I still have a few days before I need to be back in Grenada. So I stay longer on my favorite, Union Island, and head to the wonderful anchorage at Clifton Harbor.

This is the anchorage protected by a big reef that is also a popular kitesurfing spot and where I took lessons back in December.

I learned a ton and felt that I was just about to actually be riding somewhat consistently. And since I have the time, I decide to take one more lesson to put that feeling to the test. I text Maarten, my instructor from back then, and he is available the next morning.

Bright and early I get up and ready and meet him at the beach. He puts me to the test, asking me to set up my own kite to see how much I remember. To my surprise I do and before long we are back out on the water.

And my sense was not wrong. Pretty quickly I am back up and riding. Within the 2.5 hours I make countless runs in both directions and my water starts are now fairly consistent. I have not yet mastered the skill of riding to windward and transitions (turns) are also not yet there. But I feel great and turn an important corner: I really enjoy it and can feel the strong desire to do more of this. Maybe I discovered a new hobby?

That evening one of the instructors celebrates his 30th and I get invited. It is a chill kitesurfing crowd and the event turns into a very fun evening with great food, more drinks than I’ve had in quite a while (first hangover in a long time), and we wind up singing in a local karaoke joint and later dancing the night away in a disco.

After a recovery day I spend more time exploring Union Island, this time by taking a nice run around half the island.

I particularly like the lagoon in the south of the island and hang there for a bit and take a bunch of photos.

Then it is finally time to bid farewell. In two legs I make my way back to Grenada. First a shorter sail down the eastern (windward) side of Carriacou. The conditions are ideal with 18kn of wind straight on the beam. I have never seen JACE sail this fast. There might be a south-setting current at play as we are consistently going over 9kn and the GPS speed over ground even touches 10kn a few times. A first.

I overnight at Tyrrel Bay and then set sail again at 9am. Course: Grenada. It is a broad reach and the 20-25kn of wind don’t feel so strong as we are running away from it at 8kn. In just 4 hours We cover the entire distance to St. George’s where I grab a mooring and will spend the night so I can clear customs tomorrow morning (Monday).

So I made it back to where I started. Tomorrow I’ll wrap around the southern tip and back to the safety of Benji Bay where JACE will be left on a mooring for the next few months. I will leave on Saturday but until then I still have a lot of work to do to get the boat ready and myself packed up. But more on that next week.