Sailors

Five of the eight of us are Coast Guard fellas. They KNOW HOW TO SAIL. Mostly I try to stay out of their way but on a rare occasion they'll let us laymen crank something or stand at the bow with a buoy. Its great to see them work. It's such a quick game, everyone climbing around—pulling on ropes and shouting jargon. Starboard! Main sail!

But more than that, they're all fun. And relaxed. Maybe it's the water. Honestly I wouldn't mind joining this rum-drinking-sunburned-boat-club.

Play

The beauty of the trip is that we can literally do anything we want—whenever we want. Roll out of bed and jump in the water? Sure. Read a whole novel in one sitting? Yep. Handstand contest at the bar? Absolutely. We're all just playing. All day. It's glorious.

Ps. There are baby goats everywhere. They are cozy too. You can snuggle them.

Virgin Gorda Anegada

Yesterday we sailed from Virgin Gorda to outlying Anegada. The wind was strong and WE CHARGED ACROSS THE OPEN OCEAN! What an incredible feeling. There are wide nets ("trampolines" to a sailor) at the front of boat to lounge on. When the boat is pitching back and forth and forward, it's ridiculous fun bouncing around up there, rum drink in hand.

Anegada isn't like the other islands. It's remote and quiet. It's the favorite of our hosts (one of which is pictured above with the conch and a rum drink).

For dinner we took the dingy to the Anegada Reef Hotel. With our toes in the sand and candlelight flickering, we had a feast of (GIGANTIC) Caribbean Spiny Lobster and red wine. I never want to stop sailing.

The Baths

I can't explain it and the photos don't do it justice but there are these "BATHS" on Virgin Gorda. We climbed up and over and around and waded through water and came out into blue-green paradise. The water is turquoise and perfectly clear.

MOTO Virgin Gorda

On Virgin Gorda we rented scooters. They are tragically small and funny. The helmets are ill-fitting and sometimes rider two has to get off so that rider one can make it up a steep hill. BUT what a time we had! We rode to Levrick Marina and had a PAINKILLER (rum! pineapple! creme de coconut! nutmeg!). The views were astounding.

BVI Baby

We are here! There are rope swings, rum drinks, and fresh coconuts. I already have my sea legs. Tonight we are moored off of Tortola and tomorrow we sail. Virgin Gorda! Anegada! Jost Van Dyke! I HAVE NEVER BEEN ANYWHERE LIKE THIS.

The Dunes

This weekend we went to Olivia's beach house. It's debatable but the best part might have been our trip to the dunes. OR it was the beer-boat-paddle board-hat party we had in the middle of the Nags Head sound but that's for another day....

The dunes were HUGE and the sunset was perfect and the whole experience was quite surreal. The whole trip was ridiculously fun and I can't actually believe it's already come and gone.

Taking Off

Today I leave for the next two weeks! First, I am going to Olivia's beach house and then Ben and I are flying off to the British Virgin Islands for a sailing trip.

Trust me, I know very well what I lucky girl I am.

Kiawah

Or as my friends affectionately call it: Kiawahwah. This is where I work! Sort of. Kiawah is a large barrier island outside of Charleston and I must admit it is magical. The skies are blue, the air is perfumed, and the clubhouse amenities are plenty.

The landscape around The Ocean Course is akin to the windswept Serengeti. I suppose I understand what all the fuss is about. Out there, you feel like you're in Jurassic Park and a T-Rex just might come lumbering out of the trees.

Family Portraits

Last night I hosted a family dinner party on the porch. Damnit I love these people! Dinner was outrageously good and so was the raucous game of catchphrase afterwards. There was hysterical laughing and SO MANY CURSE WORDS. My poor neighbors.

Also we took THIS HILARIOUS PHOTO. I think it's funny that Tim isn't even looking at the camera.