Even in the post-rain evening chill, the vibe at Rockaway Beach Surf Club was warm and welcoming. As everyone gathered for the 5th annual Women’s Surf Film Festival, there were smiles all around.

“If you kiss a horseshoe crab, you get seven years of good luck,” my buddy gently offered, lifting the prehistoric-looking creature my way. Gross, but yeah, sure, there’s plenty of space in between the eyes for a peck. “No, on the mouth,” she said as she turned the crab over. Gulp.

It’s overcast, the sky is heavy, and the wind is waiting for the right angle to slap everyone’s hat off. But still, we are determined to sit outside on our brand new ferry and soak up every bit of the trip, even if that means some rain.

The energy level on Saturday was high, as adults and kids, locals and out-of-towners, spectators and participants alike packed in together just to have fun, display all the possible ways to wear a seashell, and celebrate the ocean.

Traveling in Madagascar will thicken your skin and earn you a very large, very cold beer at the end of your trip. At the top of our list was the Avenue of the Baobabs — the (literal and figurative) roadblocks made getting there even sweeter.