Hello, everyone! This is Danielle, Lynn and Steve's daughter. Nathan the husband, Nate the brother and I just got back from a week on Gustie, sailing (mostly) the British Virgin Islands. We had an absolutely AMAZING time. Gustie is a beautiful boat and my parents couldn't have been better, or more fun, hosts. I highly recommend Gustie as a vacation destination.
Over the next few days, I will be guest blogging here, telling you all about our wonderful trip. Right now I'm exhausted after 14 hours of travel yesterday. Instead of the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles, it was Planes, Dinghies, Sailboats, Ferries and Automobiles yesterday and our flight was delayed for almost three hours. But we're back in one piece each, tanned, and with a lot of great memories. Expect some longer entries soon.
In the meantime, here are 12 Things to Know When Sailing on Gustie:
1. You'll get soooo used to the rocking of the boat. In fact, whenever you go on land, or you get home, everything will continue to rock a little bit. Our den is rocking with the waves as I write this. If you get a little seasick, my parents have a British wonder drug waiting for you.
2. If you don't like gin before you go, you will by the time you have to go home, because my father makes a killer gin and tonic.
3. When you get home you'll find it odd that you don't have to hand-pump the toilet and you can use all the toilet paper you want.
4. Wear a shirt when snorkeling. Trust me on this, sunscreen isn't enough.
5. The seafood buffet at the Bitter End Yacht Club in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, is worth every penny. But you might want to think twice before ordering a Painkiller as a drink. It's hella strong.
6. You probably don't need to bring any snorkeling gear. Nathan and I left ours on the boat and it's really good quality gear. I've NEVER snorkeled before where I wasn't always having to let water out of the mask and snorkel. And if you've never snorkeled before, do it! It's just too amazing for words.
7. It takes a while to get used to the tightness of space on the boat. The head (bathroom) is smaller than a phone booth. The galley isn't much bigger. The fore cabin's v-berth can feel a little crowded. Yet, it all works. Those Finns knew what they were doing when they designed the Nauticat. Every inch of space counts. It begins to seem like everybody should live like this and by the time you get home, your house or apartment seems obscenely huge.
8. My parents are so tan it's not even funny. You will feel like the whitest, pastiest person on earth when you see their George Hamilton tans. A week on Gustie won't even get you close. Just get over it.
9. The Virgin Islands, both American and British, are shockingly gorgeous--little mountains rising straight from the ocean. The water is clear and the bluest blue you ever did see.
10. You really won't miss the hubbub from home--television, movies, radio, cell phones, computers, etc. Just sitting in a harbor watching some poor schmoes on a bareboat charter attempting to hook their first mooring ball is all the entertainment anyone could ask for.
11. Don't bring steak in from Morelli's in St. Paul. United States Customs doesn't take kindly to you bringing in steak from a butcher shop that doesn't label their meat. It could be dessicated goat tenderloin from some unknown island for all they know... Actually, they let us keep the meat but we got a lecture about not doing it again. But the steaks, cooked on Gustie's little grill, were SO good.
12. You'll have such a fabulous time, you won't want to come home!
Pictures and more stories from the trip coming soon.
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