“Throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”  (Mark Twain).

Yesterday (Friday) morning was one of those mornings.  The type any boating-lover living in this wonderful and sometimes under-estimated Kingdom longs for every Friday and Saturday, especially with well-travelled guests visiting from the Emirate of Everything: Dubai!

Windfinder - http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/bahrain - provided confidence, even to the more modest single-engined boat owner, that the journey from the Kingdom’s mainland to its most welcome Caribbean-esque retreat would be a total joy.

Armed with hamper and some enriched refreshment, off we set!

This was Bahrain at its best: quiet and understated to start with and soon bustling with a vibrant yet modest hum akin to that one would perhaps expect in Kew Gardens or Richmond Park on a warm August Saturday, only replace the grass for sand!