AHOY!

Soon after my retirement, I planned a surprise trip for our anniversary. It was a great idea; however, a hurricane started creeping up on us, so I had to spill the beans and consult the hubby. I wanted to do something different and since my husband loves sailboats, I found some great options in St. Augustine, Florida. While searching Vrbo I discovered sailboats that rented out for weekend getaways. There were several options, and in the end, I chose a yacht instead of the sailboat because I felt that the sailboat would feel cramped. When we saw the actual sailboats, I think we would have been fine with the larger one. The yacht was great and there was a food truck park at the marina. We ate at the food truck park while listening to live music.

So, there were pros and cons to renting a boat for a weekend.

THE PROS

• The location was great! The boat sat on a beautiful inland waterway looking over the water and marsh.
• The atmosphere was very relaxing. What’s not to like about being on the water.
• There was a food truck park at the marina, and they had LIVE MUSIC!
• It was a great way to experience boat life without committing to a long-term situation.
• It was a nice romantic getaway.
• It was close to a grocery store which allowed us to stock up for the weekend once we arrived.
• The location was close to the historic downtown which offered history, shopping, and restaurants.

THE CONS

• The yacht, unlike the sailboats that were for rent from the same owner, was backed into the marina which meant that the outdoor seating area faced the marina not the beautiful waterway.
• While we loved the food trucks and live music, it was uncomfortable to sit on the back of the boat because it wasn’t very private.

All in all, it was a great weekend, and we really enjoyed our time on the boat. If we were to return to this location, we would either rent the larger sailboat or the houseboat option both of which had back seating areas that faced the river and marsh and offered a lot of privacy. The host was very responsive and can be found by searching Vrbo in St. Augustine, FL.