When I was hired by Wind Star Cruises to act as their port agent on Bequia I was apprehensive, I already had a hectic life during the winter months and worried that I was taking on more than I could chew. The Wind Star’s purser and captain had both assured me that they would make my duties as simple as possible, but with two ships visiting each week I knew that my life was going to be crazy. I was right!
One of the reasons the cruise line had changed its itinerary to favor Bequia had less to do with the charm of the Island and more to do with the fact that they were no longer allowed to call at Mustique. The Mustique Company had decreed that ships carrying more than 25 passengers would no longer be allowed to visit, and because Mustique was on the ships’ itineraries Wind Star Cruises had to find a way to get their passengers to the Island of the rich and famous. That was the first hurdle they presented me with, I had to come up with excursions that would allow passengers to experience Mustique.
Well, that was a challenge, especially during that first year when Mustique was already on the ships’ itinerary. People had booked and paid for their cruises far in advance, well before the Mustique Company’s decree, and it was up to me to get them to the neighboring Island. Bequia did not yet have an airport, I would obviously have to organize sailing excursions. There were several small charter yachts available, such as Sapphire, Lord Jim and Pelangi, and I was sure that the owners of the vessels would appreciate the business.
My new fax machine became an important tool. The night before a ship’s arrival the Host or Hostess on board would fax numbers for the following day’s excursions, usually before 10:00. Each charter yacht was assigned 8 passengers, the larger boats 12, and once I had confirmed numbers from the ship I called the skippers. They would then organize crew, beer and rum punch for the excursion the next morning. The Mustique tour had to leave early, so the excursionists were sent ashore on the first tender. Sylvester Tannis, the head of Bequia customs and a member of my Tourism Committee, was kind enough to allow these passengers to disembark before the ship had been cleared.
The boarding process for this particular excursion was often chaotic. The skippers would bring their small dinghies alongside the rickety wooden dock in front of the fish market and wait while the passengers were sorted out. I tried my best to ensure that each yacht received the number of people I had promised them the night before, but as some groups or families refused to be split up this was difficult. I always heaved a sigh of relief when the last dinghy was on its way, I wouldn’t have to worry about those passengers for the rest of the day.
The passengers who chose to book the Mustique excursion were sometimes in for a rough ride, the channel was often quite wild and the charter boats did not have stabilizers like the big ships. Many became seasick during the crossing, but after a fun day on Mustique they usually arrived back in good spirits. Between touring the Island in the rental mules, eating at Basil’s Bar and swimming at Macaroni Beach the passengers returned sunburned and happy. I recall one passenger being disappointed, she had kept her eyes peeled for Mick Jagger on Mustique but hadn’t been able to spot him. I didn’t have to tell her that Mr. Jagger had lunched at Mac’s Pizzeria on Bequia that day, the Wind Star passengers who had been seated close to his table would let her know!