Following our week on the hard, we returned to Tahiti Beach, our happy place! At low tide on Saturday we dropped the kayaks in the water and paddled to the beach. Our kayaks have a “peek-a-boo” window in the bottom so we can see underwater beneath the kayak as we paddle. But the water on this day was so calm and clear, we really didn’t need the window to see the starfish and other sea creatures below us. We beached the kayaks and took a nice walk out to the end of the sandbar, looking for shells along the beach and small conchs in the water (this area seems to be a nursery for them).
On Sunday we attended church on Man-O-War, then we were back to Marsh Harbour Boat Yard on Monday and Tuesday for Marlin to finish polishing the topsides of Cay de Cay. We were able to stay in the water along a dock for the topside polish job. Then we headed back to Aunt Pat’s Bay just north of Tahiti Beach.
The weather remained “Chamber of Commerce” beautiful and the next day we pulled out the inflatable stand-up paddleboard (SUP) that Karrie received as a Mother’s Day gift last May. It was the first time we took it out of its bag since the purchase! We pumped it up and launched it.
Launching the new SUP
Obviously, since the SUP was Karrie’s gift, she had to be the first to use it. And she did great, paddling all around the boat. But being cautious (and remaining dry) she stayed on her knees this first time out!
Karrie on her SUP
Then it was Doug’s turn to give it a try and after some egging on, I gingerly stood up for a few moments. It was not a totally relaxing experience….you can probably see how tense my leg muscles are! The wakes from passing boats did not help my confidence!
Doug in vertical mode
But the SUP was fun to use. It moves along easily with little effort. The board is very light and surprisingly rigid for an inflatable. We both just need more practice to get comfortable on it.