Magic Dragon Blog

We got woken up this morning by RAIN! Not just a little bit either, but a really nice hard rain where you could barely see the boat next to you. These islands need the rain so bad so we are sure they were happy. We were too as the boat was filthy with salt and grime. One cruiser next to us was so happy that he forgot to put any clothes on at all while he scrubbed the deck with a brush during the downpour; or maybe he was dirty too and taking care of both things at once. The rain did last for about an hour or so, not a drought buster, but im sure it put some water in everyone's empty cisterns.

After the rain stopped we left for Bequia and had a great sail averaging 6.8 kts in our fat tub of a boat, with a reef in the mainsail!

We went in to town to take a weeks worth of garbage to the dumpster and noticed that a lot of the stores were closed. Herb went to the tourism building to get the 'Bequia This Week' paper and realized that Sunday was Heroes Day and Monday was the Holiday. So all the kids were off school and the beaches were crowded with locals. That also explains why they were partying big time in Canouan even bringing in crowds from St. Vincent in a packed ferry. We are not sure exactly what Heroes Day is or who the heroes are, even the locals couldn't really explain when we asked.

We decided to head for the beach ourselves for a swim after having enough of the hot hot sun. It gets to about 85-87 but the heat index is about 95 or more. After swimming we came back to the boat for showers and a sundowner then we decided we wanted to go out to eat, so we dinghied to shore to go to a Mexican (yes Mexican) restaurant called Tommy Cantina.

Tommy Cantina is owned by Pam and Tom Stewart and everything they cook here is made from scratch! The only thing they do not make themselves are the corn tortillas. We had the beef taquitos for an appetizer and they were fried perfectly and the salsa was right at the medium hot we both like. Herb had a combination plate with a beef taco, chicken enchilada, black beans, and rice. Frank decided on a black bean burger, fries, and cole slaw. Frank was worried about his choice because it had to compete with Dot's Back Inn's black bean burger which is awesome. Everything was delicious! Frank even had to ask Pam the owner later how they made the coleslaw.

After eating we to their bar to have another rum punch and to chat with Pam. While we were sitting there in walks this older man that we have seen walking around Bequia and in some of the bars we have gone to. He is a very noticeable person, as he is always carrying a straw purse in the shape of a fish. We had asked someone a while back what his story was and was told that some people call him 'Fish Purse John' and that the purse used to belong to his wife who passed away a few years ago and he always carries it with him in her honor.

'Fish Purse John' is quite the character. He is from England and has a very strong English accent, a bit on the squeaky side, and his laugh is so funny that you can't help but laugh every time he does. He actually has a DVD that he sells which is a sort of a history of Bequia and a travelogue of sorts. He pulled one out of his purse a couple of times while we were chatting about Bequia and when Herb asked what was the worst damage they have had by a hurricane; he has videos of the aftermath of Hurricane Lenny after 30 foot waves made there way into the bay on that DVD. He is also a concert pianist and plays at the local church every day on a piano that he donated to the church. We could have talked with him for hours as he has many stories to tell but it was getting late.