We were planning to leave Clifton on Monday to head for Chatham Bay, however, we received an invitation for drinks on board "Dignity" with Steve and Helen Southwood. (www.AboardDignity.com) We would also have the pleasure of the company of "Bees Knees" where Anne and Jim live aboard. We had been hearing both these boats on the VHF radio planning this and that and had not to date had the opportunity to meet them. We had a lovely time and really enjoyed the tour of their 44 foot Lagoon Catamaran which is a rare hybrid design (electric engines drive the propellers, and work as generators to charge the batteries when the yacht is under sail, and made a quick change of plans to leave the next day). Laurie enjoyed snooping around the engine rooms and figuring out how this design worked. I got a tour of their lovely cat with their 3 large staterooms and 3 full heads with showers. Because they live onboard 12 months of the year, they sprung for a washer dryer too. It would be sweet, but it's not going to happen any day soon on Cat Tales!!
On the western side of Union Island in the Grenadines lies Chatham Bay, with a beautiful sandy beach. There is only a small road leading into the bay which is where several fishermen start early in the morning.
A few years ago, we stumbled onto this spot and enjoyed the solitude. At the time there was a tiny shack in the bay where a local named "Shark Attack" entertained the sailors with his BBQ and drinks on the beach. But that was then and now it's slightly different. We sailed in here yesterday and were met by a man in a boat called "Seckie". Seckie, the name of the man as well, tells us that there are now 3 other Bars and restaurants along with one that's been underway for several years but not yet open. I asked him why he came to us and not the other Bar/Restaurant owners and he told us that they take turns and he gets to visit alternating yachts. He told us that Vanessa would cook us a nice meal of fish, a red snapper for $60.00 EC (about 30 CAD) each, but when he told us that he had a happy hour at 5:00 and the rum punch was $5.00 EC, he now had our attention! Yesterday was Laurie's birthday and we ate well onboard mid day and were ready to do a bit of celebrating on the beach. In we went where we met two other crews from boats anchored in the bay. We asked how much the drinks were after happy hour ended, and we were told that the price was double ($10.00 EC), but not to worry, they would have twice as much rum in them...ahh simple math!!
This bay is where we met Mike Campbell a few years ago. He is a Canadian who had been living aboard for 25 plus years and had a circumnavigation of the world under his keel. We stayed here for a few weeks and entertained this single-hander aboard Cat Tales many times. He'd often supply the fish for dinner and I'd put together all the extras. He fished from his dinghy every evening just at dark and would bring in a 4-5 foot barracuda or two! These were awesome to eat: nice flaky white fish cooked to perfection! We were hoping he'd be sitting right here yesterday when we arrived, but we weren't lucky enough to find him. Seckie tells us that he doesn't even know Mike. Before we left Clifton on the other side of the island yesterday, I asked Jenny, the vegetable lady who Mike used to visit for dinners and provisions if she had seen him, but she hasn't seen him all season. We're hoping that he's still cruising somewhere and we'll see him again. Perhaps, this bay has become too busy for Mike and he's found another secluded spot. Maybe there aren't any more barracuda left here and he's off searching for more to catch and can for the summer months when he lives in a boatyard in Trinidad!
About an hour ago, we were called on the radio by Linda and Mike on 'Casa del Mar' who we met in Bequia only a few weeks ago. They told us that they'd be heading for shore for happy hour at Seckie's and would we like to join them?? Well...gosh, let me think...of course we would!!
