Land ho! 🏝️
In the middle of the night, what first looked like the feeble light of a fishing boat turned out to be land! We sailed until dawn… and there it was. Grenada, the Island of Spice.
We could almost smell the nutmeg!
🍹 Reception at Port Louis Marina#
The reception was incredible. As we docked the boat, a group of ARC+ organizers and friends gathered on the pontoon to cheer us. It was barely 7 AM, and we were being handed rhum punches (yes, multiple), to celebrate 🍹
We were beyond happy to have made it to the other side of the Atlantic! We had to tend to the administrative to do’s, of course… but we couldn’t shake that smile off our faces. We were finally here!
The atmosphere was one of celebration. As more and more ships arrived, the yellow shirts were seen buzzing around the port, busy orchestrating the safe arrival of each and every vessel.
What a joy! 🥳
🏝️ Enjoying Grenada#
🚙 St George’s#
As we started to settle in, we decided we absolutely needed to visit the island while our crew was still in town. We started with a short hike to St George’s on the day of arrival, which was almost overwhelming. So many sounds, so many people… and driving seemed to be a national sport 😱
🐠 Diving#
We then took to scuba diving 🤿. We found a local dive shop and scheduled the PADI Open Water for Inês and the PADI Advanced for David. We went with our friends from Møyfrid and XIII. What a blast! We wanted to do more of this!
🍫 Island tour#
We also participated in an island tour. We tasted wonderful chocolate at the Tri-Island Chocolate factory (where we also observed multiple spices being grown), went on a hike, and swam under a gorgeous waterfall.
⛵️ Sailing#
Sailing, you ask? Yes! We were kindly invited by our friends on Maracujá for a day sail and some fishing 🎣. They were wonderful hosts, and served us a delicious fish carpaccio!
To Arnaud & Coraline, je dis bravo! 👏🏽
🥳 Time to Party!#
🪩 Maracujá Mágica does it again#
Oh yes, we did that too. Maracujá and Nuvem Mágica can’t be in the same place without throwing a mega party. We kept the Maracujá Mágica legend alive and well by throwing an even bigger, bolder and crazier party. This time we had over 50 people onboard eating, talking, dancing (essentially shaking that money maker… as kids these days say 😁). Mind the waterline and close those side hatches!
At the front, we tested our new projector setup and had many people showcase quite the dance moves! In the cockpit DJ Oh No excited the dance floor with an unwavering selection of hits 🎶
One boat, two dance floors 💃🕺
👾 Kids’ game night#
On another occasion, we hosted a sushi dinner party with the kids from Blue Wonder and Spirit. Blue Wonder had caught a huge wahoo and wanted to share the catch 🍣
For the kids, we setup up the projector and they played many video games! They were so entertained… that the adults might have been tempted to join 😉
Our hearts melted the next morning when they brought their own art as a thank you gift 💝
🥂 ARC+ Parties#
There were several ARC+ parties, but the most memorable one was the prize-giving ceremony. It was inspiring to see the racers, the cruisers, the double-handers and the families step on stage. What an achievement!
David won a prize as well, for being so active and supportive in the chat groups, during the crossing ❤️ That’s how we know David: positive and caring ❤️
Everyone was to be congratulated! Especially the ARC+ organizers. We are incredibly thankful to them, and hope they also had a chance to enjoy!
🎄 Christmas and New Year’s eve#
😕 Nostalgia#
We decided to take a break for Christmas to visit friends and family. We longed to share our story of crossing the ocean with them, and we knew we would be in for some delicious home food. A perfect plan to recover.
However, while we waited in Grenada for Christmas to come, we were hit by a monstrous dose of nostalgia as we saw our friends, who had been with us for almost 2 months of crossing (from Gibraltar to Grenada), starting to leave the marina.
It really felt we like we had spent a decade together by now, and seeing everyone taking different routes… it was such an ineffable feeling.
Fortunately, we later found out that the Caribbean is a small world, and we kept finding our friends at anchor, in the street, and in marinas!
😁 Excitement again!#
It all started again as we organized an epic NYE party on Sandy Island. We spent the day of the 31st of December preparing food, drinks (an ultra strong caipirinha mix, of course) and collecting wood and dried coconuts 🥥 for a bonfire that lasted until the early hours of January 1st.
We connected JBL speakers into one massive surround system, and had music on for the whole of the party. Everyone brough delicious food… and so we ate, drank (feasted, really), danced, chatted, and many sprung into the water at midnight!
A memorable night ❤️
Next, we want to explore the Caribbean!
Until then! ☀️