MUSTIQUE (MOUSTIQUE)
(ST-VINCENT GRENADINES)

Not long back Mustique’s beaches were known only to fishermen. That was until the day when the small, 5 sq km island caught the investment eye of Colin Tennant, a rich entrepreneur, a gentleman and British to boot. Thanks to his aristocratic connections he was able to interest Princess Margaret in his project. She became one of the first buyers of the luxurious houses built in the 1960s. Looking for solitude in the depths of the Caribbean, other rich clients followed suit, including international showbiz and jetsetting celebrities like Mick Jagger, Raquel Welch, David Bowie, etc. Not surprisingly, Mustique quickly acquired its nickname of Billionaires’ Island.

Today the Mustique Company, representing all of the proprietors, runs the island’s administration.
In the N part of the island there’s an old cotton plantation that has been sumptuously transformed into charming five star hotel, the Cotton House. It’s one of the Caribbean’s most select places (if we judge what counts as select by the size of the bill). Still, its luxury and its standards of service certainly justify the price.
Basil’s Bar, meanwhile, is on the beach in Britannia Bay (ex-Grand Bay). It has internet access and is a gathering point for passing visitors who can sample the local lobsters and seaside barbecue. Many evenings, the spot’s charm is further enhanced by music.
Close to the Cotton House there’s a little airstrip at the foot of the hills which ensures that the rich residents can come and go with ease for their short stays. Mustique is equally well-known for the shipwreck of the Antilles, jewel amongst French cruise ships, in 1971. This superb ship grounded on a shoal as a result of skirting dangerously close to the coast of Mustique. For a long time it decorated the reefs on the N coast, but not long back the rusty hulk slid off its perch and now lies on the bottom.
Mustique is a little jewel box, its beaches and coral superb and now all part of a protected reserve. Although setting foot ashore is likely to empty your wallet, a short stop still has its appeal.

PILOTAGE

Mustique is the most windward of the inhabited Grenadines, and whether coming from the N (from Bequia) or the S (from Canouan), if the current is strong and sets you W, you’ll be hard on the wind and may even have to make a tack or two depending on wind direction. Many sailors don’t fancy this and so don’t make the effort. On the N coast watch out for the Pillories and the numerous reefs running out two miles and more to seaward. This is where the Antilles went on the bricks to become the magnet for divers it now is, although you need to be experienced given the always very strong currents.

Britannia Bay (Grand Bay)
The only sheltered anchorage is in Britannia Bay (ex-Grand Bay).
Caution Half a mile to the west, Montezuma Shoal, a coral reef with only 1m over it, stretches more than 200m N to S. It is marked by a beacon, which is hard to pick out at any distance.
The anchorage in the bay is close to Basil’s Bar and has mooring buoys (there’s a fee payable to the Mustique Company (VHF 16/68) that manages them). If the buoys are occupied, you can anchor outside the mooring area, though the depths are considerable and there’s less shelter from the swell.
Caution Regulations covering protected reserves now state that all anchoring in the Grenadines must be clear of any coral. In Mustique restrictions are even tighter. The only place where anchoring is permitted is Britannia Bay and even here it should only be done if all the mooring buoys are occupied.
To the right of the mooring area the dock is reserved for the small ferries. The access channel, marked by two buoys, should be left free. The anchorage in Britannia Bay is often rolly, especially when the trades are NE and fresh.
Ashore Ask at the dock office about dress code and inland regulations for the island. There are no clearance facilities, for which you must go to the airport. Next to Basil’s Bar there are delightful, vibrantly coloured small houses in a neo-Creole style. They are home to several small fashion shops and a bar. For pretty basic provisioning there are grocery stores and a bakery, and best of all a very busy fish market. The last is close to the small fishing village with its coloured boats where the latest landings of fish and langoustes are on offer at the stalls. For a tour round the island, especially to the windward coast with its lonely beaches (Macaroni Beach) there’s a hire company (mini-moke, motorbikes, bikes). Given how small the island is, you could also go on horseback or even by foot. A dive centre does outings to good sites and wrecks around the shores.

Endeavour Bay
This fine beach, with minimal protection from N swell, is on the edge of the Cotton House Resort. Although anchoring is no longer officially allowed (see regulations), you can still get there by land to enjoy the surroundings of this prestigious establishment.

Lagoon Bay
There’s little protection here either and anchoring is not permitted. But you can arrive by tender or by land and enjoy the good snorkelling on the coral.

Other moorings :