Friends with Benefits

We all need more friends with benefits, right? Before you get all excited, no, I am not talking about those benefits. I am talking about run-of-the-mill, things-you-can-discuss-with-a-toddler kinds of perks. I often find myself having the following conversation with acquaintances:

Them: So, why Key West? Do you have a boat?

Me: Nope, no boat…

Them: Don’t you like going out on the water? What is wrong with you? (OK, that part is usually implied, but sometimes shared aloud.)

Me: …but we have some friends that have them.

As we were soaking up sun at the front of our friend’s boat last weekend, we realized this is a mutually beneficial arrangement. He prefers to take the boat out with other people, but his wife does not enjoy going too frequently. FKGuy and I can’t get enough, yet we have no boat of our own. Plus, we bring food, wine and a whole lot of humor. See? Win-win.

This particular friend is not a terribly experienced boat captain, but he is cautious. As he was struggling to figure out how to program the GPS, I hooked him up with another friend of ours, who is a far more experienced boat captain. Hopefully they have connected by now, and as a bonus, they are both fellow wine lovers. (See? Another win-win.)

Our tour took us to the Mud Keys and to Snipes point, but the water was a little chilly for my tastes. I made it into the water at Snipes, but only up to mid-thigh as I could not bear the thought of wading through frigid (to me, the native Floridian) water just to get to the sand bar. Now, if the sand bar were an actual margarita-serving bar, that might have been a different story. Last time we were at Snipes (way too long ago) the water was warm, we remembered our hats and extra sunscreen and I spent most of the day lounging in the salty brine. This was just as delightful, only in a more-lunching-less-swimming kind of way.

We are thrilled that our friend routinely wants company on his boat. I, for one, am more than happy to spend time in the sun, away from reality with my phone safely stowed in one of the dry compartments.

Do you have any friends with benefits? Share your story in the comments below.