Summer Vacation 2013: Sailing

If you've made it through a summer with me on instagram, you've learned that it means one thing to me: boating. While being in a city that relies on bridges because of so much water can be a drag sometimes (tolls, crippling back-ups with no alternate pass) it also means that I rarely go a single day without crossing some sort of body of water and it usually lends itself to amazing views that do a soul good. We all grew up boating and in the summer after work, when it finally gets nice, my buddies and I meet at the dock and take off for dinner or an evening spent on the water.

In addition, I have a dad who lives for his sailboat. And as a bonus, he's raised me sailing and helped me slowly learn the craft and although I'm still too nervous to captain, I make a trusty deckhand. After finally retiring a month ago, he's setting out for a bucket-list trip to circumnavigate Vancouver Island on our 38' Erickson. He'll be gone for a month, but we're taking turns meeting him on different legs of the trip and it's no coincidence that I picked the most beautiful part: sailing to Desolation Sound with warm waters and epic fjords.

Packing for a sailboat is not too far over the line of packing for camping. I say that because you have to be prepared for big swings in temperature and layers are a must, plus you're not exactly retiring to the Ritz every night (it's a little "Night John Boy" if you know what I mean). It's not unusual to have the sun shining, but be freezing cold because if the wind isn't blowing... you're not having a good sail. And when you're not sailing, you're stuffing your gob with cheese and wine... my kind of outdoor activity.

This year, I'm investing in (1) a new fleece that I can tool around in on the boat and off that's cozier than cozy. (2) new boat shoes with an updated shape that doesn't cover the top of my foot as much. (3) I've got to upgrade my swimsuit to something that can alternate between straps and strapless, because at this age showing up to a friend's wedding with swim team-style suit lines isn't so friendly... or chic (4) My old aviators are coming along, but next year I really need to upgrade to polarized lenses, which weren't an option at the time. (5) T-shirts. T-shirts. T-shirts. (6) Give me a nice long inseam on a short. I'm tired of shorts that aren't comfortable... might just go up a size too, I want 'em comfy. (7) For a number of reasons, I'm investing in a kindle paperwhite for reading. I'll miss the actual books, but I'm finally caving in -- actually reading is more important than the feel if that's what it comes down to. (8) The perfect sneaker since 1917 and it's a staple for vacations on and off land.

I also thought I'd throw in some photos from some of our family trips last summer. These are from close to home locations and weekends to various islands nearby:

Someone snuck a shot of me and I'm being brave and putting it up.

Susie's kiddos coming back from crabbing -- I think we finally caught one crab after a couple tries... not one of our more fruitful trips.

Hoping your summer is filled with fun things to get excited for -- planning is half the fun I'm told.

All the best,
Kate

If you're interested in creating a home you love, please contact us at Susie@TroveInteriors.com or Kate@TroveInteriors.com