Newsflash: Our Kids are Not as Perfect as they Seem on Instagram

I had had it up to HERE with my kids. It was 4:30pm, I had played referee, broken up fights, dealt with unruly tantrums, yelled at the top of my lungs, cooked two dinners, cleaned the boat over and over and over again, picked up toys, broken up more fights... and I. Was. Done. I walked down the dock with two girls happily running ahead of me and one lagging behind and I had defeat written all over face and body. I was tired, I was angry, I desperately wanted a break... A nice man stopped to politely let Mira pass (the lagger behinder of our posse), at which point she scowled at him, planted her feet firmly on the pavement, crossed her arms and yelled, "NO!" Aren't they charming, I thought? I looked up to the sky in frustration. Why are my kids such jerks sometimes!?! Sigh. "I'm sorry," I told the gentleman wearily, "She is a stubborn little child." I stood, waiting for Mira and as the man passed me he said casually, "She doesn't seem stubborn on your blog..."

I wasn't quite sure how to take the comment as there was no follow up conversation after that, I believe more than anything it was an honest observation. But it got me to thinking, "She doesn't seem stubborn on my blog but...isn't it understood that my kids are ages four and two and, at the end of the day, normal kids with 'asshole tendencies'?" (Yes, I'm sorry to swear but toddlers definitely can have asshole tendencies and if yours do not, well...congratulations). After some thought I came to the conclusion that maybe based on our Facebook and Instagram accounts, our pretty pictures and sweet updates of our goings-ons, people really did think our life and kids are perfect and, well, I am here to tell you loud and clear: OUR LIFE AND KIDS ARE NOT PERFECT.

***

Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for our life and I love our kids more than I can possibly articulate, but should you ever meet them, you must remember that what I share in photos and blogs are snippets of time, and - yes - mostly happy times (of which there are many!) but do not expect them to be adorable little robot children who will run when you call and hug when you bend down to greet them. I mean, sometimes they do that, and sometimes they are absolute angels...but sometimes Haven will look you straight in the eye when you give her a friendly "Hello!" and say, "I. Don't. Like. You" with clipped, perfect articulation just to drive the point home. Sometimes Mira will stick her tongue out you as you wave to her and Isla might just have a little "diva" moment if you ask for a high-five. Believe me, we are working on squishing these bad habits (behavior charts for the win!) but in the meantime, understand that our girls are not always happy, smiling, perfect creatures doing adorable things in beautiful locations. PLEASE do not be fooled into thinking that our girls are any different than other kids simply because we live on a boat in the islands. For example, I have Googled the following over the last few weeks: "Am I screwing up my kids?" "Are my kids jerks?" "How to deal with a "spirited" child?" (Good LORD how do you deal with a spirited child!?!) "Do I yell too much?" and "Tactics of the Super Nanny" No real conclusions have been reached based on these rather futile searches, but what I did discover during these forays into the interwebs was a bunch of other moms on the same page as I; confused, a little lost and worrying that we might be dropping the ball.

But we are not dropping the ball, and I know that. We're doing a lot of stuff right and we're doing some stuff wrong. It's inevitable. This is parenting and nobody, NOBODY gets it right all the time. I have my mommy strengths; an extremely affectionate nature, very patient (to a point), and an instinctual aversion to helicoptering (to name a few)...and I have my parental weaknesses: a temper, a need to 'control', and an almost OCD-like need for order (kind of hard with three tots!). These traits (along with many more from both Scott and me) will play out in our children's lives in one way or another. Some will have positive consequences, some will have negative consequences some will just be. Our parents screwed things up, their parents screwed things up before them and our great-grandparents before that... the cycle goes back to the beginning of time. But with every generation, we learn, we tweak, we change tacks and do our best. We do our best. We have all turned out okay (well, most of us anyway) and our kids (most likely) will follow suit and do the same. They will not be perfect, but they will be okay.

***

Social media in a lot of ways is a wonderful thing; it's brought me a tremendous amount of satisfaction, joy, friendship and community to my life. But there is a yin to the yang and I think the one-sided nature of it is part of that. We share the prettiest pics, the happiest times and everyone's life looks pretty damn awesome. But the truth is, no one knows what is really going on behind the curtain and things are not always what they seem. We have our struggles just like anyone else. They might not be the same struggles you have, but there are bumps in the road none the less. Our marriage is far from perfect (have your read about the divorce rate for parents of twins? YIKES!), Scott has very little work/life balance, we run a business that is constantly eating away at family time (there's no such thing as time "off" when you own a biz), we live a very public life that can be open to scrutiny (both outspoken and covert) and we have three children ages four and under. Two of them are two year old twins. (It. Is. Intense). It's not easy and it is a lot of work. But along with all that are all the positives. We own our own business. We live on a gorgeous tropical island. We just bought a beautiful new boat. We have three healthy children who are the loves of our lives. We have wonderful friends. We have a loving family. We meet interesting people every single day. Our girls have a wonderful, adoring community around them. We spend 90% of our awake time outside, in nature. We have so, so, so much....We are very lucky. When I am sharing our happy moments, I am just that: Happy. I am grateful and it's my nature to see the positive in things in life rather than dwell on the negative. But there is negative, make no mistake. Just because you don't see it, does not mean it's absent.

