A Happy Birthday

The day after our visitors left Irie, Mark checked out of Grenada and off we went! Our trip back north started with a first stop at Chatham Bay in Union Island. The long beach is great for walks and the people were very friendly and welcoming. Not many yachts were present, making this a quiet and enjoyable stop for the night.

November 28^th is my birthday and this year, we decided to actually do something fun and make the day somewhat special, by sailing to the Tobago Cays in The Grenadines. Mark and I have wanted to come here many times, but it had never worked out thus far. We tacked to the east for a couple of hours to find some of the prettiest water in the midst of a group of little islands and anchored behind the big horseshoe reef for protection against the seas. We managed to find a nice spot away from the other 50 or so boats. It was very windy and quite swelly, but we dealt with it for the short time we were there.

Before lunch, I checked out the reef with my snorkel gear. Mark had to stay with untrusting Darwin. Swimming into the current to reach the patches of coral was very hard and tiring, but getting back to Irie was a breeze. The choppiness of the sea made the experience less fun, but the coral and the fish were pretty enough. We’ll be back next season to explore this area more…

The best thing about birthdays is that I didn’t have to do ANYTHING! Mark made a nice egg sandwich breakfast, fried hot dogs that “hit the spot” for lunch, prepared a wonderful spaghetti carbonara with garlic bread for dinner and did all the dishes, while I soaked up the beautiful views around us. I even got a gift this year and what kind of one… It sure made up for last year’s “birthday”!

In the afternoon, we relaxed a bit and I took off snorkeling again, this time to see the many sea turtles near one of the beaches. I observed a bunch of these gentle creatures, while they nibbled on sea grass, moved through the water and swam to the surface for a breath of air. Later on, we all explored one of the little islands and enjoyed a nice sunset in Irie’s cockpit, while drinking my favorite cocktail of coconut rum (thank you, Griet and Wim) and pineapple juice. Is this what vacation feels like? I can’t wait until it’s November 28^th 2010!

(For more pictures, check out itsirie.shutterfly.com)