Tuesday was another beautiful sunny and hot day….so we spent most of the day by the pool…and got Mum bobbing in both the pool and the sea – with beer in hand – and she really enjoyed it! Mum’s hotel room is great and has smashing views across both the pool and into the anchorage beyond…. As it’s Mum’s holiday we are giving her the choice where to eat each night along the tourist strip behind Reduit Beach. Tonight it was the turn of Firegrill steak house – fantastic fantastic steak… bit pricey as it comes with nothing other than garnish so all veggies are extra…. But absolutely lovely meal and we all went home pretty happy and full.
Wednesday it was time for Mum to have another adventure! So in the middle of the afternoon – of another hot sunny day – we got Mum to travel in the dink to take her to visit Morphie. All went smoothly although she did look a bit nervous as she is frightened of being on water which out of her depth! But she did well….bless…. So we gave her the grand tour of Morphie who was beautifully turned out and sparkling with her freshly polished hull and stainless steel… Then we went into the marina for sundowners at the Boardwalk bar – amazed by the beautiful sky this evening – and then back on board for dinner. Only a pasta dish but we had a really nice evening in the cockpit before putting her in a cab back to her hotel. Really pleased that she has met Morphie as we have gone on and on and on about her for so long now!!!!
Thursday and the weather turned again…. Richard stayed on Morphie this morning to get on with some boat jobs and give me and Mum some girlie time… So we were in and out of the pool in the sun and then, finally, up to her room to sit on the balcony and watch the torrential rain. But we made the most of it and, in the evening (along with a huge golfing umbrella!), went to the Chinese. Wow….it was fantastic. A great meal and we went back to the beach bar at Mum’s hotel for final drinks of the night. Lovely end to a nice day, despite the weather.
Friday night was another unsettled day with rain on and off. But hey who cares….we are on a family holiday. So again dodged the rain showers and in the evening took off to the local jump up in Gros Islet where we ate local food and drank too much rum!!!! Enjoyed the dancing; the singing; the drummers; the loud loud music; the company of a great couple from NY that we met; and these old party goers made the most of it. Got home very very late and all a bit wrecked.
Saturday morning we had organised a boat trip to take Mum down the east coast to give her a flavour of our cruising life…. So we had planned for her to come by taxi to the marina for 9.00 am….for a 10.00 am departure on Maliki’s boat. Well – she turned up – but she looked like death warmed up and we weren’t much better. However, we just had a well-deserved hangover, Mum was really ill (and not through the drink) and was near tears. Clearly she wasn’t going to be able to make it today – and not an option to reschedule as she was leaving tomorrow… A real disappointment and we felt that we couldn’t let Maliki down as, at this stage, he couldn’t get anybody else to book the trip. So we put Mum back in a taxi to her hotel with strict instructions to go back to bed – and went on the trip without her. It was really interesting to see hotels nestling into the lush scenery, to pass through rock formations and to go into the bat cave which is only accessible by boat. And we certainly wouldn’t have gone that close to rocks in Morphie – that takes serious local knowledge!!!! So despite our hangovers we had a great trip down to Marigot and back and returned to Mum’s hotel for the afternoon.
Mum had managed to sleep it off, and although still fragile, we enjoyed the rest of the day together. None of us was in the mood to eat a huge meal on Saturday night but wanted to go out as it was our last night together. So we ended up eating waterfront at the Tapas Bar – which overlooks the lagoon – but then had to run inside to escape the torrential rain again….. A nice small meal picking at a nice selection – we then headed off back to Rehab – the bar not the facility – and had our last cocktails together before bed.
Sunday morning – Mum’s last day – and the rain was still coming down and hadn’t stopped all night…. So we headed over to the hotel by taxi rather than by dink and ended up spending the time in her room on the balcony – playing cards and having a bit of a laugh. But then the time came to go – and we helped her down with her case to wait for her transfer. Oh yes, forgot island time.
Eventually (after the hotel reception chased down the rep) the minibus turned up at 2.50pm. Only 45 minutes late… And now it was time to say goodbye… Oh dear – this was difficult – and I ended up in tears again. Have really enjoyed seeing Mum and ended up waving goodbye shouting out see you at the end of August…which is when we get home this season. Felt a bit low – and still in the rain – we returned quietly to the marina. Richard treated me to a proper roast beef and Yorkshire pudding lunch – a little bit of home comfort was gratefully received – and we ended up just going back to Morphie and having a real quiet non-alcohol day.
Monday morning again it’s raining – this is really getting me down now – as the boat feels damp and it is so difficult to get stuff cleaned. But time to get back into gear – so we headed out to the supermarket for some major provisioning as we need to start eating on board again!!! – and did other boat jobs like the laundry and marking the anchor chain. Went ashore for an hour or so for sundowners – still with rain all around – and then back on board for a quiet dinner and evening.
This morning – guess what, it’s still raining!!!! Grrrrrrr…. More boat jobs today and time to get ready to go back to sea. Planning to leave for an anchorage near the Pitons tomorrow and then on to Bequia. But all depends on weather of course. Will keep you posted.
Bye for now
Jan