Arc comrades at the Happy Bar

We invited all 4 from Menno’s boat for breakfast. Cairan seems much more able on his foot. Breakfast for 10 was quite an operation, but worked. Janey, Amelia and I decided to walk to Sparrow’s beach bar the other side of Clifton. Rowan and all the men motored round and took a mooring ball in Clifton. We said sad goodbyes to Luke and Cairan who are starting their mammoth 3 day journey home to the UK via Barbados and St Lucia!

Us girls had a hot steep climb out of Chatham bay, but worth it for the views. We walked to the end of the headland and found the old canon emplacement that Rowan and I found last year. There were quite a few tethered cows up there, a few with newly born calves, poor things we wondered where they got water from. Sadly it looks like quite a bit of development on the ridge with diggers and bush clearance. It would be so sad if they ever made a decent road down to Chatham beach, it would alter the atmosphere of the bay completely.

Leaving Chatham bay (photo thanks to Duco)

We had lovely views on our walk back down the other side. We got to the stunning beach of Sparrow’s and had the pick of the sun loungers to ourselves and a well deserved refreshing swim. It’s a gorgeous little beach and so nice that a portion is kept for the locals to use. We were amused by an elderly local getting a very cut throat looking wet shave, in a camping chair in the lapping water. Island life!

Over the top looking towards Sparrow’s beach

Sparrow’s beach

The men finally joined us after Rowan successfully signed out Luke and Cairan from a reluctant official. We were here at Sparrow’s last year and had the most delicious sashimi, we were very happy it was equally delicious this year. We ordered more food halfway through the meal which took for ever to arrive, but it didn’t really matter as we had all afternoon to relax next to the gorgeous aquamarine water. The place was busy, things must be getting back to normal.

Delicious sushi lunch in the shade of the trees

Our 6 foot 2 gorgeous waitress! Comparing legs!

We walked back through Clifton town, we pointed out the rather tatty medical building at the top of the hill where Rowan and I got our first Covid vaccination. The main strip was humming and the Bougainvillea Guest house where Luke and Cairan stayed was transformed, it was all closed last year and looked rather run down. Completely different now.

We decided to go to the famous Happy island bar, we visited last year and were the only people. A real Rasta runs the bar which is built on an island of conch shells. We just missed sunset, but knew it was busy by the amount of dinghy’s tied up. To our surprise we found Menno and Duco again, and the crew from Rhapsody! Jean Jaques and Anne, had picked up their youngest son (who was a real character with a neat moustache who looks just like Freddy Mercury!) and his wife and two gorgeous kids. All extremely glamorous. Lots of stories over a few rum punches. With Anne and myself comparing our dogs and castles! They live in an enormous Chateau with a huge dry moat, unlike our ruins surrounded by water filled moats!

Rhapsody crew and the Dutchies

Comparing photos

We returned to the boat to shower and then headed into town as Friday is meant to be the big live music night in Clifton. The restaurant we wanted to go to was all closed and we landed up in a rather seedy bar with no music! We didn’t last that long, we returned Anne to Rhapsody while a few of the men went in search of music.