Boat Life, Land Life, and Travel Plans

Back at the Bitter End Yacht Club

     Nanny Cay is a large marina that caters directly to cruisers. It has a long wooden walkway stretching past the docks to a plaza with a grocery store, marine store, dive shop, yacht brokerage, several restaurants and small shops. Along the water there is a beach with lounge chairs, a beach bar and a fresh water swimming pool. During our short stay at the marina we had time to complete many small errands and got to enjoy the swimming pool and beach. This was our first time in a pool in ages and I had forgotten how much you float in salt water compared to fresh!

     Lounging on beach chairs after a refreshing dip I felt a sense or normalcy, a change from the boat lifestyle. Living on land has become a novelty- how strange! Sometimes I miss the stability of living on land in a solid house where showers are regular and beds are large. That night after the sun sank below green hills and whisked away the day's heat, Mom and I strolled the boardwalk and marvelled at the luxurious tiled bathrooms available for marina guests. It's an odd life, living on a boat. We've spent a lot of time away from land lately, only setting foot on solid ground when visiting an island for supplies or to go for a walk. Most of the islands have little on them, besides a restaurant and dive shop, so visiting anywhere with more than a few buildings its a big change. I don't necessarily miss the buzz of towns and cities, but it will be a definite eye opener setting foot in one again after being surrounded by water and green hills for many weeks now.

     After one brief night in Nanny Cay we sailed back to Cooper Island to drop off our rented scuba tanks and made one long tack back to the North Sound at Virgin Gorda. The wind has returned, so the focus of our days has shifted from scuba diving back to kiteboarding. There's also wonderful hiking to be had around the Bitter End Yacht Club, so that offers some variety.

     Plans for visiting the leedward islands are beginning to solidify and shortly we'll be doing a two-day passage to St. Kitt's. After a week or so at St. Kitt's and Nevis we'll island hop to Guadeloupe, Antigua, and Dominica. Dad hopes to get all the way to Grenada, but I am skeptical as to whether we will have enough time to visit it properly and spend a few weeks in the Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas on the return journey. I will keep everyone updated on these plans as they unfold in more detail. At the moment Dad is keeping a close eye on the weather to find a safe weather window for a passage. Happily, it will be a short one this time!

All the best,
Nicole.