Whenever I’ve posted pics from one of the two trips I’ve taken with Nauti Daddy Sailing Co – the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior in summer 2023 and Belize in the fall of 2024 – several friends online have messaged me some form of the question; Looks amazing, but what’s it like?
This could mean many things. Will I fit in? Some gay men might be thinking, clothing optional gay travel caters to adonis-type bodies only. Can I have sex? And others are just curious about being on a catamaran with other gay guys.
To answer those two questions in order, yes, you will fit in, and yes, you can have sex. Nauti Daddy’s "About" page includes a really helpful FAQ section that’s been very true to my experience, and it might be helpful to anyone thinking about going on one of Captain Beau’s amazing sailing trips – and in my personal opinion, you should! I LOVE them!
Let me paint a picture of what a typical day might hold...
Mornings
Confession, I’m a morning person, perky to a fault. And even on vacation, I like to get up early and have an hour or so to myself. When I wake up aboard, maybe around 7 am, I stretch in bed and look out the cabin windows to check the weather and take in the beautiful views from my bed. Usually someone else is awake and I can smell coffee from the galley lofting in the still morning air. If it’s brisk, I pull on a pair of briefs, but usually I just walk up to the galley, pour myself a cup of coffee, and quietly say hello to anyone else who may be about.
Greeting the day atop a sailboat, naked and moored amongst beautiful, mostly uninhabited islands, is nothing short of a spiritual experience. I take my coffee and a book and lay out as the sun warms us and my fellow passengers wake and greet the day as well. Eventually, our chef makes breakfast (which is always delicious… maybe a fresh frittata? We drink our coffees and I read along in my new favorite book.
Midday
Any adventure is beholden to several things outside of our individual control. Weather, say, or the sudden discovery of a beautiful reef nearby. In my professional life, I’m a control freak, very Type A, very bullet list and calendar keeping organization. On board, I happily let that go. There have been afternoons where I’ve drank cocktails and floated on eggplant floaties in the Caribbean with my new friends, for hours. Others where I’ve taken my book and my sandals to hike around an island alone. And others where I’ve learned a bit more about swimming and snorkeled for the first time in my life above stunning neon fish and sea rays. All that to say, most of the day is what you want it to be. Explore with the group. Take a respite to read alone in an inflatable raft. It's your vacation!
Evenings
I’m not a good cook, but I want to be better! So I ask the Chef if I can watch him cook. Yea, he says, of course, with a broad smile (he’s so damn cute). He’s cooking risotto. I watch him chop onions and zucchini and garlic easily, efficiently but not in a hurry and I make a mental note to slow down when cooking (or always), that the end result will be better. And let me tell you, it is better! The risotto, crisp wine and exciting stories of adventure's past, from new friends is perfect, in fact.
After dinner, one of my new friends and I go to the front of the boat to lay out on the lounging nets up there. The stars are clear tonight and he’s telling me about his son. The others join us and we move easily in and out of stories and rest. I have one more glass of wine and go to bed, happy and not sure what time it is, but not really a care...
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