Day 6 Wednesday April 20, 2005 Mayreau Island
From Canouan we sail south for a few hours until we get to Mayreau island. We’re looking for a sandy beach where Lynn can play. We’d discussed our desires before the trip. The idea was to sail a day or two, anchor down of a nice beach to swim, visit the island, and lay on the sand for a day or two and then repeat. So far we hadn’t hit any beaches and it was time. We peruse the map. It looks like there are three beaches on Mayreau Island. We decide to head there and inspect the beaches on a sail by. The first beach is on a windward shore. It’s a beautiful long beach with a row of cocoanut trees along the shore. There is no safe anchorage here though. Just around the corner is Salt Whilstle Bay. The guide book describes it as a beautiful little anchorage with quick access to the windward beach. It certainly is beautiful and with all the boats crowding the anchorage, certainly popular. We decide to sail on to Saline Bay. Saline Bay is a beautiful broad bay with a long sand beach between a rocky headland to the south and the town wharf to the north. It’s beautiful and but for 2 other sailboats, deserted. We head in and drop anchor. Within minutes we’re in the dinghy and heading to shore. The sand is clean and the water is clear. Lynn and I sit on the beach, jump in the water for a swim, sit on the beach, go snorkeling off a tiny reef, sit on the beach for hours. Lynn is a little nervous after I warned her about all the black sea urchins on the reef. Don’t pet them I say, their like porcupines, their spines break off and you can’t get them out. Besides the sea urchins we see loads of brightly coloured fish and even a moray eel!
By noon it’s too hot to stay ashore so we reluctantly head back to Chispa to sit out the heat in the cool breezes. A charter cat comes by and drops off a load of people. In a few minutes another one shows up. When the charters show up at your beach you know it’s a good one. By four the charters have gone and we have the view of the deserted beach to ourselves.
A small boat motors up and offers us dorado. Bill’s eyes light up and we buy 6 steaks. They’ll be for dinner tomorrow because it’s pork chops for dinner tonight. They’d been bought frozen the day before but they thawed out sitting in the fridge. Nothing stays cold here!
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| Mayreau Island Map | Mayreau Aerial View | Saltwhistle Bay | Entering Saline Bay | Saline Bay Harbour |
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| Beach | On the Beach | Splashing our Toes | In the Water | Bliss! |
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| Headland past beach | Looking at Union Island | Union Island Closer | Crewman Dwight | CrewWoman Lynn |
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| Coastal Cruiser | Miracle Zud | Sunset 1 | Sunset 2 | Sunset 3 |