I lived and worked on boats in the Caribbean for two summers during college.  They were some of my favorite of all time.  Waking up and jumping in the sea before a cup of coffee in the morning is an incredible way to begin the day.  We slept on deck underneath the stars, and while life onboard was far more rugged than I am used to now, we would get into the most wonderful rhythm.  So much of life on board is about problem solving, it’s meditative.  I had forgotten all of this of course by the time Will and I booked our Moorings trip in St. Barth’s.  I had such a romantic view of living on the boat, and while I remembered it might be ‘camping’ I felt sure we would slip right back into the groove!  Not quite what happened but we did have the most amazing time, and of course doing it just the two of us was very romantic.  We did sleep underneath the stars and we did swim before breakfast, even in the pouring rain.  I am homesick for it now!

For two of the nights we anchored in bays only accessible by boat (Tintamarre in St Martin, and Colombier in St Barths) the beaches were completely unspoiled and absolute heaven. In both cases, by sunset there was almost no one left but us in the anchorage. It is such a fun experience being on your own up against the the elements. We had to re-learn how to sleep on the rolling seas!

So much of what you use on board gets into the ocean.  Of course you take your garbage off but everything that goes down the drain is deposited right into the sea. I tried to use all organic products on board.  We shower in the sea and then rinse in the fresh water, and so I brought the most mild soaps, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste and dish soap.  Of course this matters less but in the same spirit, I am very impressed by bathing suit company which makes these suits from recyclable materials — it’s also a very reasonable and they have some great suits.  I love this one that I’m wearing and also this one and this one.

We’re now working on editing our Fine Art series and I can’t wait to release it in a few weeks time.