Private Air New York

www.privateairny.com  |   95 Private Air  Fall 2026 PASSPORT ANGUILLA FROM THE WATER One of the best decisions of the trip was allowing Aurora's VIP concierge to arrange a day at sea. After a short drive to the marina, the sort of scenic drive that encourages dangerous fantasies about moving to the island, a dinghy carried us to Freedom, a custom 2022 Lagoon 42 sailing catamaran operated by Renegades Luxury Charter. Captain and co-founder Andre, who has navigated waters from Germany to California, was at the helm, while head steward Diane made it immediately clear that we would not be suffering from hunger or thirst. Our destination was Little Bay, a protected cove tucked between dramatic cliffs with a sliver of silver-white beach at their base. Traffic amounted to perhaps one or two yachts dropping in to admire the view. e water was warm enough to remove any hesitation about jumping in. Freedom came prepared for people who cannot sit still: SEABOBs, paddleboards, floating mats and other toys waited on deck. For those of us perfectly capable of sitting still, there were beanbags on the trampoline, shaded lounge areas and a light-filled salon surrounded by panoramic windows. ere was also a chessboard facing the sea, which struck me as a particularly civilized touch. e afternoon required almost no planning. We swam beneath the cliffs, stretched out on floating mats and climbed aboard for lunch before deciding whether we were ready to do anything again. Someone could race around on a SEABOB while someone else remained completely motionless beneath the sun, and both appeared to be making equally good decisions. Andre and Diane kept food and cocktails coming without ever interrupting the rhythm of the day. By the time we headed back, I wasn't entirely sure whether Little Bay or Freedom had been the destination. at is probably the highest compliment I can give a day at sea. WHERE THE GARDEN MEETS THE TABLE I am a gardener, so Aurora's hydroponic farm interested me far more than I expected. Rows of eggplant, tomatoes, lettuce and other produce grow in carefully controlled systems that seem particularly ingenious on an island where traditional farming comes with obvious challenges. I was told that cultivating lettuce this way can help limit exposure to some of the soil-borne problems that trouble conventional crops. It was fascinating to see technology being used not to distance food from nature, but to make growing it locally more practical. en I spotted something much more familiar. Soursop. As the child of Jamaican and Cuban parents, this was not some newly discovered superfruit for me. Soursop was part of childhood. Long before wellness circles began talking excitedly about its potential, it was simply something we knew, ate and drank.

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