When was the last time you felt completely free?

San Diego’s August heat in 1977 was intense. After a long scorching day, the temperature finally eased as the sun dipped behind Point Loma. The Pacific Ocean’s cloudless horizon was poised for a green flash, as the vibrant yellow ochre sunset gave way to the deep, ultra-aquamarine blue of the eastern sky.

My junior high buddy, Skip Austin, and I stood gazing at the cherry-red hood of his dad’s 1970s Fiat Spider. The sexy little convertible, parked in the driveway of their bungalow in Imperial Beach, was a perfect fit for my skinny teenage frame. The car, the empty Silver Strand, and my reckless 14-year-old mind all tempted me. Just one stoplight away from my first joyride, I thought before jumping into the driver’s seat and starting the engine.

My hands and face were a sticky mess of sunburn, teen oil, and grains of sand. Gripping the wheel and grinding the gears with no rhythm, my gawky bare feet stuttered and danced around the pedals, grinding, stalling, restarting, and more grinding. Pressing the gas, the little four-cylinder convertible screamed for its owner to rescue her from this teenage torture.

We drove along Silver Strand, a 7-mile two-lane stretch, just a few feet from the ocean. This sea-level road, which joined Imperial Beach to Coronado Island, was deserted and dusted with the day’s sand.

At 14 years old, having yet to make any life-altering decisions, I was completely free and unencumbered, obligated to nothing and no one. Speeding towards Coronado, the ocean breeze filling my lungs, the lights of the Hotel Del fast approaching. This was freedom. This was the happiest moment in my life.

For 50 years, I have chased this feeling – a longing to feel unburdened – and I don’t think I’m alone. It’s why Riviera works. For it’s not about sailing, it’s about escape. Riviera is a place to escape. To dream, to feel romance, to be free.

Every time I unfurl the sails and cut the engine, it happens—the magical purge. Within minutes of leaving the dock, the burdens of adult stress and concern begin to lift. Cliché? Perhaps. But as the invigorating sea air fills your lungs, a powerful wave of freedom can, if you allow it, embrace your mind, body, and soul.

Come with me. Feel what I feel every time I sail.

As Riviera gains speed and heals into her watery groove, I’m back on the Silver Strand, on that wondrous joyride of my youth.

Fair Winds & Following Seas
Paul & Victoria