My Francophile Year: Sailing St.Tropez Bay

I am feeling very fortunate this week. Don't get me wrong, I know how fortunate I am every day, so far, but this week I went sailing in St. Tropez Bay. A Colorado girl can't say that very often.
It was the first time my kids have ever been in a sail boat, except oldest who did go out with friends in Navajo Lake years ago. For me, it has been many years since I have been out. Growing up in Maryland, one would think I spent hundreds of hours on the water and while I did, it was not on sailing boats like many of my peers. I was a horse girl, a land lover. Boats made me nervous. That is over now.
I was told Easter weekend started the crowds in Provence and it is true. Overnight, all of the towns are twice as populated. Unfortunately, St. Tropez feels this increase with terrible traffic. Luckily, Trevor can navigate me through roundabout ways of getting from point A to point B, as he lived there for many years.
We began the visit at Yves' house. Maybe you remember one of my early posts about this humorous and kind man, an old friend of mes voisins. You can find it here. He is a wonderful, funny French man. He has had a couple of American girlfriends, wives or whatever they were so his English is pretty good. He spoiled my children with Coca-Cola, Orangina and a welcoming yard to play in. He had a huge spread for lunch with a salad of tomatoes and artichokes, roasted chickens, potatoes, rose, and Zetta brought a Baba au Rhum, then we were off to the sea where some of us lounged on the beach, some swam(the water is cold still...), and some of us "crewed" on the Green Banana!
I felt so free and at ease floating atop the gentle waves with few other vessels around us. The bay is surrounded by tall hills that rise up dramatically, some topped with ancient forts, others forested and plenty with mansions, as well. My companions chatting away in French, I felt perfectly comfortable turning my head away from them and thinking of my fortuitousness, enjoying the thin layer of salt forming on my face, the occasional splash letting me secretly taste the Mediterranean- I will miss the Mediterranean.
I AM going to St. Tropez one last time in our final French weeks. I will take a picnic and invite Yves to dine with us on the beach and hope for another ride in the boat. Though just his company would be more than satisfying to me.