considered the billionnaires island. By the many jets and Cessnas that fly in and out of the airport, by the immaculate marina and beach club, I believe it! But we don't see them. They either hang out at the marina and club or, as we discovered, own a residence in the gated community monopolizing the North end of the island. We couldn't get in. They forgot to send us an invitation. LOL! I find disappointing the fact that all of the billionnaires money is not invested on the island economy and its population. The investments were made only for the well being and comfort of the rich. Yes the locals work at the marina, resorts, club and gated residences. The island has very little basic resources. Their schools open in 2019!
The hills are quite steep. At the start of our journey, Frank and Martin were seated at the front of the golf cart - Frank driving. But as soon as we started to climb those hills, it was getting obvious tha a push might help us get to the tops. So we switched: I drove and Gisele sat beside me. The guys who were sitting backwards had to jump and pushed the cart on a certain hill. It was hilarious! Unfortunately for you, we forgot to take a picture.
We have a resident turtle in the bay whose curiosity brings her near Komeekha where she can enjoy some delicious cucumber peels or lettuce or some ripe callaloo. The boat boys come by daily with their offerings of lobster (No thanks, the captain is allergic) or red snapper (Yes please, its meat is perfect in a stir-fry). In Carriacou, a boat boy sold us two pounds of yellowfin tuna caught a few hours earlier for $24 EC ($12 Canadian). Wow!
We will have a weather window tomorrow and have decided to leave Canouan in the morning. If we don't, the winds won't allow us to leave for another week. Martin and Gisele will sail out too. Our next adventure will be in Bequia (pronounced Beck-way), 20 nautical miles from here. By leaving early morning, we should arrive early afternoon.
Gisele is making a spaghetti sauce this afternoon. They invited us to share it with them tonight. We'll bring red wine and garlic bread. Another beautiful day in paradise
