Sail Away

My VERY favorite moments aboard ship were the Sail Aways.

The moment leaving each land stop when all peripherals were secure, all passengers accounted for, and all hands on deck at their rigging stations waiting for the Captains signals.

Champagne flowed as we all stood on deck, stretched our necks looking upward in awe of each set of sails as they filled with Mother Nature's breath. 

Cue the epic orchestrated ancient sailing music. 

{scroll fast and watch her come under sail}

On this afternoon, the Captain dispatched the tenders for any of us who wanted to witness the
Sail Away from afar.

I cried.

And as she passed us into the sun,

I cried some more. 

Indeed the journey was just what we needed.
In so many wonderful ways.

Les Saintes

Iles des Saintes

Have you ever heard of them?

Three tiny French governed islands off  the coast of Guadeloupe commonly know as les Saintes.

Quaint, pristine and picturesque. 

Speaking French is as absolute must, so we only visited the town on the main island briefly.

Instead we ventured over to one of the other uninhabited islands where the sports crew from our pirate ship had all the toys and were just waiting for someone to come play.

So we snorkeled and sailed,

and on the advice of the the young crew hiked to the top of the island 

where we found the remnants of Fort Josephine.

Along with amazing scenery,

and a few wild goats.

So fun to go exploring and have the place all to ourselves.

Just an amazing day.

The Pirate Ship

We needed time. Away.

So very spur of the moment we found this ship, this adventure,
and set sail on what the grandsons dubbed
Marme and Papa's Pirate Ship.

In reality, it is the Royal Clipper the worlds largest full rigger.

We had never even been on a normal sized sail boat before.

A way out of the box experience for sure.

The lands we visited were interesting, but what I loved the most was the Sailing.

Feeling the wind.

Day or night.

Watching the crew work,

And having some fun as well.

This seaman looks like he might just have some great tales to tell

We pretended to be helpful.

Meandering into remote places had me in awe of the sailor's skills.

Off the beaten bath for sure.
Much more of the story to come, with many thanks to all who scrambled to help with people care and barn care and work responsibilities so we could embark.

Rest is a very good thing.