I went to the beach with family and friends recently and all it did was re-emphasize why I don’t go to the beach. It was like my worst nightmare was playing out in real time.

We went to Covehead and the winds were whipping 30-50 km/hr. I stationed myself on a chair, apparently downwind, and was treated to an afternoon of being completely sandblasted. It was like some kind of weird nature-driven exfoliation. In addition, I loaded up on sunscreen, and the sand was embedding itself to every exposed part of my body. The others, obviously beach veterans, or sand oblivious, acted like nothing was out of the norm. Two towels that weren’t even used were filled with sand. I’m not even going to discuss how much ended up in the back of the truck ... but think small sandbox.

But still, the grandkids like the beach and I didn’t want to become a ‘no fun’ grandpa. I was determined to join them as much as possible so I needed a plan to make my beach-going more enjoyable. Then it happened. The perfect beach visit. Accomplished by following just three easy steps.

Find a beach that actually isn’t a beach. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. We went to a place on the south shore that is tide driven. At high tide, the water is right at the edge of a small embankment. At low tide, you can walk out a couple of hundred metres in very shallow, warm, kid-friendly waters. The best part of all, you’re always sitting on the damp compressed sandy bottom left when the tide retreats. In other words, you can build spectacular sand castles, go out a long way and still be only waist deep, and there isn’t a grain of sand light enough to make it airborne in even the gustiest of PEI winds.

Get yourself a beach bin.

I’ve taken part in carrying loads and loads of chairs, toys, inflatables, coolers, umbrellas, beach tents, blankets and bags of snacks to the desired beach location. It’s all part of the experience.

What I’m talking about is your own personal bin, that makes finding your stuff simple. I used one of those green grocery bins that come with easy-to-carry handles, and threw in my towel, soft cooler bag, sunscreen, wallet, reading glasses, keys, mini-speaker, phone and snacks which were subsequently easy to find when needed. Best of all, you place it right beside your chair thus avoiding the need to get up and shuffle over a boatload of stuff just to stay hydrated. As an added bonus, if you do get sand on your towel or cooler bag, it ends up at the bottom of your bin, not somewhere in your vehicle. Which brings us to ...

Don’t use your own car. Again, why it took me so long to figure out this defensive move escapes me. With grandkids, you’re taking a minimum of two vehicles because of car seats, but I always wanted to drive my own rig as the additional vehicle. Not any more. In fact, this trip I drove out with my daughter with the kids in the back. As we packed for home, I watched as all the wet sand stuck to chairs, toys, towels and feet collected in the back of their SUV thinking this could have been me.

By following these three easy steps, I have made myself basically ‘sand proof’. I even recorded a PBT (personal best time) of over four hours seaside this past weekend. The key is to get others who don’t mind the sand to join in. But they’re too busy thinking I’m completely nuts.

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