Pirate Trails

“Got out of town on a boat to the southern islands.”

I leave today for a month-long trip aboard the Somewhere Hot. We plan to spend the next few weeks exploring the beauty of the Leeward Islands, both above and below the water. We’ll start in St. Martin and work our way down to Dominica, with stops in St. Barts, Saba, Saint Eustatius, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, and Guadeloupe.

Spending time on the water is like returning home. Growing up, we had a house in the bay. The sounds on a boat are a symphony composed by nature: waves lapping against the hull, the breeze blowing through the flybridge, and the occasional cry of a seagull. Add to that the salty smell of the ocean, and I am right back on my dad’s boat as a six-year-old, baiting my own hook and trying to fish just like him.

A boat is a magic portal to a different realm where you can cast off from the mundane shores of daily life. I love that first glimpse of a new island on the horizon. It excites the explorer in me, and I begin imagining the adventures ahead. The Somewhere Hot is a no-stress vehicle (and floating condominium) for seeing new worlds and discovering new cultures.

The best part is that I get to share this adventure with some fantastic people who will come and go at different points on the journey. The opportunity to share sunsets, hike volcanoes, dive old wrecks, play cards, tell jokes, and make memories with friends old and new is a gift that I treasure. Not sorry if you get an OOO message from me.

We are not “sailing for tomorrow.” It is all about today.