Sailing & Snorkeling Adventures on Aruba’s Black Pearl

“Oh, a sailor’s life is the life for me, how I love to sail o’er the bounding sea…”

I love being on a boat.  If I am anywhere near the water on any kind of trip, I’m going to find a way to get out ON the water.  So when I took a solo trip to Aruba a couple months ago, I knew that I had to find my way onto a ship of some sort.  Maaaany moons ago I took a cheap booze cruise on the Jolly Pirate just because it was convenient, but wanted to do something a little more chill and special.

I’d say the Black Pearl delivered the Aruba sailing I was dreaming of.  It started with this…

…and ended with this.  Yep, pretty awesome.

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I arrived at Palm Beach plenty early and snagged some delish acai bowls from Eduardo’s Beach Shack, then walked out on the pier to meet the Black Pearl (it’s the one on the far right in the first pic below).

While I waited to get checked in, I slathered on some reef-friendly sunscreen, since sunscreen ingredients are one of the big causes of coral reefs dying.

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The crew introduced themselves, got us seated in our assigned spots, and then we took to the open water.  First order of business was to get everyone a drink.  Even though this wasn’t a rowdy party booze cruise, I’m not going to turn down a drink (or three) to go along with my Kindle reading on a swaying catamaran.  I’m not a monster.

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We made our first snorkeling stop and got suited up.  This was my first time trying out my GoPro Hero 3 (which I grabbed for $100 from a co-worker).  I’m not in love with it yet, definitely some kinks to work out, but it was cool to have the underwater pics!

We sailed for a bit longer and then stopped for a second, cooler snorkeling adventure.

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There were some really neat blue fish, some angelfish (maybe?? listen, I’m not a fishologist…), and some people saw turtles but I didn’t (bummer!).

Up on deck, you could stare at multi-million dollar homes and enjoy some breeze and shade while the younger kids worked out their energy.  For me, I finished up my snorkeling and had another drink.  And then some regular and toasty cheese sandwiches.  The regular ones were just meh but the toasty ones were delish!

As we headed back toward Palm Beach, we were graced with a typical Aruban sunset.  It was peaceful and pretty, and (as always) happened SO fast.  Seriously, you can actually see the sun falling toward the horizon in Aruba.

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My kind of booze cruise.  Just chill, nothing but waves, breeze, birds, and a little chatter from the other boat occupants.

If you’re going to be in Aruba, sailing is a must…getting out on the water and making use of the omnipresent wind is a great way to see more of the island and experience the beautiful ocean yourself!

How to plan your Aruba sailing trip on the Black Pearl

• You can look at info and book your trip through their website
• It was $80 for the snorkeling and sunset sail trip, which went from approximately 3:30-5:30p
• You just have to wear your sunscreen, bring a towel, sunscreen, and anything else you want—I recommend sunglasses, a swimsuit coverup, a camera (including an underwater one if you have it), and I brought my kindle since I was there alone

Have you taken a sailing trip while traveling before?  I’d love to know what your favorites are—I’m always looking for my next boat adventure!

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