We want to see your island vacation photos for possible inclusion in the February 2010 island issue. Click here for more information on how to submit. The deadline is November 17, 2009.

Photo: Laura Breault

Producing the YOLO shoot in Seagrove, FL, earlier this summer was one of the more fun photo shoots I've had the opportunity to do. Not only did Mary Katherine Stump, our writer, and I get to spend the day picking the brains of Jeff Archer and Tom Losee (above), the entrepreneurs behind YOLO Boards, but we also got to learn how to stand-up paddle. The sport, in which one stands on a more-buoyant version of a surf board and paddles, is like nothing else—tranquil yet exciting, calming while seriously working the core muscles. I've been hooked ever since—I even convinced my husband and some friends to try it on our vacation. To get the full story and find out what YOLO means, pick up the October issue of Coastal Living. In the meantime, check out these photos taken during our shoot!

Chris Lambert, a local YOLOer, loaned us his meticulously-restored vintage VW bus for the shoot. So we loaded it up with boards and tailgating essentials and headed for the beach!

Madra Medina McDonald, of M Public Relations, and Mary Katherine return to the bus after give the sport a try.

Our photographer, Colleen Duffley. Check out her studio, Studio B, here. For more info on YOLO Boards, click here.

**Special thanks to the Lamberts for loaning us their VW and taking such great behind-the-scene shots! 

In the latest issue of Coastal Living, editor Lindsay Bierman mentions a documentary he's recently seen called "Addicted to Plastic."

He writes, "Basically, [the film] says that chemical compounds from plastic bottles, containers, utensils, and anything else you can think of are poisoning our oceans and food chain. The filmmaker traveled to the middle of the Pacific Ocean to find out just how much toxic refuse has accumulated in the waters, and it's truly shocking. I'll take paper, please."

I thought of this when I came across this tongue-in-cheek tote on printbrigade.com.

We're committed to actions big and small that have an positive impact on the sea. You can do your part to help too.

Take part in the Ocean Conservancy's 24th annual International Coastal Cleanup this September. For more info, click here.

And stay tuned to "Daily Catch" for more ways we're working to help save our seas.

Last week, one of our favorite swimsuit labels, Marysia Swim, debuted its 2010 collection at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at The Raleigh Hotel in South Beach. We can't get enough of the retro-inspired suits. Click here for more information...and stayed tuned for a look inside Marysia's Charleston home in an upcoming issue of Coastal Living.

In this month's issue of Coastal Living, we bring you the coastal stylings of Robert McKinley, who designed the hip Surf Lodge hotel. We give you a sneak peek into the hotel's unique look and show you how you can shop the look (see below).

 

Could it be Barack Obama reads Coastal Living? President Obama recently tapped Alabama native Dr. Regina Benjamin as his choice for U.S. Surgeon General. While many in our nation are hearing her name for the first time, she's been on our radar for years.

Dr. Benjamin gained notoriety after founding the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in rural Bayou La Batre on Alabama's Gulf Coast. We saluted her efforts in our November/December 2002 issue. Here's what she had to say then:

She’s “the Angel of Bayou La Batre,” not just for her personalized medical care but also for a demeanor as sweet as Alabama’s royal red shrimp.

On any given day, in her nonprofit clinic near the fishing docks of Bayou La Batre, Dr. Regina Benjamin busily tends to an uninsured fisherman with diabetes or a tourist attached to a hook. Her good work is also recognized beyond Mobile Bay. This year the Alabama native became the first African American to become president of the state’s medical association and the nation’s first African-American ­female to hold the spot. Regina shrugs off accolades, preferring, she says, hugs from the “down-to-earth, genuine people” around her.

On her patients: “A lot of my patients don’t have insurance, so by the time they see me, it’s really late in the game. That’s tough. Everyone seems to just want to talk honestly with someone who cares about them.”

On her goal: “Right now I’m trying to recruit a doctor who can help me here, but it takes a special kind of person who’s not in the business as much for the money as the personal rewards.” (Regina sometimes gets paid with a bushel of peas or cooler full of the day’s catch.)

On the seafood-rich Gulf: “I’m just like Bubba Gump––I could eat shrimp all day, any way. Especially boiled. I love to spread newspaper out on a table with seafood I’ve seasoned with whatever’s in the cabinet.”

On coastal Alabama: “My family has been here since the early 1800s. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. I love the breeze, the smell of ­wisteria––the sunsets, especially. There’s nothing like them. And the water here is so calming. Every day it’s different. Sometimes blue, sometimes gray, sometimes muddy. It’s like a person with an ever-changing personality.” —Denise Gee

For more on Dr. Regina Benjamin and her accolades visit Time.com.

Having just returned from vacation, I’m finding it a little challenging to get back to work. So why not turn work into play by sharing my coastal travels with you?

As one of the graphic designers at Coastal Living, I created the layouts for “Divine Providence” (June 2009) and “Inside Newport: Where the Sailors Go” (July/August 2009—on newsstands now!). Perfect timing! My mom and I had just booked a trip to Providence, Rhode Island, to visit family.

With magazines in hand and my own personal tour guides—thanks Aunt Susan and Uncle Dickie!—I experienced both Providence and Newport as the locals do. In Providence, we walked the riverfront, explored the RISD museum (I bought some really cool earrings—slices of nutmeg coated in a sparkling lacquer), and lunched on Federal Hill (you can never go wrong with pink vodka sauce). The following day landed us in Newport, touring stately mansions, shopping Bowen’s Wharf, and dining at the Black Pearl. My personal favorite: strolling Cliff Walk, where beautiful views of the ocean and summer homes abound.

Now, back in Alabama, I miss the coolness of the ocean breeze. But when I open the pages of the magazine, I smell salt in the air. I hope you do, too. —Tempy Segrest

Find us on Facebook to view photos from the upcoming issue and become a fan!

Get ready to walk with us along the coast of New Hampshire, grill out with easy recipes and tips from barbecue guru Steven Raichlen, view top spots to snorkel from coast to coast, and join designer Tracey Rapisardi as she shows how to get a classic nautical look in your home.

On newsstands June 30th! Click here to subscribe.