72) Union Island

Mayreau, The Grenadines 12° 38.851 N 61° 23.495 W

                                                    

Yesterday afternoon we trekked onto Mayreau Island and stopped at the restaurant on the beach and made a reservation.  Yes, in the middle of nowhere we had to make a reservation and pre-order.  On the dingy ride back to the boat around 6pm Alan was at the helm and swung a little too wide and put the dinghy on the rocks.  Upon entering the bay we knew there were hazards on both sides and for whatever reason he took this wide path.  I saw the rocks coming since I was on the bow and I said it’s getting really shallow and then some bumping and grinding and we came to a stop.  John immediately jumped overboard, after taking off his new t-shirt from the trinket stand on the beach, and walked across the bottom dragging the boat off the rocks.  I guess it can happen to anybody if you don’t pay attention.

I had a t-bone steak for dinner on an island in the Caribbean that has a land mass area of less than 2 square miles.  There are only about 200 people that live on the island and they recently got electricity.  The steak was fantastic and rivaled any restaurant on a bigger piece of real estate.  The tables were similar to the cruiser concept in anchorages.  The tables were exclusive and private and spread out.  The tables were constructed of stone and were built to survive a hurricane.  The table was so big and round that at least 10 people could sit there comfortably.  The roofs were thatched and the ambiance was tropical with the wind blowing through the trees.  The winds at this anchorage have been steady at around 18-20 and very refreshing on the boat.  The moon was half-full and lit up the anchorage and the beach and the skyline of anchor lights atop the masts was surreal.

The bad part and here it comes is that this anchorage was very bumpy.  I did not sleep much and neither did John and Nancy.  I had to prop myself with pillows to try to get comfortable.  I woke up periodically to sprinkles and had to close the overhead hatch.  Then my shelf heats up and it gets miserable.  Luckily, I have a small fan to move some air.  At 530am the clouds opened up.  It poured and I did a walk-thru and shut hatches and tightened portholes.  This is when it gets pretty humid.  When the sun comes up and heats the boat you just want to go outside.  So, around 7am I took a magazine up to the time out chair and read.  And sure enough the sun was blazing.  I watched the anchorage come alive with boats leaving.  In a little while we would leave, too.

Clifton Village, Union Island, St. Vincent & The Grenadines (anchorage)

12° 35.706 N 61° 24.902 W

Clifton Village, Union Island, St. Vincent & The Grenadines

We weighed anchor and motored to Union Island.  The run was very short and did not make sense to raise sails.  The winds were pushing 30 knots and we paralleled the 4-6’ swells.  It was a bumpy uncomfortable ride.  We planned to anchor in Clifton bay and there were several real coral hazards to avoid on the way in.  After 3 attempts to set the hook we finally got it.  After looking around we realized that this might be a rolly anchorage, too.  The wind comes right over the tops of the coral at full speed and the coral stops the swells.  We swing back and forth from the wind and roll half as much as last night.  There was talk while walking through town of heading on to another island but figured it was safer and easier to stay put for the night.

         
Union was settled during the 18^th and 19^th centuries first by English, then Scottish colonists.  Just roughly 6 sq miles, it was both lush and well tilled.  Until the end of the 19^th century it boasted up to 5,000 inhabitants.  Then it was completely abandoned.  Divided between the two villages of Ashton and Clifton, only a few folk remain, most of them fisherman and smallholders.  The population has grown naturally to 2,000 people but nothing much else changed over the years until the end of the 1960s and the arrival of French from Martinique.

A plot of marshy land east of Clifton was drained and an airstrip was built on it, eventually extended into the sea.  Then, a house/hotel followed with the birth of the Anchorage Yacht Club.  With access by air, a good anchorage, hotel and restaurant everything was in place to make the place a tourist attraction in The Grenadines.