My childhood was spent on land situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, and I’ve lived in New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle, so water and water activities have always been a part of my life, but since I can’t swim, I have a certain “fear of the water.” When it comes to perfumes, I have a fear of ‘water’ too, the type called “marine fragrances” that are drenched with ozone and aquatic notes. I’ve always wished perfumes could capture the scents of the open sea and the winds blowing over the ocean, but perfumes are better at replicating the oceanic “sideshow” — scents of sand/damp earth, the dry, reedy smells of vegetation growing at the seaside, the mineral scents of shells, the bracing aroma of salty seaweeds, the odors of tarry wooden wharves or outboard motor exhaust fumes.

I usually avoid all fragrances with marine/H2O themes, but armed with a perfume “life preserver” (soft-bristle scrub brush and unscented detergent), I decided to face my fears and sample three Bond no. 9 fragrances that are named after places at, or near, the ocean…

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