***

So when you scroll through our blog and our Instagram account, or when you toggle through my Facebook posts, please remember: we might not be in the exact same boat, but in one way shape or form, we are all in the same boat, somehow, someway, it all evens out in the wash. Where you might thrive, I might struggle. Where I struggle you might thrive. And it might not be so obvious based on the tiny percentage of our life that I share. So if and when you meet our (adorable, spirited, slightly feral, strong-willed, beautiful, wild and precocious) little girls and they are less than charming to you, my sincerest apologies. And if you meet them and they are the wonderful little creatures I prefer to highlight and chronicle every day, know you caught us on a good day.

The Liebster Award: A Bloggy Good Chain Letter

I remember the letter well. It was in a nondescript envelop from a close friend of mine and addressed to Isla. "Hmmmm...." I thought, "I wonder why my friend is sending Isla letters?" It didn't look like a birth announcement, a card or an invitation.  I opened it and there it was: a legitimate chain letter that promised Isla sheets upon sheets of stickers as long as I sent it on.  I groaned, cursed my friend for roping me in and complied.  After all, it was for the kids.  Isla got some new stickers out of the deal and mama swore it was the last time she'd partake in such a ruse.

Until now.

Our blog has been graciously nominated for a Liebster award which, as far as I can tell, is the bloggers version of a chain letter.  I answer ten questions, then come up with ten questions to send to ten other bloggers, they answer my questions, come up with their own, and send them on to ten others.  And so it goes.  Luckily there is no threat attached to this "chain" so it would have been easy to pass up, but since blog posts are thin these days and some of these questions are the ones we've been getting a lot from followers, I thought I would partake in the fun.  Not to mention it's very kind to be nominated.  Since I have been nominated a few times, I will answer all thirty questions in one fell swoop. Thank you to Lyndy at Homeschool Ahoy, my dear friend Genevieve over at It's a Necessity and Tammy from Things we Did Today for the love!  

Here are the answers to the questions that were given to us:

From Homeschool Ahoy:

1. Introduce us to your live aboard family, how many in your crew and how old are they? We are Scott (38), Brittany (35), Isla (2.5) and twins, Haven and Mira (6 months). That is four girls to one guy if you are counting.  We have what some might call "girl power."
2. What sort of boat do you have and would you recommend it for other families hoping to live aboard? Our boat is a Brewer 44. We're not sticklers on what sort of boat a family might need (many would say catamaran), but as monohull sailors we have found a center cockpit layout and a boat that's easy to single hand key features in our experience of cruising with a baby.
3. How did you come to the decision to live aboard? It was something both Scott and I always wanted to do.  It came up on our first date.  Kind of sealed the deal for us.
4. Where are you now and what are your sailing plans, if you have any, for the future? For the upcoming season with our little ones, our plan is to island hop in the British Virgin Islands.  We also plan to sail the Bahamas again in the near future, it's pretty perfect for so many reasons and would be great to cruise with kiddos.  We also would love to cruise the East Coast and Scott would love to cruise the Pacific Northwest.  I'd love to see the Mediterranean, but we don't want to cross oceans until the kids are older.
5. What’s the best learning experience your kids have had since living aboard that you could pass on to other sailing families for them and their children? Gosh, there are so many.  Cultural exposure comes to mind, but that's a no brainer.  Once thing that I think is great about living aboard is the fact that boat kids learn to self entertain and are very creative.  Kids these days have so much (toys, activities, television time, etc.) so I think there is ample learning for kids where there is less.  The natural world is a fabulous playground.
6. What style of education do you prefer for your littlest crew members, are you homeschooling/world schooling/un-schooling… or eclectic like me? Have they ever been or will they ever go to a traditional school? Our kids are too young to make this decision, but we are strongly considering homeschooling for a myriad of reasons, our nomadic lifestyle and the desire to maintain it being the big one.  The jury, however, is still out.  
7. What’s your best memory from the last year? Growing our family from three to five.
8. Name the most challenging experience you have had whilst living aboard and what did you do to overcome it? Hmm...domestic disputes could get ugly, Scott and I are both pretty stubborn.  We learned (and are still learning) the best ways of dealing with these in tight spaces is to communicate, set expectations and give each other space.  Constantly fixing things can get old too, but you don't "overcome" this - you just deal with it.  And take really good care of your stuff.
9. Will you always live aboard or is this just one of the many adventures you hope to share with your family? I think we'll always have a boat and we'll always cruise whether it be a week here and there or a two year sabbatical, but there are so many adventures to be had in this life.  Not to mention we want our girls to be able to rip on skis so we'll have to head to the mountains at some point and, sadly, cruising season and ski season are the same.  If they weren't, this world would be a perfect place. 
10. What motivates you to blog and what tips can you offer fellow yachty bloggers?  I love to share stories and connect with people.  The fact that I actually inspire people here and there was an unexpected bonus to this.  I love it and I love all the good stuff that has come from it.  Writing is my passion and it is my greatest form of expression.  If I don't do it I don't feel right.  My blogging tips are here.

