sailing

In the middle of October we went for our last sail of the season. We met 3 other boats in the Chesapeake for the annual Beaven Raft Up, named after a sailor in the ULYC. The weather was gorgeous and it was just a beautiful weekend. 
Me and the girls. 

Sophie at the helm. 

We had a fishing pole off the back of the boat on the way home and ended up catching this big Rockfish. We threw him back – after taking this glamour shot of course. 

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In May the ULYC had their bi-annual regatta in Maryland. Sophie has been crew with Dave a few times in the past, but this is the first time that Lauren and I joined them. It was a gorgeous day and turned out to be a lot of fun. Our friends John, Crystal and their daughter Bella joined us as well, along with Kathy and Dave. 
Sophie at the helm. Dave always lets her steer over the finish line. Unfortunately for her, this is the first race where she didn’t come in first (and a 3rd place finish at that!). 

Lauren and Bella doing “boat babes”

All four of us afterward at the post-regatta party. 

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Last week I had a conference in San Diego. We decided to make a vacation out of it, and Dave came out on Wednesday (no kids!). What an amazing city and what a wonderful vacation. We were there for 3 full days after the conference and we packed them with activities, but the mentality there is so chill, it didn’t feel like we were rushing to do anything. 

On our first full day there we did two hikes, one along the Sunset Cliffs, and one call Ho Chi Mon trail, which is really a path carved by surfers, beginning in a very fancy neighborhood in La Jolla and ending right at the beach. It was no joke. Pictures cannot fully capture how steep and uneven the path was. It was all made of sandstone, so occasionally crumbled under our feet. At one point we had to walk across a very thin plank and at the end it was so steep that the surfers tied a rope to shimmy down on to the beach. 
Here’s a shot of how narrow it was in some places



While we slowly meandered down, tripping and slipping, we were passed several times by agile surfers in bare feet, wet suits and surf boards. It was a little embarrassing. I also think they were a little surprised to see us on their turf. But it’s San Diego, so of course they were very laid back about it.

That afternoon we rented sea kayaks and went out into the ocean. No pics for fear of getting wet, which was wise because both Dave and I flipped over. Loss of sunglasses, but luckily no phones or cameras. We got up close with some sea lions, which was really cool. 



The next day we rented a sail boat and went out into the San Diego Bay. It was windy and Dave had a blast. I was admiddely nervous. It’s been a while since I’ve been sailing on anything but cushy, pleasure sail boats…



That night we went to a fancy dinner atop one of their highest buildings in the downtown area. The highlight was watching the sunset. It was lovely. 



On our last day we went to the famed zoo and saw this guy. He was very happily munching on some bamboo and was not interested in turning around to smile for the camera. But cool all the same. I’ve never seen a panda before. 
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Over Labor Day weekend we took our last long sail and went to Corsica River for the weekend. It couldn’t have been more beautiful. We anchored, jumped off the back of the boat, swam around and did some exploring. Sophie and Dave were in MD all week, and she swam every day, so by the weekend she had huge confidence in the water. 
 Benson doing what he does best on the boat… 
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At the end of August we took a week and headed up to New England to stay on a boat and sail around, visiting a few different places. We started in Newport, sailed to the tip of Cape Cod to Cuttyhunk and then went to Martha’s Vineyard where we visited Edgartown and Vineyard Haven. It was an excellent vacation with perfect weather. Sophie got sea sick the first day and then was great for the rest of the week.

Sophie spent a lot of time helping Dave steer the boat. 

We dubbed this hairdo “boat hair.” She wouldn’t keep her hat on, so this was the only way I could keep it out of her face. I think it might be a new fashion statement. 

We enjoyed a lot of ice cream. This is a spot in Edgartown. 

Heading off to visit the Edgartown Lighthouse. 

We visited a nature sanctuary where they had a kids program. They found lots of little water critters and then the instructors talked about what everything was. I’m not sure who was more into it, Dave or Sophie. 

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Last weekend we all drove up to Newport, RI to see the America’s World Cup World Series. They were racing right off the land, and Dave really wanted to go see it up close. Sophie and I hung out in the town and visited the racing a few times.

All of the boats. 

On the Ferry out to the island where the racing was. 

There was a band playing and Sophie took full advantage by dancing her heart out. You can see her in action here.

Soph and Dave checking out the boats.

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This past weekend we did a regatta from Avalon to Cape May. Kathy and the Daves did the actual sailing, while Sophie and I did more of the lounging and taking in the sights. All in all, everyone had a great time. 

Sailor Sophia

Dave and his little sailor

Future crew for sure

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We spent the last 4 days with the Sharp’s on their boat in the Chesapeake. It was a wonderful, relaxing vacation. We met them in Rock Hall, MD, sailed to Annapolis, then Lankford Creek, and then back to Rock Hall. The first night was really hot, but it got better after that – and we were able to sit out under the stars at night and do some swimming during the day.
Sophie enjoyed being on the boat. She spent most of the timing laying back with her hair blowing in the breeze.

She also had a chance to do a little swimming. Although she wasn’t a huge fan of the life vest, she didn’t seem to mind the water. She floated around for a few minutes before she wanted to get out. Luckily the water felt just like bath water. We’ll have her swimming like an olympian in no time!

Zoe had her 15th birthday on Monday and we celebrated with cake and ice cream.

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This weekend we spent Saturday in Long Beach Island – Dave had a regatta and I took Sophie to the beach (for a short time… it’s going to be easier when I have a little help). On Sunday, which was Father’s Day, we went sailing with the Sharps in Cape May. It was a gorgeous day for a sail!
Sophie enjoyed chilling on Mom mom’s lap for most of the day

Benson & Rudy also enjoyed laying out in the cockpit

I think Dave enjoyed his first Father’s Day thoroughly

And I got some quality time in with Mr. B.

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