This week’s blog is a special guest post from friend and recent guest, Dena Rod!
You’ve done it. You’ve been invited to stay on Lindsay & Paul’s Esteemed Tintas, a Lagoon 40 catamaran that is just as beautiful as she is powerful. While this is similar to a dear friend inviting you to be their houseguest, you must remember that not only is someone inviting you into their home, but Lindsay & Paul are also inviting you into their car, RV, camping tent, and life raft. You are not chartering Lindsay & Paul as your crew and waitstaff, but joining in their life on sea. Once you board Tintas, you become part of a unit geared towards collective survival on an element that can be unfamiliar depending on your experience. This is a huge honor and not one to be taken for granted.
Lindsay & Paul are consummate hosts who truly did everything possible to make sure Becky & I had a comfortable stay and honestly never asked for anything in return. As a Persian, my ancestors approve of this level of hospitality. Paul is a fantastic chef who loves to cook and we were astounded at what culinary marvels he and Lindsay created from a catamaran galley! Fried rice with fresh stirfried veggies, eggs in a toast basket, and deliciously charred T-bone steaks were just some of the hearty grub our crew of four dined on. The bonus of boat-cooked meals is watching all the fish swim up to eat your food scraps from the meal prep!
While living at sea can sound intimidating to those of us who live on shore, with a few preparations, you can make the leap from land lubber to deckhand more easeful and comfortable for your stay. One of the best pieces of advice I can give to potential boat guests is to get comfortable with the idea of being uncomfortable. That isn’t to say you will be uncomfortable physically 100% of the time! But there is a learning curve you can navigate with ease if you are prepared to translate skills you use in your land life to your sea life. Planning ahead of time will help you a long way on your voyage!
Get Ahead of Sickness- As I am somewhat prone to nausea on dry land, I did my best to mitigate any circumstances I could control for #BOATLIFE. Cue me bringing ginger in various forms (chews, mints, tea, and powdered drink mixes) and at least one tablet of dramamine for each day we were staying on the boat. If you want to be absolutely sure you’re covered, it wouldn’t hurt to bring acupressure nausea wristbands. Hydration is also of utmost importance as it’s very easy to passively lose salt and other electrolytes as you sweat. Bring electrolyte mixes, emergen-C packets, and a reusable water bottle to mix it all up and sip your cares away! I was super surprised that I barely felt any sickness after the 2nd day and that I honestly missed the rocking of the boat once on shore.
Don’t Bring Anything You Don’t Want The Ocean Swallowing Up
This isn’t the place to show off your latest piece of bling or your finest fancy garments. The unrelenting sun from above and sea salt on the wind will weather anything left out quickly, including your skin. If you accidentally drop something you love in the ocean, there is honestly no guarantee you will get it back.
If you fancy yourself a cigarette every now and then, your lung capacity is significantly diminished and diving in foolhardily after your phone, wallet, or object of irreplaceably sentimental value is more likely to result in you diving about 10 feet down and then dashing back up to the surface for air, rather than triumphantly retrieving it from the ocean floor to the applause of everyone else on deck.
That being said, DO bring your quick dry clothing, hats to protect your face and neck (with a hat clip), water-resistant bags, ocean-safe sunscreen, UPF shirts, and swimsuits. No need to bring towels as Lindsay & Paul got you covered on that end.
Remember You Are On Open Sea and You Are a Land Mammal
I consider myself a fairly strong swimmer as someone who was enrolled in swim classes since the age of six. Swimming has been a part of my life since I was a kid but less so as an adult in a post-COVID lockdown world. When I first dropped into the clear turquoise waters of St Thomas one morning, I was surprised at how hard I was working in the water compared to swimming in a pool. After all, there is a bottom to a pool or a pool wall you can stabilize yourself on or at least give yourself a break from treading water.
That first day I was guilty of working too hard in the water and increasing my heart rate, as I was fighting against my increased buoyancy. Less is more here. Something as simple as laying on your back and letting the seawater hold you as you sip air gratefully from above teaches you that the ocean is a force much bigger than you. You are on her turf, on her terms, as the ocean’s guest. It’s a humbling experience. Never forget you are a land mammal and the ocean is not your natural habitat, no matter how badly you want to live your Little Mermaid fantasy.
Lindsay and Paul were incredible in interrupting their daily morning swims to make sure I had their best snorkel possible and tightly secured flippers. As their open water swimming skills have progressed, they are full of valuable and practical advice. Lindsay is a patient and kind teacher, and despite my physical hards, I felt so safe and cared for in the water. I remember feeling relief that first morning as we were swimming closer to shallow waters, thinking I would have a break. Only to realize that the ocean floor was covered in coral reefs! Big no no to step on those both for the coral’s health and yours.
But I didn’t give up. By the end of the week, after learning how to swim in this kind of ocean environment, I’m happy to report, I was able to swim to multiple shores and back to The Tintas, and saw some incredibly colored fish and sea turtles hanging around. Fish are friends!
With those tips in mind, you will have yourself set up for success on for a week of #BOATLIFE. Huge endless buckets of gratitude to Lindsay and Paul for having us and showing us around the US & British Virgin Islands. There are some things I’ll never forget in this life and being on The Tintas with all of y’all is a memory I will cherish for decades to come.
Thanks to Dena for writing this week’s post, and for letting us show them around boat life. You can check out more of Dena’s writings through their website
TIBURON MARINO 