Living by the Water | 2008 | October

Revelations of a Boating ‘Betty’
I’ve been accused of being a ‘Betty’ on more than one occasion. Fair enough. Like many female sailors/boaters I suspect, I often prefer my heels to my Dubarrys, champagne bubbles to beer suds and an afternoon chat with friends in the cockpit to an afternoon in the engine room. And I have been seen more frequently sitting in the Princess Section on the stern with a glass of Chardonnay in my hand, than trimming the main with a winch handle… in my grinder’s hand…

Curiously, though, I am still drawn to the uncompromising and often inhospitable world of wind, water and boats; even more so, to the intense competitiveness of yacht racing. It is my passion- which I have indulged for the better part of 30 years, in an increasingly un-macho manner.

After crewing on everything from Olympic Class Solings, to first class superyachts, I have learned one unavoidable truth- the smaller the boat, the less ‘Betty-friendly’ it will be!  Of course, once you get into the realm of million-dollar yachts, you truly DO have all the comforts of home - not to mention crew- but in the smaller ranges, compromise and inventiveness are a real ‘Betty’s’ best friends.

Wearing heels to the boat and deck shoes onboard? Sunscreen on the water and Chanel in the yacht club? Open-finger sailing gloves with a French manicure?  Aigle boots with a pedicure? Champagne in an unbreakable acrylic flute? Ahh, now that’s my kind of Betty-boating.

You could say that my ‘Betty’ attitude was behind the very start of Nautical Luxuries. I saw no reason to compromise my own sense of style to create a nautical theme in my home decor, or find an elegant gift for a fellow boater.  Nautical Luxuries has simply provided a better option for sophisticated nautical and coastal enthusiasts; one that matches their tastes without compromise. 

Feathering Your Floating Nest
Over the years, an increasing number of customers have come to Nautical Luxuries seeking advice and ideas on decorating their boat interiors or, as I like to refer to it, feathering their floating nests. These are not superyacht nests, but an extraordinarily wide variety of boats, from harbor-cruising electric boats, to fractionally owned performance boats, to racing sailboats, to Sportfishing Boats. Each style of boat has its own decorating challenges and opportunities and owners with equally discriminating tastes and needs. 

To the new owner, a boat can be an alien world that comes without ‘Betty’ instructions. To the veteran boater, West Marine may be a familiar outfitting resource, but their nest-feathering options are limited.

I’ve started  a new series of Feathering Your Floating Nest posts to share some of the ideas and solutions that have proved helpful to many of our customers with the hope that they’ll be useful to you as well:

- Taking Inventory & Creating A Plan
- Indoor/Outdoor Fabrics - The New Options
- Space, Stowage & Bending A Few Decor Rules
- Galley, Cabin & Head Betty Basics
- Before & After Gallery of Ideas
- Entertaining Onboard

A well-feathered floating nest is a place you’ll enjoy spending time with family and friends. To this ‘boating Betty’, that truly is my favorite definition of “simply messing about in boats!”

DJ

The news of Mike Campbell’s passing came on Friday.

Since then, I have been reading the many tributes and memorials to Mike being posted on Scuttlebutt, but I still feel an unquenchable need for more - as if reading them will somehow extend Mike’s presence and defer my own acceptance of so great a loss.

Mike was a rare gift, a mentor, a fellow sailor, a friend, and I will miss him greatly. How many people’s lives have been enriched by knowing Mike and Victoria? Countless, I’m sure. There simply may not be enough tributes for such a man. 

My heart goes out to Victoria now, in her all-encompassing loss. I am grateful for having known them both, and for having been a part of the wonderful world of people, boats, and gracious hospitality that Mike and Victoria so generously shared.  

Ironically, Mike’s endgame with cancer happened the same weekend as the 17th annual Linda Elias Memorial One Design Regatta hosted by Mike’s yacht club, Long Beach Yacht Club. 17 years ago, Linda lost her own battle with cancer.

Linda would be pleased to know that the regatta has not only continued, but has thrived. This year every available boat in Long Beach Yacht Club’s Catalina-37 fleet was filled. There were more than 100 women racing on the water - one team from as far as Puerto Vallarta.  It was a fine tribute to another departed sailing friend.

