Friday April 22, 2005 Union Island
A short 1 hour sail on just the jib and we’re in Clifton harbour in Union Island. It’s a magnificent harbour surrounded by reefs on all sides with a reef/sandbar in the middle. You have to be careful entering and anchoring. Indeed we saw a Moorings yacht ground itself on the sandbar. Several small boats immediately roared up and helped pull her off. I guess they earned a pretty dollar for their help!
We’re ashore by 10 AM and it’s hot already. We visit a few shops and pick up some croissants for breakfast. Bill fills up with water at the Anchorage Yacht Club (AYC) making 2 trips with the 4 – 5 gallon containers. They’re heavy but Bill has a system using the pulley’s rigged up and he’s able to it alone. We wander a short ways downtown to find a dive shop. I’d really like to go diving at Tobago Cays which is right next to us. We find the shop but it isn’t open. We’re told to radio in later. Back at the dock we pick up a big block of ice and I pay for the ice and water. Water is $0.40 EC/gallon and the bill says 60 gallons so I pay it. Bill has only taken on 40 gallons so there seems to be a bit of padding of the bill. The attendant swears that’s what the water meter read so we just let it go. We’re the rich white dudes in paradise and who’s gonna quibble over $1.25 US?
One other thing that we haven’t been having as much as normal is showers. This is no problem for me, every morning I jump in the water off the amma and every night a have a quick rinse at the back of the cat. We’re learning a woman’s perspective with requirements such as shaving your legs for example. Although there are two showers in the boat (three including the wand shower off the amma) Lynn is feeling a bit conscious about water usage. It seems you need about 10 minutes in the shower for doing all the ladies stuff. Luckily the AYC has showers and for 10 EC Lynn can stay in there for as long as she wants. We’re having dinner ashore tonight and around 5:30 PM we head in. I joke with the lady attendant that I’ll be back in the morning to pick Lynn up but within a half hour she’s out all bathed, shampooed, shaved, creamed and powdered and purring like a kitten. See what a good shower will do for you!
We are shown a beautiful table right on the edge of the harbour. A couple of rum punches (it’s happy hour) sets the mood and by the time the sun goes down I’m snacking on a red snapper we say them cleaning earlier today and Lynn’s demolishing a plate of ribs. Hmmm delicious! We find our way back to the yacht in the dark, Lynn holding the flashlight in front, not so that I can see, but that other boats can see us. We’re even dry when we clamber aboard. It’s windy out tonight and we sleep very well.
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| Union Island Map | Welcome to Union Island | This Island | Reef around Clifton Harbour | Clifton Harbour Inside |
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| At Anchor | Dinghy Dock | Directions | On the Street | Market |
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| Party Time! | Seated for Dinner | My Beautiful Companion | A Happy Couple |