Captain John's Log

Captain John Borden has written extensively of travels and experiences for a variety of publications. John decided to share these musings with you for whatever purpose suits you.

Use them to plan your upcoming cruise, reminisce about the last one, or plant the seeds for a future dream cruise!

(Note: We are currently adding new pages from the log periodically, so check back for new places! )

Bequia - the charm of this scenic Grenadine Island is only surpassed by that of her lively and friendly people.

Mustique
- the island's residents, a who's who of who's whos, have been careful to preserve the natural beauty of Mustique.

Tobago Cays - the Tobago Cays are perhaps the most alluring of all the Grenadines, a natural playground second to none in the Caribbean.

The Grenadines: Islands in The Clouds
Part I: The Island of Bequia
13.00°N. Lat/61.15°W. Long

We had been chartering in the Grenadine Islands of the southeastern Caribbean for only a few months. Making the adjustment from the Virgin Islands was quite a challenge. Gone were the supermarkets, laundry services, seafood deliveries, marine chandleries, trained shipwrights, electricians and mechanics. In the Grenadines our sailboat was indeed an island into itself, and if anything needed to be done, it would have to be done by it's inhabitants, namely me and my wife, Carole. Provisioning, for example, was a three-day adventure, haggling with vegetable farmers at the market, local bakers, transient fishermen and temperamental butchers. One quickly learns to go with the flow.

The Grenadines: Islands in The Clouds
Part II: The Island of Mustique
12.52°N. Lat/61.11°W. Lon

Of all the Grenadines, Mustique is perhaps the most unique. You've heard of exclusive clubs and restaurants; who is to say that there can't be an exclusive island? The private owners of the island united to form the Mustique Company, and their names read like the Who's Who of Who's Who! They are indeed the ultra-rich, and Mustique is their winter playground. Some seventy mansions with their gardens, tennis courts and swimming pools are scattered throughout the island's hills and beaches. Charter guests have become utterly star struck when sailing into Mustique. One guest in particular tickled me with her enthusiasm after reading Mick Jagger's name in the phone book. Others, however, like David Bowie, Princess Margaret and Raquel Welch are more discreet about their island getaway.

The Grenadines: Islands in The Clouds Part III: The Tobago Cays
11.15° N. Lat./ 60.40° W. Lon.

When it is so cold that the pipes freeze and I have to bring the dog in, I inevitably ask myself why I ever left the Caribbean. Fact is, I never really have, at least not in my mind. With all the colorful down island paintings and charts staring at me in my house and sailboat, I'm constantly transported back to warmer climes. Sure, I make my annual winter business trip to St. Thomas and Antiqua, but it's not at all the same after having lived there aboard charter yachts for six years!