Best Valentine's Day Ever!

Our plan was simple: arrive in Port Lucaya, rest for a few days after the crossing, and move on. I was looking forward to our first Valentine's on our boat at a beautiful anchoage.

The weather had other plans.

A line of 40+ knot blows stacked up on the forecast, one after another, and what was meant to be a short stay quietly stretched into a full week at the dock.

And honestly? We loved it.

There’s something unexpectedly sweet about being “stuck” somewhere beautiful. The pressure to move disappears. The to-do lists quiet. Instead of planning routes and studying weather windows, we found ourselves settling into marina life.

Evenings turned into docktails — folding chairs appearing along the pier, stories flowing as easily as the drinks. We shared dinners with fellow cruisers, wandered to nearby restaurants, and lingered longer than we would have if we were chasing the next anchorage.

During the day, we explored the market, chatted with shop owners, and took long walks through town while the wind howled safely overhead. From the dock, a 40-knot blow feels very different from what it does at anchor. Expensive marina or not, being tied securely to solid cleats brought a peace of mind that was worth every penny.

Somewhere in the middle of that week, we stopped saying, “When this wind dies down…” and started saying, “I’m glad we’re here.”

Cruising isn’t always about the miles you cover. Sometimes it’s about the places that make you slow down.

Eventually, the forecast softened. The window would open. We would move again.

But Port Lucaya wasn’t a delay.

It was a gift we didn’t plan for.