 Coming across a pair of seals just beyond the weather mark - impossibly perched at least six feet out of the water atop the enormous steel rudder of an anchored cargo ship- I couldn’t help but wonder if Linda and Mike weren’t with us this weekend afterall, enjoying a perfect spectating spot overlooking the weather mark.

For now, I will enjoy every moment on the water that I can.  I expect I will be thinking of you, Mike, whenever I feel the wind in my face, the bite of a line in my hands, and the sound of the ocean on a long beat to weather.  I will think of you at unexpected times too - when I’m on a quiet pre-dawn run in my worn-out, but still prized Victoria crew shirt, or when I open the trunk to grab a few equally worn-out Trader Joe’s bags, to recycle just one more time. Certainly I will think of you every time I meet up with someone else who counted you as a friend - which, I imagine, could be quite often.

And one day, I hope to be in your good company again; to share a few favorite stories and even more laughs, on an excellent voyage that simply has no final port of call.

Until then, thank you for everything and farewell, my friend.

Daisy

It may seem hard to miss something more than two stories tall and 156 feet long, but superyachts have a habit of slipping quietly into the end docks on Lido, virtually unnoticed, staying for a few days, then disappearing again, as quietly as they came. Such was the case this past weekend when M/Y Slojo paid a short visit.

I managed to grab a camera early Sunday morning and get a shot literally minutes before she departed again, off on a world circumnavigation - next stop San Diego.

This photo does not do her justice. She is truly a beautiful yacht. Congratulations to her owners and to the Delta Marine yard on their new launch.

There is a great picture of Slojo in this month’s ShowBoats International magazine, as well as an article in MegaYacht News about Slojo’s chef, Cristina Topham. Topham’s entertaining blog, The Adventures Of A Wayward Chef, provides an insider’s look into the life of a superyacht chef - brings back a few memories of my own Chief Stewardess crewing days.

Oh, how I felt that familiar tug of wanderlust as Slojo and her crew backed out of the slip and glided off on the next leg of their global adventure!  There is simply nothing like the feeling of freedom you get as you leave the dock, headed out on a long ocean voyage. Here’s to a fabulous trip around the planet and safe passage to Slojo and her crew.

The Lido dock is empty again now, but maybe not for long. You just never know who might slip in when you’re not looking.

DJ

I’ve often wondered how many homes on the island are second, third, or maybe fourth homes. 

As an investment, Lido seems to be weathering the housing downturn better than many areas in Southern California - can’t say that I’ve seen more Open House signs than usual, and there are a lot of houses under construction lately. 

During my pre-dawn runs with Mr Jones, I often see the “construction warden” as I call her, driving slowly street to street, Antibes to Zurich, flipping her clipboard papers in the dark and matching permits to every green dumpster and wire-fenced property- or so I imagine that’s what she’s doing. At any rate, she’s been busy.

So, what WOULD the criteria be for selecting the perfect second home location? According to MSN.com, “a beautiful setting is a must.”  Beyond that, MSN includes:

• Proximity to growing urban centers.Within a 2-3 hour drive of a major city, or close to a big airport.
• Plenty of recreational opportunities. Lots to do beyond shopping, which is why most thriving resort towns are near ski lifts, beaches or mountains. Some cultural cachet - a theater or film festival, galleries or museums.
• Decent weather. You have to be able to get outside to enjoy all that recreation.
• Significant commercial investment. The old-timers may grouse about the new hotels or malls, but these are good indicators that others think the community is on the way up.
• The “it” factor. The community gets discovered by movers, shakers and celebrities — or at least enough other folks like you — for prices to get bid up.

By all those measures- with the arguable exception of Lido Marina Village, (which has so much latent commercial investment potential), and your own personal definition of “a beautiful setting”, (which would need to include water or beach), Lido would certainly rank near the top for perfect second home locations. 

DJ

The Santa Ana winds are blowing and fires are raging in Southern California, but the air here is already beginning to take on a holiday chill!

