WE HAVE OUR FIRST GUEST ON THE BOAT!!!

 It's always exciting to have family and friends visit us while we sail the wild, blue yonder. My precious niece, Rebekah Phillips, joined us for 10 eventful days. We picked her up in St Vincent and sailed straight to one of my favorite small islands, Mustique. Very few of our friends have heard of Mustique as it's a privately owned island in the Grenadines where many of the rich and famous own properties, including Mick Jagger and Princess Margaret. Needless to say, it's manicured and fabulous, yet full of friendly folks. We took a 2 hour island tour with "Slick" who told us stories of many well-known personalities that he's had the privilege of meeting while working on Mustique the past 15 years, Janet Jackson and Denzel Washington to name a few. Needless to say, we had a very good time while driving by beautiful estates and dreaming of seeing Reese Witherspoon or Raquel Welch or David Bowie....  

We spent the rest of our time on Bequia. Unfortunately Hurricane Matthew sent us heavy rains and high winds for three days, so we stayed at the small Gingerbread Hotel/Restaurant (only 10 rooms) right on the beach where we could keep an eye on Always Sunday. Our rooms were  spacious with huge king-sized 4 poster beds complete with mosquito nets, which we gladly used, and kitchens, large bathrooms and a huge porch. We just brought our groceries from the boat and cooked in our room. It was very restful and I would recommend this place to anyone who loves the beach and wants to just relax. The diving is some of the best! I think Rebekah loved the snorkeling the most and was like a little fish, swimming for hours. We saw octopus, trunk fish, sea urchins, turtles, plus a lot more.

Rebekah is driving the boat!

That's an octopus in the center with two bulging eyes. The open shells are a sure giveaway that an octopus lives here. 

Rebekah is ready for the Mustique  Island tour.

Wild flowering vine seen along the roadside.

View from "The View" restaurant where we had a great lunch!

Old sugar mill ruins to the right at the resort.

Photo of the eastern side of the island where you can whale-watch in the spring.

George - just one of many box turtles roaming free.

FINALLY, BACK IN BEAUTIFUL GRENADA!

It's been 4 years since we were last in Grenada. Actually, it was our last family vacation with Danielle, and it was so special. We left on Christmas Day in 2012 with our niece Sharon (Danielle's other half) and the four of us spent an awesome time aboard a 45' leased catamaran with air conditioning!!! And so returning to these lovely Grenadine Islands has been bittersweet as all those wonderful memories with Danielle and Sharon come flooding back; watching them swing in the red hammock on the front of the boat, playing Banana Grams at night, snorkeling in the crystal clear waters, enjoying God's fabulous creation.....

We needed to give Always Sunday some special attention, so she was hauled out at Spice Island Marine Services to have her bottom painted and some additional repairs done. When you live on a boat, there's always something that needs work. Instead of camping on the boat out of the water, which is not very pleasant, we checked into The Grenadian Rex Resort for a long weekend and rented a car so we could check on boat repairs daily and buy provisions, and go to church on Sunday with our new boat friends Mike and Roycelyn Bowman from West Monroe, Louisiana. We loved being at the Rex with all meals included and afternoon tea and sandwiches. The staff was top of the line, the food was really well prepared, and I'm sure I gained a few pounds with desert 4 times a day. Who can pass it up when it's all inclusive!  

Downtown Granada where the cruise ships come in.

Beach at the Grenadian Rex - it's off season so we had this all to ourselves! 

Always Sunday going back in the water after her paint job.

It's always great to meet fellow Christians and Louisianians - Mike and Roycelyn