Sunday 2/3/1014.  Sunshine and showers and lots of cloud and 17 to 20 knots of wind, so we make a fast passage to Mayreau, leaving Tobago Cays for what are supposed to be improving conditions tomorrow.  We manage to avoid all navigational hazards along the way and drop the anchor in Saline Bay, a very pretty place.

 

  

 

The ferry terminal with the village above and the sandy beach at the head of the bay.  Very peaceful, very unspoilt.

 

We have a good snorkel, if somewhat cloudy and a pleasant walk to the windward side of the Island and then up to the village.  All the locals are very friendly and the place has a lovely tranquil atmosphere.  We try to negotiate for crayfish tomorrow not, it transpires, successfully but do manage to buy a T shirt for the Skipper’s birthday tomorrow and a very nice polished conch shell (much to the skipper’s disgust).

 

Monday, 3/3/2014.  The Skipper’s Birthday.  A pair of binoculars, a somewhat selfish present from the Skipper’s wife in the hopes that it will encourage him to endure the bird watching more patiently and lots of emails from the family as well as the T shirt, but no crayfish.  We set off for Tobago Cays after studying the charts and cruising guides in depth and meet Jade coming from there, who warn us that it was rolly even for their catamaran.  The route set on the Garmin serves us well and we arrive after an easy motor off Petit Rameau and anchor in calm water but very shallow, near a big motor boat.

 

   

 

Alcedo finds a big friend to anchor by and later, after the friend has gone with Petit Rameau in the background.

 

Tobago Cays is absolutely beautiful, but because there has been so much wind, it is also quite bumpy in all the anchorages except the cut.  We might try there tomorrow.  Otherwise, it is snorkelling and a little walking and just being in the incredible colours of the reef strewn seas, with a lot of other boats!  We did see a fabulous ray near the boat on the last swim of the day, before we settled down to the birthday supper and a noisy evening with wind against tide and a lot of banging from waves under the stern.

 

 

 

One of the lovely beaches off Petit Rameau and the popular anchorage off Baradal.

 

Alcedo