Janti is on the right

Happy Island as afternoon begins to ebb

When I first started going to Happy Island, in the late 1990’s, Janti had just begun his enterprise out in no-mans-land. In those days there was much less to the place than there is now, just an outdoor fire pit built into the little sandy terrace, some plastic chairs around a few tables, and coolers for beers and the occasional lobster feast. That and a few palm trees and strings of colored party lights. On that occasion we ate lobsters that Janti pulled out of the fire pit with his bare hands as we watched a gorgeous pastel sunset reflecting off the billowing clouds swirling around the twin peaks of Union across the bay. Our companions were a handful of sailors from Germany and The Netherlands. The other thing I remember about that first visit was that we stayed late, drank a fair amount of beer, and were trading sea yarns, probably exaggerated, when Janti suddenly interrupted with a request. “Hey, Friends,” he said, “I’m going on shore to a party. Whoever leaves last, unplug the lights.” And with that, he climbed into his dinghy and slipped away.

These days there’s even more to draw sailors in their dinghies or guided guests from farther out islands to Janti’s reef retreat than the spectacular location and the astonishing sunsets. Union Island has become a world center for kitesurfing, and Happy Island’s perch is prime viewing for the surfers as they come speeding off the water. With Clifton Harbor’s wind speeds and water depths ideal for training runs, bar patrons have a ring side seat to some of the best of the kite surfers as they spin and swirl, sometimes far above the heads of the patrons, sometimes over the entirety of Happy Island. No one minds in the slightest if it’s their beer that’s snatched when one of the talented surfers plucks it right out of their hands on his or her way up, chugs the contents in full flight, and then nonchalantly returns the empty as they settle back down into the water.