Grenada, Week Two: We Found the "It" Factor (and We're Still Not Rushing)

A week ago we said we were still searching for Grenada's "it factor." We'd seen the monkeys at Grand Etang, toured the rum distillery, moored off St. George's, Woburn Bay and Mt Hartman Bay — good stuff, but we still couldn't put our finger on what makes people love this island. Surprisingly one more week in, and we've got it. It's not a place.

It's the people.

Grenada reunion

A Reunion We Didn't Plan

This week looked nothing like last week. We barely left the anchorage. Boats we hadn't seen in a year started showing up ,faces from the Bahamas, from islands of the Caribbean we met along the way, from anchorages years back. Grenada is the hurricane season hub, and it turns out that means something we hadn't fully clocked: it's a reunion, every summer, for anyone who's spent time cruising south.

sunset with friends

We reunited with Mellow Puff, Unhurried,

Wild Horses, Nara, Wildly Intrepid, Wisdom, and more — boats we'd crossed paths with at different points over the last three years, all landing back in the same island at the same time. We also met some great new sailing families, and even ran into a few new Polish faces, which is always a treat out here.

Sophia got to reconnect with a good friend and met a handful of new kids along the way. She spent time swimming, exploring, and spotting her first octopus right off our anchorage. And all of us ,not just her finally got a chance to slow down and relax.

The Island Can Wait

We're still learning the lay of the land here, where things are, what's open when, how the anchorages connect. It's coming together slowly, the way it always does once you actually settle somewhere instead of passing through.One of the best parts has been watching Sophia fall into a routine. Every morning she and Daniel take Bolt for a walk together. Simple as that sounds, it's been one of the highlights of the week.

There's still plenty of Grenada we haven't seen, beaches we haven't anchored near, hikes we haven't done, waterfalls we still want to track down, corners of the island other cruisers keep telling us about. It's all still on the list.But we've got months here, not days. So for now, we're letting the friendships take priority and letting the island wait its turn.

Turns out that's the "it" factor was Not the island , but the people who keep coming back to it, and the fact that we've got nowhere else to be.

Right now we're keeping an eye on a small tropical wave headed our way, probably just some much-needed rain. Once it passes, we'll start planning what's next. As always, weather takes priority.

Plenty more Grenada to come — we've got time..