Pizza

Pizza and sailing just go together. There's something about a day on the water that creates an appetite that can only be satisfied by a big juicy wedge of pizza washed down by a draft of cold beer.

After our frostbite races we all gather in the clubhouse to relax, recover and re-hash the racing. Everyone is exhausted. Some have showered and some have not. Some are still in their sailing gear. The crowd is predominately male and there is some good natured ribbing about incidents during the day. People drift in one by one. We open cans of Bud Light and sip the metallic tasting dishwater that the folks at Anheuser-Busch market as beer. And then the pizza delivery guy arrives with six greasy cardboard boxes that he slams down on the table. Hands rummage through the boxes and tear off huge slabs of steaming, dripping pie. Conversation lapses as calories are consumed.

Wednesday night races in the summer are slightly more civilized. We race until sunset and then head off to the local inn. A mixed crowd, all ages, couples, singles. The order is always the same. A few assorted pizzas and pitchers of Yngling Lager. The pizza always seems to take too long to come. But that leaves time for a good gossip and a laugh - mainly at the expense of fellow club members not present this evening. Eventually the pizza arrives and is served on real plates. And the delicious taste of the dough, cheese and tomatoes still hits the mark and helps to ease those aching muscles.

We spent the last day of February on the hook in Admiralty Bay, Bequia - probably the most yacht friendly island in the Grenadines. And for lunch we drifted along the waterfront until we arrived at the famous Mac's Pizzeria. We sat in the semi-open bar with some friends and enjoyed the view of the bay and the warm tropical breezes. The pace was relaxed. Just chillin'. Lunch was lobster pizza with the local Hairoun beer. Followed by Bequia Lime Pie and rum punch.

Beats a cheeseburger in paradise any day.