Tales of the Bare Boater

Across Country and Ocean Explore America
October 2024

October was a big travel month for many of our GCNYC members. Marianne and I left on the last day of September and didn't get back home until the 30th of October. The first leg of our trip was from home to Oregon to visit our kids there. The second leg was travelling down the west coast, through the redwood forests and along the Pacific Coast Highway or US 1 down to Long Beach California.

There we hopped aboard the Carnival cruise ship Radiance to join up with our long time friends and GCNYC members Lonnie & Madeline, for a two week cruise to Hawaii and back via Ensenada Mexico. The last leg was a mad dash from Long Beach back home. Total trip mileage by car approx 5000 miles plus approx 6000 miles by cruise ship. Whew! That's a lot for us stay at home types!

Lonnie and Madeline taught us the ropes on the cruise ship and made the experience much more pleasant for us and we got to witness the renewing of their marriage vows on a beach in Maui. How cool is that? After that we took a rental car to Makena State Park, climbed over the rocks to the famous Little Beach and hung out and swam nude with only a dozen or so other free spirits. We also visited the Islands of Oahu, Kaui and the big island of Hawaii. On Oahu, we landed in downtown Honolulu and took a tour bus to Pearl Harbor and visited the Arizona museum and memorial. What a solemn place. In Kaui, we stopped in the little port of Nawilliwilli. We were not there long so, we didn't do much there but stretch our legs with a walk and bus ride to a local mall. Once again, we moved overnight to the big Island of Hawaii and landed in Hilo. In Hilo, we boarded a tour bus and toured waterfalls and the Kilauea Volcano. We walked through a big lava tube and went to the summit, where we saw steam venting out of the ground all around us while viewing the crater. If you ever get a chance to go to Hawaii, you should go and be sure to get a good tour service because you will get a good background from the local's point of view. Back on board, Lonnie & Madeline had a fantastic suite at the aft of the ship with a wrap around balcony with spectacular views that could be enjoyed au naturel. We also took a tour of the below decks/crew areas including back stage, kitchens, engine control room and bridge, where we chatted with the Captain and officers. On the way, back we stopped in Ensenada Mexico, where we toured La Bufadora blow hole and toured the countryside with a wonderful local tour guide.

Once again, overnight, we were transported back to Long beach, where we said good bye for now to Lonnie, Madeline and 3000 of our closest most personal friends and headed out for home.

Star Ranch 5K Race
October 5, 2024
Six of us went up to Star Ranch to participate in their annual 5k race. Becky and John A actually registered in the race and Becky won a first place medal for her category. John A finished the race in spite of his recent knee/ankle/foot problems, which was quite an accomplishment, and we met a very nice younger couple from San Leon who showed some interest in our club. They could possibly be contacting us later.

Upcoming, but not on our club calendar: We have a group from the club going up to Nature's Resort the first week of November. I expect there will a trip or two across the border for tamales, tacos, margaritas and cerveza Modelo. Join us if you can, they may still have trailer spaces or rooms available at NR. We have some members going on the Big Nude Boat (Bare Necessities Travel) coming up in February. It's a 10 day cruise to the western Caribbean. They may still have a few cabins available. We have a group going back down to Nature's Resort in late March or early April for a springtime run to the border, simply because that's always fun, and we can. And coming up on April the 5th at Star Ranch is another 5k race, the Bare Buns Fun Run. Ira is keeping an eye on the recovery efforts at Emerald Lake and looking for an opportunity to visit them. There will be more on all that stuff later.

Big Nude Boat 2024
February 25 - March 3, 2024
A few of us went on the Big Nude Boat 2024 in February this year and had a blast. As soon as we left port, we were able to dress (or undress) however we preferred, and all the passengers preferred 'undress'.
Leaving from Tampa, Florida, our first stop was at Costa Maya, Mexico. From there we took a short bus trip to a nude beach on Hidden Lake where we had an open bar and beach chairs in the Yucatan sunshine. We also were treated to a light buffet lunch of the local cuisine. Our next port to stop at Mahogany Bay. Located in protected water on the southern shore of Roatán island (Honduras). This 20-acre private cruise port was exclusively reserved by Bare Necessities Travel for us naturists, and included restaurants, shopping venues with local crafts, plus a beach with full facilities. We spent the day basking in the sun, floating in the ocean and drinking in the sunshine au naturel.
Back on board the ship, we passed out GCNYC rubber ducks to all the Texas nude boat travelers we could locate in the directory, of which there were quite a few; and we also handed out those ducks to other passengers we met along the way. Jacque participated in a couple of craft activities where she made pirate hats. Jacque and Patty wore those hats as we watched the parade on board the ship of dozens of folks who went all-in with their pirate costumes. It amazes me how nudists enjoy dressing up so much, and there are so many more options to dressing up when one need not worry about which body parts are covered and which are not. It's all quite entertaining.
Our final stop was at Cozumel, Mexico. From there we boarded a powered catamaran for a short voyage over to another nude beach where we were treated to an open bar and a large buffet full of delicious Mexican food. Our final day on board, Bert convinced everyone to go down the ship's water slides, which turned out to be a lot of fun if you don't mind water up the nose. All-in-all, we had such a good time that we've booked cabins on the Big Nude Boat 2025 leaving from Miami next February. It will be an eleven day cruise of the western Caribbean, and I expect it will be another fun nudist getaway.

