The tiny island of Mayreau has only 271 inhabitants. They only got electricity in 2002. There’s just one road, and a few rough tracks. In total it is one and half square miles of beauty.
It’s beach B-B-Q day again, and we’re heading over to the tiny jetty by tender as usual. The beach and crowds are turning right onto Saline Bay, so we turn left and hike up the road into town - it doesn’t have a name - and stop off at the tiny Catholic Church, we can’t go in because it is packed for a service, the congregation singing away - it’s a lovely sound.
Continuing north we reach Salt Whistle Bay where many yachts are moored, and on to the headland where we climb the rocks a while, then back to go the other way. We are saddened to see the high-tide line is littered with plastic bottle, a dreadful sign of our time.
Walking back along the Atlantic side beach we have it to ourselves and enjoy the solitude. As we enter town again, the Methodist service has started across the road, so we get to look into the RC church which was stone built in 1930 after many previous wooden ones had blown away in storms.
We explore more town, which doesn’t take long, as we drop back to the beach and then grab a rum punch as we walk past our bar. It’s too early for champagne in the surf, so hang our rucksack off a suitable mangrove and walk on to the end of the beach and back, by which time the surfboard is out and laden with Melba toast, blinis and pre-mixed caviar condiments and of course huge tins of beluga.
Soon after, the officers and wait-staff are waist deep in the sea, and the caviar bar (aka surfboard) is open for business. We all form a disorderly scrum to get served, somehow I’m first!
Lunch is 12:00 whilst 14:00 so we have time to do the second part of our walk, this time intending to go south to the bottom end of the island, but first we have to get round the salt lake, which turns out to host the municipal dump, so we battle through a swarm of horrible flies before reaching the coast - I take Hubby on all the best tours! Unfortunately the path is not navigable - it’s really hard to work some things out via Google Earth - so plan B springs into action and we walk north on the deserted Windward Bay, unsurprisingly also an Atlantic beach given the name.
By our return to Saline Bay, we’ve managed seven miles and are ready for a feast from the Barbie, and I manage yet another lobster tail, Hubby is more sensible!
Afterwards it’s an hour in the sea, before we tender back, climb to five aft and the waiting jacuzzi, and chats with new arrivals.
The musical feast starts early with Assistant CD Beth’s show ‘Sirens’ all about Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Munro. She tells the sad life stories of these three tragic ladies, interspersed with acting, movie clips and of course song. Beth is a great all-rounder and her show is fabulous. I get roped into her act, as a suitor to Marilyn.
We head to the patio grill for Earth & Ocean, where I get duped into two starters (“they’re only tiny” said our waitress.) Two huge octopus tentacles and a hefty plate of tuna ceviche soon arrive whilst hubby has a different sausage pasta. We then move on to Tandoori Chicken for him and Black Cod for me, both good but the latter the better choice. Pudding is supposed to be coconut panna cotta but it arrives slightly lumpy, which I find weird, so send it back and decide to eat half of hubby’s brownie and strawberry sauce which is wonderful.
Second musical helping is from Mark Donaghue whom we’ve seen on three provisions cruises at least. He’s a super-talented multi instrumentalist and his performances are spellbinding. Fortunately no audience participation this time!
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