Aren’t we lucky? Because, seriously, look at how gorgeous it was the other day sailing here in beautiful Naples, Florida! The water in the Bahamas better be *crystal clear* to beat this kinda view. 😉
But in all seriousness, we couldn’t have asked for a much better day to take the boat out for a day sail (and use it as an excuse to test out our recent autopilot fix – which btw works like a charm now!). I was also thrilled for a good excuse to clean up our messy sailboat project/work site for the day so we could get Jer’s little sister Ashley (visiting from Canada) out for a cruise.
We headed out of Naples Bay and through Gordon’s Pass (our usual route), and sailed along the coast for a few hours.
^^no, we are not sitting at the dock…this is actually with sails up. pretty sad, eh?^^
The day started out with pretty crappy action in the wind department (hence our killer speed in the photo above), so we thought… what better time to bust out our new Adventurer 9’10” Inflatable SUP from Tower Paddle Boards and give it a spin?
Ashley volunteered to go first. But before letting her loose on the board out in the Gulf of Mexico, we decided it might not be such a bad idea to tie a safety line (aka “a leash”) to the board in case things got crazy (they didn’t, but better safe than sorry). There were a few initial falls off the board, but overall, Ashley’s first time SUPing went great! 🙂
^^Jer on leash duty.^^
Since Jereme wasn’t wearing a swimsuit, he opted to remain on leash duty. 😉 I, on the other hand, didn’t want to miss out on trying out our new board (swimsuit or not)!
So, paddle boarding looks pretty easy, right? Wrong. lol. Okay, it has been easy for me in the past when just SUPing right at the beach. But this time it was a little different since we were just hopping on the board right off the sailboat, several miles offshore. And, let me tell ya something, although the water looks super calm and wave-free, it’s not!!! Once you step foot on the board it feels like each tiny wave is a giant mountain. I found it pretty tough to find a comfortable balancing position which is why I opted for an initial kneeling style mode of attack. After gaining a bit more composure and balance, I finally made it to my feet (with no photos to prove it). And I am very happy to report that I did NOT fall in the water once. What what! Go me!
I CANNOT wait until we are anchored somewhere amazing in the Bahamas so we can really enjoy the board (Oliver too!).
After our quick SUP-ing escapade, the wind starting picking up, so we kicked back and enjoyed lunch on board while sailing at 5 knots or so.
We wrapped up the day with multiple dolphin encounters as we headed back in the Pass. I can’t imagine ever getting sick of seeing dolphin in the wild.
^^new fav photo of these two.^^
^^that face.^^
All in all it was another beautiful day in paradise. Love this little life of ours. xoxo. 🙂
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Loved your photo’s! You looked great on your board and love the picture of the Captain cuddling your dog!
You are making me so jealous and I will be sure to send some snip-its of the computer screen so you won’t miss it too much! That picture of Oliver close up is too adorable!
Thanks so much Sue!!! That’s one of my favorite photos as well! 🙂 -Kim
Lol Keri! I don’t want any snip-its whatsoever. 😉 -Kim
True enough, you’re blessed to be beginning your journey in a place as beautiful as Naples! We love visiting my folks in Punta Gorda and always say, “What an amazing cruising ground this is with Charlotte Harbor and all of the great ports north and south.”