Since trying a stand up paddle board (SUP) the first time with my friends Darlene and Karen at Racoon Lake, I loved it and was determined to bring one aboard Big Frisky when we arrived in the Caribbean.

Unfortunately, the crew is divided on this issue. They do take up some room on the side deck and are cumbersome to deploy and re-stow aboard, risking damage to the boat or the SUP in the process. There is also the potential for being in the way when hoisting the sails. Finally, attaching the SUP to the stantions and lifelines can cause the loss of all three in high winds/seas.

The question is whether the rewards of the SUP outweigh these drawbacks. We have approached the dilemma scientifically. We rented an SUP for a week while we explore St. John in the United States Virgin Islands . I would bear solo responsibility for its loading unloading and securing it safely to the boat, out of the way of the sails and limiting pressure on lifelines and stantions.

I pictured using the SUP to get little exercise, paddle around looking at the fishes and going to the beach by myself, but as we enter one beautiful bay after another abounding with sea turtles and crystal clear waters, the many, many benefits of the SUP reveal themselves with startling regularity

Over 70% of St. John is National Park. There are no marinas, no dinghy docks and no anchoring in any of the bays we have visited. We take a mooring ball and use the dingy to go ashore, jumping off in the surf and dragging the dinghy ashore with a much dignity as possible while the dogs leap out on the beach as soon as they can. The biggest problem is knowing what the landing conditions are like and what is ashore before we get there.

I use the SUP to paddle up to the shore, check out the dinghy landing conditions and discover what, if any amenities are ashore. A walking trail for the dogs is a huge find, closely followed by a Parks garbage collection site and any kind of a restroom is bonus.

At Hawksnest Bay with its beautiful palm fringed beaches, trails, garbage collecting and more. we had to make the decision to leave or stay based on the condition of the swell at the beach. Only one way to find out. Stand up Paddle Board. I paddled ashore and beached the SUP. I was chilling on the beach watching huge breakers coming in, when I saw a dinghy loaded with beach gear and a few passengers approach the landing. One of the passengers was a little girl about eight. I watched in horror as their dinghy pitched endo tossing all the occupants, snorkel fins, picnic basket, life vests, pool toys, etc. into the surf. The little girl emerged first with a pair of beach chairs under her arms, trotted onto beach, set them up and returned for the picnic basket. I sat back down. We would not be using this beach for tonight's dog walk/dinghy landing.

To pay for your National Park mooring ball, you must dinghy over the small floating collection dock, covered with expose nails primed to puncture a fragile rubber dinghy, Unless of course you have an SUP, then you just paddle over, drop your money in the slot and more than likely striking up a conversation with other sailing ladies out in the bay and trading information about where you've been and where you are going.

This was a lesson learned the hard way when we planned to pay for our mooring and dinghy over for a dog walk at the same time. In our focus on getting the dog in their life vests, securing leashes in my dry bag and packing "pick up" bags, we forgot our mooring ball payment. After an inconclusive conversion about who should go back in for the envelope, I attempted to gain the swim platform right as the boat slipped away and I plunged headfirst into the gap for a compete swim. Fortunately when I surfaced, there was the SUP, an easy grab, get on and re-boarding of the dingy by the time the captain emerged with the mooring ball payment. "SEE" I snarled, dripping salt water from my hair, "Stand Up Paddle Board!"

And of course there is the all-around entertainment of taking the dogs for a spin around the bay.

Just this morning I was awakened by the captain up in the cockpit, "Look at that!!!! Would you LOOK at it! Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes I came up to see what the fuss was about. And there, right on the next mooring ball, was a guy meticulously cleaning his boat, aboard his standup paddle board. The captain said, with a begrudging smile, "maybe we can find a use for the SUP."

Feel free to weigh in on whether you think we should add a stand up paddle board to Big Frisky. We value your opinion.