Selminha para voce: –

Selminha likes for me to tell her stories and suggested that I write some of them down because she , although I am not sure why, finds them of interest, or at least she says she does.

Why the hole?

I think this was told to me many years ago by Alston over a beer as we sat outside Grenada Yacht Club overlooking the then still beautiful but rather delapidated natural harbour of St George’s.

He was from Petit Martinique so it was local folklore.

Between the wars a new young tax inspector was posted to St. Georges and being a keen sort of chappie he decided to tour his new territory, to the outmost reaches.

This meant heading to Petit Martinique and so one day he boarded a trader heading to Carriacou and slowly sailed up the peaceful Caribbean coast probably stopping at Gouyave and Crayfish bay before leaving the lee of the land and heading across to Carriacou.

The calm Caribbean gave way to a lively chop and possibly more as the boat had to cross Kick ‘em Jenny
an undersea semi dormant Volcano, before heading into the lee again across Tyrell Bay and rounding Cistern point, and past Sandy Island to arrive at Hillsborough.

Our inspector probably stayed the night in the sleepy little town of Hillsborough before setting out the next morning to climb the steep hill and then walk down to the village of Windward on Watering bay. There he would have negotiated a passage on a locally built fishing boat to carry him through the reefs and across to Petite Martinique with its collection of houses called Sanchez.

On arriving at Sanchez he found most of the islands inhabitants gathered on the beach standing next to a large and deep hole in the strand. Introducing himself and asking who was the head man of the village he also asked what the large hole signified and for what purpose it served.

The reply came immediately: –

Why Mr. Tax Inspector, it for you.

And so the tax inspector reboarded his little fishing boat and was steered out through the reefs and back to Windward and then he had the long hot climb up the hill and down to Hillsborough and onto a trading boat and across the turbulent waters of Kick ‘em  Jenny and slowly down the Caribbean shore and back to St Georges, never to return.

Carriacou traditional boats


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