Day On the Boat

Most of us who have ever been on a diet would be familiar of the fear instigated upon intake of particular food groups, and the lengths we would probably take just so we could avoid particular foods. To be honest with you, I can say the same for my fear of being out in the sun. When we were invited to cruise around Miami on a boat that belonged to our dear friends, this fear initially jogged through my decision to go, tucking me in and holding me back from joining. There’s the image of the ocean spread before my eyes, and then there’s the sun’s rays drinking up my skin. And I thought, maybe not.

But maybe yes, too—because ultimately that’s now how things should be. You see, fearing and hiding from the sun isn’t a bad thing. But it becomes a real issue when you let it control your lifestyle—and that’s something you definitely don’t need happening. It’s you, really, who needs to take control. Sun protection is about adjustments to sun exposure, and that’s something you can definitely work on with fashionable clothing and daytime schedules.

For the boat ride, I wore a long-sleeved, printed rashguard surf suit from Mara Hoffman, and a long skirt for maximum coverage. To accessorize, I chose this pair of Illesteva Mirrored sunglasses and my favorite baseball hat—it made up for a cool, carefree look in all. I ducked under shaded areas of the boat when the sun was at its midday peak, but definitely went out once the rays were a lot less harsh.

Needless to say, I was very happy that I went—very happy that I exchanged my fear for a warm, lovely day with close friends. We spent a day cruising around vibrant Miami; at one point, even swimming in a canal where dolphins were swimming, too. We docked, and sat down to the most amazing crawfish lunch on the boat, making happy chitchat over our plates. And then much later in the day, we cruised into the sunset and wound down.