MKL Natures Resort Weekend
January 11-15, 2024
GNCYC had a great turn out of four couples to spend the weekend at Natures Resort in Edcouch, TX. We went shopping in Mexico. They had plenty of events, like the band that played at the pool and a potluck breakfast. Unfortunately, our trip was cut short because of a freeze in Houston. We all wanted to get back home to check on our homes. Despite the short trip, we had a wonderful time and always appreciate Natures Resort.

Emerald Lakes
August 26 & 27, 2023
We had a wonderful gathering at Emerald Lakes, a local landed nudist resort. Several people slept over. We enjoyed the pool and lake. Thanks to Ira for setting it up. We had a great time relaxing and catching up.

Open Swim
June 18 & July 15, 2023
The Gordons hosted Open Swim. We got together for some good drinks and snacks. We had wonderful conversations about travel and catching up. It was a great way to beat the Texas heat.

Natures Resort
January 2023
Four couples were able to make it to Natures Resort for the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. Some staying in their rentals and other brought their trailers. We crossed the boarder into Nuevo Progresso to enjoy some shopping and bar hopping. We lounged by the pool, played volleyball and petanque.

New Year Party 2023
GCNYC rang in the New Year at Lonnie and Madeline’s House. We enjoyed great food, excellent company, lovely weather which culminated with a soak in the giant hot tub! I can think of no better way to end one year and begin another!

Holiday Party
December 2022
The holiday party was well attended. We shared a tasty spaghetti dinner with everyone contributing to the buffet. We make short work of choosing next year's restaurant list and activities. The gift exchange was quite the ruckus. One gift was a prank box, the Crib Dribbler, with batteries and a phone charging stick inside. The boobie prize was a wax flower arrangement.

Picture from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Prank-Pack-Crib-DribblerStandard/dp/B00A26VGPA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Trip to Mira Vista
December 2021
Two couples took a pre-Christmas vacation to Mira Vista Nudist Resort in Tucson, Arizona. The pool area was wonderful in the bright sun. During cloudier times, we ventured over to Saguaro National Park, which is 10 minutes away to enjoy short hikes. We found a variety of fantastic, ethnic restaurants. One favorite was Blacktop Grill, with local specialty, Sonoran Hot Dogs. Sunset was enjoyed on Mira Vista's sunset porch with the clouds illuminated before the storm the next morning.

Holiday Party
December 2021
We met at the Skipper's house for a some holiday festivities. We had spaghetti and freshly baked bread. We decided on the 2022 restaurants for Second Friday Dinner. Then the White Elephant gift exchange. Alcoholic gifts were 'stolen' many times. A delightful blue ceramic pie dish is now a lovely bird bath on a recently renovated patio.

Pool Party
June 2021
The club was invited to a lovely pool party. There were 14 members in attendance. We enjoyed the sun and water through the afternoon and well into the evening. A couple slept over to avoid driving late. Pizza was served as well as the everyone's tasty contributions of fruit, hummus, meats, crackers and trailmix. A volleyball was tossed around to keep us active. A great time was had by all!

Movie Night
August 2020
Despite the pandemic, Movie Night was still held as a house party. A small gathering enjoyed each other's company to view a movie and sit in the hot tub.

Weekend at Emerald Lakes
June 2017
The club spent the weekend at Emerald Lakes, a landed club in the northern Houson area. We used kayaks and paddle boards on the lake. We had an amazing Wine Dinner with Kobe steaks and a wine vertical of Sterling Cabernet from 2006 through 2011.

Fireworks on Galveston Bay

We go boating on Galveston Bay for the Friday Night Fireworks during the summer. We spend the day boating or sailing around the bay. We enjoy sunset and then the firework display before heading back to shore.

Tales of the Bare Boater

Across Country and Ocean Explore America October 2024

Emerald Lakes August 26 & 27, 2023 We had a wonderful gathering at Emerald Lakes, a local landed nudist resort. Several people slept over. We enjoyed the pool and lake. Thanks to Ira for setting it up. We had a great time relaxing and catching up.

Open Swim June 18 & July 15, 2023 The Gordons hosted Open Swim. We got together for some good drinks and snacks. We had wonderful conversations about travel and catching up. It was a great way to beat the Texas heat.

New Year Party 2023 GCNYC rang in the New Year at Lonnie and Madeline’s House. We enjoyed great food, excellent company, lovely weather which culminated with a soak in the giant hot tub! I can think of no better way to end one year and begin another!