Even Mr Jones seems to have made it through the fall allergy season and is diving head-first into the holiday spirit, donning one of our early-arrival wreath bases, soon to be elf-decorated as part of our new coastal wreath collection.

 Halloween may still be a few weeks away, but the Nautical Luxuries elves are already well into their preparations for the coming holiday season.

The new holiday line includes many classic designs in the finest materials like sheer organza or gilded gold and cloisonne enamel for a truly elegant coastal look.

Each year, we feature a new Santa and Angel treetopper/centerpiece duo - this year’s pair are truly stunning. At two-feet tall, they make an extraordinary table centerpiece.

Natural seashells and starfish are the most popular coastal holiday decor theme. Our most popular natural ornaments have been our Deep Sea Natural Shells. We’ve added a new Starfish Ornament Set this year in natural or antique gold finish. 

As in past years, we’re offering fresh and preserved coastal wreaths. The fresh SeaKeepers Wreaths are such a treat - to give or receive!  Since they’re dependent on the growth of foliage in the Pacific Northwest, their availability is limited to a very brief window of just five weeks a year. 

This year, shipping dates will be between Nov. 10th and Dec. 16th. Not only do they look beautiful with natural sand dollars and starfish set against lush green foliage, but the wonderful aroma of evergreens is a most pleasant experience from the moment you open the box, to the little whips of scent you capture every time you walk by.

A percentage of the sale of each wreath goes to supports the International SeaKeeper Society’s efforts to monitor the conditions of our planet’s oceans.

DJ

As Close To Trendy Purple As We Get

Well, according to an article in the Las Vegas Market Insider written by Michelle Lamb, (co-founder and chairman of Marketing Directions, Inc., and senior editor of The Trend Curve), the color purple will reign for another two years. (It’s hot now??) Then, Lamb says, color will begin to drift to the cool side and pinks will take up a “banner of warmth” that will make coral tones (ahah!) trend-forward.

So, apparently our coastal/nautical style is behind the trend curve, but we’re going to be trend-forward again if we just wait two years. Lamb also says that blues of all shades will increase in popularity. (Definitely nautical)  She predicts yellows will rise in prominence, especially yellows with a slight tinge of green. (I think that covers just about every color but neutrals… but wait…) Lamb says the metallic trend is on a roll, while butter yellow will be a popular choice for painted woods. (butter yellow?)

Butter Yellow Could Be A Hit

Lamb notes that wood dining/kitchen pieces are “adding distressed, even hacked-up textures, with highly visible knots that fit in with the eco trend,” and that painted wooden cabinets are becoming a hot item. (Definitely works with the beach cottage look, but does Ikea know about this?) Professional-grade stainless steel appliances will continue to drive purchases, but there will also be a resurrection in black appliances. (Supposedly to go with the painted butter yellow cabinets.)

Slubby Linen & Textures We Love

According to Lamb, the fabric trend is all about elaborate weaves with finely executed contrasts - matte and shine, or levels of toned-down luster. (This we do love!) Linen will continue to be a top seller (Amen!) as will velvet, though the first hints of a slowdown are beginning to emerge, (striking fear into our glam-loving hearts!).

Moroccan influences will continue to be popular. Intricate patterns, braid work and targeted icons are suggestive of a folkloric Russian influence to come. (Where this will fit with coastal/nautical I’m not sure yet, but certainly a significant number of new superyacht builds are being undertaken by Russian owners, so perhaps the superyacht decorators will know.)

The DJ style trend prediction? During a time when disposable income is not a plentiful commodity, regardless of your decorating style, design trends will be all about pillows, paint, knobs, coverlets,  and curtains; the most cost-effective ways to give your decor a fresh new look, and your spirits a healthy boost!

And, until coastal/nautical is, once again, riding the crest of the official design trend wave, I think I’ll just sink down into my shabby chic beach cottage armchair, cozy-up with a semi-lustrous shell pillow and a soft neutral-toned sea life throw, and thank my lucky stars that I’m trendy enough to be fully two years ahead of the curve, and happy as a clam to be living by the water.

DJ