MUSTIQUE . WHERE THE RICH & FAMOUS HANG OUT .

The one thing that l really enjoy about the Caribbean is that there is always a breeze and the sailing is fantastic . The easterly trades blow consistently around 15 – 20kns occasionally gusting up to 25kns and all this amounts to exhilarating passages , every sailor's joy .

Our passage up to Mustique was no different and we made good time with Windward and her blemish free bottom trucking along in excess of 7kns all the way . There was a distinct African vibe offshore with accompanying yachts Madiba off our port beam and Zanzibar taking up the rear . Common amongst cruisers is the absolute denial that we are competitive but it just takes another yacht or two to be on similar courses and the game is on .

Getting back to the beautiful private island of Mustique , made famous by the likes of Mick Jagger , David Bowie , Bryan Adams , members of the Royal family and a host of celebrities and wealthy dudes , who now own about 100 large homes mainly situated on the northern half of the island . The guy who owns Adidas/Puma owns what appears up on the hill to be a small hotel with a view of the Grenadines before him . Britain's late Princess Margaret put this small private island on the map when the original owner Colin Tennant gave her a 10 acre plot of land as a wedding present . Lord Glenconner ( Colin Tennant ) purchased the entire 1400 acre island in 1958 for $67500 and set about developing the copra , cotton and sugarcane but today after selling off the island to private buyers they have restricted any further development which has turned the place into a glamorous hideaway . Although private and exclusive we were given a special tour of the island by a lovely lady we met while clearing in at the airport . She manages a private villa along with staff and she explained how the island caters to guests who rent these private villas when the owners are away . She drove us around the island to some of the most pristine beaches in the world , one in particular called Macaroni Beach is rated as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world . On the windward side of the island one magnificent beach is where Mick Jagger , Bryan Adams and Tomy Hilfiger have homes , all side by side . What is really appealing about this island is that much of the land has been left wild with some beautiful trails and most of the transport around the island are golf carts and mules , a similar but more robust type of vehicle .

The main spot for socializing is the famous Basil's Bar right on the water's edge which hosts the equally famous Mustique Blues Festival which sadly we missed by a couple of weeks . This event is held during the first two weeks of February and has become a major drawcard featuring musos from all over the world .

Our lady friend explained how fortunate we were to see the current Basil's Bar as this rustic eatery is about to be demolished after existing for 40 years and will be replaced with a new building apparently because the current structure is falling apart . She believes that this legendary bar will never be the same again and that it will be the end of an era . We managed to time our visit to attend the final “ Jump Up “ which Basil is famous for where they serve a buffet dinner while live music sees you through the night . They charge $10US to sit at the bar but if you pay $100US for the buffet , they will waiver the cover charge . Great deal( joke ). I suppose if you are an aging rock star , supermodel or the like that would be small change .

The Cotton House , Mustique's grand hotel was once an 18^th century cotton warehouse but today is a super luxury resort with only the best on offer even offering 11 kinds of pillows to choose from . Only upon request will a TV or DVD be installed in your accommodation , the whole idea is to maintain perfect peace and tranquility . After experiencing a charter boat full of party goers who were all totally out of it , singing and seeing who could whistle the loudest throughout the night , the Cotton House became an attractive option .

We really enjoyed Mustique for it's quaint Caribbean charm and brightly coloured buildings . The tennis club and horse riding facilities are immaculate along with it's little airport where the rich and famous fly in to be collected by their staff driving golf carts and mules . Even the police station and school have the same characteristics and with it's unique tropical ambiance , Mustique wouldn't be too difficult to call home . Although walking around exploring the island , every entrance leading up to a large villa is clearly signed “ Private Property “ and apparently at times particularly with visiting royalty certain parts of the island are restricted to keep the paparazzi out . We don't keep up with the celebrity who's who so we have no idea who we passed while wandering around the island .

Last but not least , we had a little interaction with nature again . After stepping out of the shower and into the saloon l noticed our fruit basket was under attack .

We had a fruit bat sitting on a paw paw just about to feast on it . We have a special folding net cover to protect the fruit from insects ( not bats ) and after closing it this poor bat spent three hours flying around inside our boat trying to work out how to get inside to the fruit .

Before getting into bed l left a lone apple in the cockpit to hopefully satisfy our little friend and the next morning the apple had disappeared but he/she had left a couple of droppings on our settee to remind us of its visit .