Interesting people you meet

Friday January 30th, 2015

Warning - there is a short version and a long version to this two part story.  Chose the one you want.  Mix and match if you want.

Short Version Part One - 

We met the former Prime Minister of St Vincent and The Grenadines and he gave Tom an aloe vera leaf to help heal Tom's wounded knee.

Long Version (play by play) Part One -

We went ashore last night for happy hour to meet up with the crew of s/v Rhon.  Frangipani was the hh place.  We arrived first so we grabbed a drink and headed over to a group of chairs facing the bay to lime and watch the beautiful sunset.  There was one man sitting there amongst 4 empty chairs.  "May we join you?" I asked.  He said "By all means."  We exchanged a couple short pleasantries but soon he got up.  He strolled around a few feet back and then sat on a picnic table a few feet behind the chairs where we were. "I feel bad that we ran that man off" I told Tom.  "No.  I think he is the owner." he said.   Hum?  Tom got up to get another round.  I still felt bad so I went over and said "I hope we didn't run you off."  The man politely smiled and said "No.  I am the proprietor."  I commented on how lovely the setting is that he has and a few other niceties.  "Where do you live?"  he asked.  I said "I live out there on a boat."  He smiled again.  I offered my hand "I'm Sabrina from s/v Honey Ryder."  He smiled and shook my hand.  Tom walked up just then so I introduced Tom.  The man did the same, smiling and shaking Tom's hand.  "Bequia is beautiful" I said.  "Have you seen the latest Ins and Outs of Bequia Magazine?"  he asked.  "I wrote and article."  He stepped into a room close by to get it.  In the mean time Tom asked me in a whisper "What is his name?"  I replied "I don't know.  He didn't offer it up."  The man returned and showed us the article he wrote about Bequia's flowers.  I recognized the article.  He said "I'm James" and offered his hand to shake about the same time I remembered the article was written by the former Prime Minister of St Vincent and The Grenadines.  "You're the former Prime Minister." I blurted.  He smiled and said yes.  He agreed to join us and we had a lovely but too brief chat.  He was Prime Minister for 19 years.  The longest in the Caribbean except for Castro and as James said "and he did not get elected."  His daughter's name is Sabrina and she usually manages the restaurant and hotel but she was currently off island with her passion, a women's basketball league.  We learned he was Sir James because people kept passing by our chairs to say hello and good-evening to him and they all addressed him SIR James but to us he was just James as that is how he introduced himself.  Besides being the former Prime Minister, he is also a botanist and certified biologist.  He saw the wound on Tom's knee (proudly from Music Fest) and immediately got up and went over to an aloe vera plant near the kitchen.  He cut an aloe leaf off and returned, giving it to Tom with instructions to apply it to his wound.  The former Prime Minister of St Vincent gave Tom and aloe leaf for his knee!  Sadly our visit was brief as local guests arrived that he waiting on.

January Saturday 31st, 2015

Short Version Part Two- 

Sir James gave us two small aloe vera plants from the grounds of his hotel.  

Long Version (play by play) Part Two - 

Tom got another aloe leaf from s/v Rhon.  They have a small aloe plant aboard.  He has been applying it to his wounded knee with great success.  "We should get our own aloe plant." Tom said.  I agreed.  "Perhaps we can keep our eyes out for one as we trek the the hills of these islands."  Then it hit me...."OR perhaps we can get one from Sir James."  Bingo!  A few days later we went ashore and stopped by Frangipani.  Sir James was not in.  Oh well.  We exited out into the grounds of the hotel and ran into him.  Tom gave him an update on his knee and how great the aloe was working.  Then asked "We think we need our own plant onboard our boat.  Where can we get an aloe plant?"  Sir James thought for a moment and then said "Well......I have some at my house in my garden.....hum?   Come with me."  He lead us around the grounds until he found a few plants.  He dug a small one up with his pocket knife.  Then he got a machete from a tool shed and instructed Tom to dig up another shoot.  

Summary - both versions

So now we have two small aloe vera plants on our boat courtesy of Sir James himself.