Location: Anse Des Cayes, St. Barths
In a trip filled with superlatives, it seems cliche and less than descriptive to call anyone’s day the best day of the trip. But bear with me. Today was surf day in St. Barths. Surf day. In St. Barths. To start it all out, we had an unheard-of sleep. All the way until 0730, which, believe it or not, is quite late on this boat. We then ferried into the main port of Gustavia, where an undersized minivan was overstuffed with surfboards. The crew piled in, and we headed over to the windward side of the island to find our waves.
Cruising past picturesque tropical villas and chic tropical hangout spots, we grooved to the European tunes blasting out of our radio. The first beach we visited was lacking in the sort of gentle learning waves that we were looking for. We all piled back into the surf safari van and headed over to another beach. This had to be the one. There was a palm grotto where the hammocks could be set up and a curling wave breaking on a sandy beach that was perfect for beginners and experienced surfers alike. After an afternoon spent carving up the waves, playing beach volleyball, and a few naps in the hammocks, we made our way back to the surf van and set a course for Gustavia. The crew headed back to the boat for quick showers and to put on their going-out clothes for a night at St. Barth’s favorite Burger joint, Le Select. Some say that this is the place where Jimmy Buffet penned Cheeseburger in Paradise. I don’t know if it’s true, but I can say that it is the best place to finish off the best day on the best island!