I’ve been sailing with Frank for a dozen years. In that time, we’ve cruised in many parts of the world together and he’s brought various family members along, but never the whole clan, not until now. The Tahiti trip formed around the perfect vortex of graduations, birthdays, engagements, and so forth, so the tribe tapped into the Bank of Dad and converged on paradise.
For one thing, there’s the immensity of the spectacle. There are tens of thousands of people exploring over 175 boats and 500 exhibitors connected by two miles of floating docks. For a few days each year, Annapolis is transformed into a reunion of sailors from around the world.
Picture this: your ultimate week-long getaway on the water. The sun is blazing, the breeze is just right to keep you cool as you zip through the crystal-clear waters between the breathtaking British Virgin Islands on a pristine, spacious new catamaran.
While the Aegean, Dodecanese, and Cyclades are top sailing spots, Greece’s west coast facing Italy should not be overlooked and as is well worth exploring.
The first time I saw Island Lady, I knew she was meant for me. A Tartan 4400, launched in 2007, with the grace of a dancer and the soul of a voyager.
The final countdown echoed across the bay, a long-anticipated moment: “5… 4… 3… 2… 1…BEEEEEEEEP!” Just like that, a flotilla of 140 yachts was off, sails hoisted all around, headed across the Atlantic, a 2,800 nautical mile navigation towards the Caribbean.
We had one of the most frustrating AND breathtaking beginnings in Belize. We had just spent three and a half days on passage from Cuba to Belize, and sadly, less than 12 hours of that had enough wind to fill a sail.
We overheard a conversation from a mom of twin toddlers discussing life aboard. Our first reaction was, “wow, that must be hard” but she sounded like she was having fun and life was grand.
Back before the gray beard and “bald by choice” hairdo, when a tan was a permanent accessory and shoes were saved for special occasions, I had the distinction of answering that useless, I mean “timeless” question, “what do you do?” with a smile.
When we started discussing sailing on our own boat across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, one of our first questions was: what would we do with our pets??
