Recipe for a Happy Weekend

What does one do on a summer's day in New York, when the sun is shining, the sky is blue, humidity is low and the wide blue yonder beckons? Go sailing of course! And because New York is surrounded by water, it is relatively easy to get this together.

Take one lovely yacht that is not too big and grand or too teeny and squishy, but just right for 2 people.

Add one able seaman to chart your course.

Mix with the Long Island Sound that hopefully has enough wind to propel you across the currently very warm water.

After you have reveled in a couple of hours of tacking, jibing and the occasional straight course sailing where the only sound is the bow skimming the waves and the sail billowing in the wind, you might come across an archipelago of islands and decide its time for terra firm. We dropped anchor beside Great Captain's Island off the coast of Greenwich and rowed onto shore.

Ready for early evening drinks after all that work? Hoist up the anchor and motor gently into Bel Haven Club, where they generously have guest moorings for reciprocal yacht clubs.

While you're waiting for the Connecticut law student clad in Ralph Lauren to come and pick you up in the club's motor boat, marvel over the Greenwich houses that grace the shores of the Sound and then salivate over the beautiful boats that sit chained to their moorings like dogs on a lead waiting to be taken on a walk.

Once at the club, freshen up by showering in the gorgeous bathroom, resplendent with blue and white wallpaper, white wicker towel baskets and brightly colored roses.

Then head to the deck for a gin and tonic overlooking the water, before eating a hearty dinner in the bar.

For a well earned night's sleep, why not check into the heavenly Homestead Inn, a Relais & Chateau hotel that is a 3 minute cab ride from your yacht. There, you can experience all the charm of New England, without having to travel that far.

In the morning, indulge in a huge breakfast in bed before sailing idly back across the Sound to the grit and grime of the city. I hope you feel renewed!


images: mine except for (1) visual photos, (3) media bucket, (18) elegant small hotels

Polo in Greenwich

I am very lucky to have a gorgeous aussie friend who has made polo his life. And he is damn good at it - polo that is. This friendship allows me access to a rarefied world of incredibly good looking Argentine men and their Giselle Bundchen-like wives and children, multi million dollar polo ponies and lives, first-hand accounts of what really goes on in the polo world and a chance to see the working side of this often misunderstood sport. The fact that I am a horse fanatic makes this an even more special friendship because I get to nuzzle these magnificent ponies!

Last weekend I spent my Sunday at the Greenwich Polo Club to watch said friend win an important game and go onto the finals this week. Greenwich Connecticut has to be one of the most extraordinarily beautiful, if not too perfect places in the world. Apart from the stunning backdrop of vast green lawns and lush forests, there is an obscene amount of money here which results in monoliths lining the tree-canopied roads, each larger than a small African nation.

Amidst all this decadence sits one of the most incredible properties you will ever have the pleasure of visiting; White Birch Farm. It is owned by Peter Brant, paper manufacturer, publisher of Interview magazine, art collector, husband of Stephanie Seymour (although now going through a famously acrimonious divorce) and of course, polo magnate. Brant started the Greenwich Polo Club - and the Bridgehampton Polo Club but that's for another post - in the eighties, as a way to bring high-goal games to the area. He also has his own polo team named after his farm. One of the world's top players, Mariano Aguerre, is the team leader who also happens to be my friend's business partner in Argentina, where they breed polo ponies. But I digress!

The polo club sits on Brant's property which comprises of not one, but two picture perfect polo fields alongside each other, surrounded by magnificent old trees.

Overlooking the fields is Brant's personal art gallery and non profit study centre, which includes an incredible collection of modern American art. Housed in a 1902 converted barn, it is open to the public by appointment, but that is also for another post!

And so to the game. There is something magical about being a part even for a brief moment, of this special world. Even though it is considered impossible to penetrate, you can still enjoy it from the sidelines - literally. All you need is a picnic rug, a chilled bottle of rose and some summer salads. The magnificent surroundings, horses and players will do the rest.

Images: mine, Sotheby's, luxist, berg properties, mine