Zaya Nurai Island

“Where are you going?  Who are you going with? What time will you be home?”.

“Umm, I’m not really sure” I respond.  I’m not trying to avoid the questions, I just don’t really have the answers.  I’ve been invited along on a boat rally.  Well, my friend has invited me along on her friends’ boat.  We’re doing a rally from the Dubai Marina to Zaya Nurai Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi and back.  I’ve met our host via email only and I don’t have any real details about exactly what the boat rally entails, other than my friend is picking me up at 7:30am for an 8am start.  I have the day off.

I’m 2 minutes off from finishing making coffees when my friend arrives in a nice black Lexus, which she claims she recently purchased.  Somehow I think not, I know her better than that.  We’re at the Marina a little early and have time to pop into the supermarket for a couple of snacks.  By the time we get back, our host has arrived and is setting up the boat.  It doesn’t take as long as I expect before we’re headed out to wait for the rest of the rally boats just off JBR near The Palm.  The Marina boat, the leader, finds us, we put up our flag and we’re off.

Apparently the Marina organisers were a bit worried about our host and her boat, it’s small compared to the others but we fly along and it’s an enjoyable couple of hours on the sea before we find Zaya Nurai Island and pull up at the jetty.

The island is pretty incredible.  We are welcomed and help is at hand for mooring.  A couple of other parties come and go and we spend a little extra time tying another boat to ours before heading off to hit the pool and beach.

First things first and, cocktail in hand, we take a swim in the sea.  It’s still warm enough for the sea to be pleasant but thankfully the sand is no longer so scorching that you have to wear shoes to the waters’ edge.  We float around and chat for a while without a care in the world.  It’s nice to get to know our host a little better.

The service is slow and we order an a la carte lunch with the idea of giving ourselves some lead time.  An all inclusive lunch (brunch) was an option but given that we have only 3 hours, it didn’t seem worthwhile.  Although it takes a stretch, our now attentive waiter calls us in from our swim when lunch is ready and we share our Arabic platters – one BBQ and another dips & mezze, which is more than enough for the three of us.  Champagne is ordered somewhere along the way….

Next up is the pool.  The champagne quickly disappears and, more cocktails in hand, we hit the pool.  There are enough people for atmosphere but it is by no means crowded and we have the pool to ourselves for a while.  The afternoon promptly disappears and we need to get back to the boat all too soon.  No one is in a particular rush though and we have enough time for a chat on the wharf as the group gathers and a group photo is arranged.  The passengers from the larger boats are transferred back to their mooring just off of the island while we shuffle a smaller one to get ours out.

Then we’re off again.  The wind has picked up a little although it’s still a wonderful feeling to be out on the water.  The ride back flies by with an incredible aquatic sunset as a bonus.  We pass JBR beach and enter the Marina as the night encroaches and the buildings are illuminated with a rainbow of colorful lights.

The Marina is lit up also and bustling, in stark contrast to the quietness of this morning.  We moor the boat and pop a bottle of champagne and enjoy a little evening picnic on the front of the boat.  Eventually we have to call it a night and get the boat cleaned and packed up.  This takes a little time but is a worthwhile price to pay for such an enjoyable day.

Would I Return?

Yes – should I be so lucky as to get to Zaya Nurai Island again!  One of the benefits of Dubai is the wonderful array of people that you meet and the willingness of new friends to share their time and their experiences.  I hope I can repay these favors to new and old friends by sharing my time and experiences in a similar fashion, albeit not including boat rides!