From (my good friend Genevieve at) It's a Necessity:

1. Describe yourself in 5 words. No more, no less.  Live life to the fullest. 
2. What do you blog about? What do you NOT blog about?  I blog about whatever tickles my fancy but usually it's related to sailing, travel, living one's dreams and children.  I don't blog about things that would be considered "airing dirty laundry."  Some things are sacred.  Like dirty laundry.
3. You have $10 US to spend, what is the first thing you buy? I wish I could say something cool like "train ticket," but the true answer would be coffee since sleep is the only thing I really lack these days (#twinfants).  Large drip with a shot of espresso, 2% milk and a lot of sugar is my current poison.  In one coffee shop this concoction was called the "ticker kicker."  I liked that.  Since that would probably only cost $5, I'd buy two of them.
4. What is the worst travel spot you have been to?  Definitely not the worst spot, but my worst travel experience was in Amsterdam.  It was a comedy of errors and I didn't even get to smoke good pot in a cool coffeehouse, but did end up staying with a very kind map maker who took pity on my travel partner and I.
5. What is your favorite saying/slang/term you have picked up through your travels? I like the term "lime" from Grenada.  It means "to hang out/chill out" and can be used as a noun and a verb.  As in: "we're limin' by the water" or "come join us for a lime on the beach." We like to lime.
6. If you were invited to a dress up party what costume would you wear?  I love the 1920's so I'd try to find a stellar flapper get up.
7. What is your favorite drink (alcoholic or not)? Wine.  Specifically any sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand.  Chilean sauv blancs are a close second.  Favorites:  Brancott and Kim Crawford.  Nectar of the Gods.
8. How much wine is too much?  If you ask me this sober, the answer is "there is no such thing as too much."  Ask me after a bender and I will say "two bottles."  That second bottle always does me in, but it usually means a really good night was had.
9. What are you afraid of? Not living up to my potential.
10.  If you could have one wish granted, what would you ask for?  Healthy, happy, long lives for our children.

From Things We did Today:

1. What is the one thing you wish more people knew about you? Don't be afraid to brag here... this is your chance!  This blog paints a pretty one dimensional view of me. People think I am some sort of Pollyanna. People closest to me would find this hysterical. I swear, piss me off and I will cut you (wink). I am a former "wild child" and "bad girl." That doesn't really come across on this blog which became clear when several people assumed I was a peppy cheerleader in high school (I wasn't).  Also, I literally just learned that you only need one space after a sentence and this is killing me because it will take me at least four years to do that without thinking about it. Grammar has never been my strong suit in case you didn't notice.
2. If you could have EITHER five minutes with a crystal ball OR five minutes with a Genie... which would you choose and what would you ask for?  I would choose a Genie because Genie > Crystal Ball, and see number 10 above.
3. What would you say is your partner's greatest contribution to your success as sailors/cruisers?  He amazes me with his ability to get things done and make things happen. No such thing as a "honey do" list for him. He has no fear, can fix anything and he's one hell of a sailor. He's also an amazing, very hands-on daddy. Priceless qualities in a (cruising) mate. We make a very good team.
4. When will you/did you REALLY consider yourself to be a Cruiser? What does the word "Cruiser" mean to you?  Not sure.  I think after we got past the "Thorny Path" we felt pretty good.  A cruiser is anyone who travels by boat. I think it's that simple.
5. What do you think will be the thing that ends your Cruising journey? And why?  Our cruising journey will always stop and go I think - but we will always be sailors and I think we will always have a sailboat.  Things that will end it for certain: a) if we are not enjoying it anymore b) we can no longer afford to do it and c) we find some other adventure to sink our teeth into.
6. What was it like the moment that you "decided" to go cruising? What was the catalyst? Or was it a more gradual thing that just happened?  For me, I read Maiden Voyage when I was thirteen or so and when I finished it I thought, "I want to do that."  I have been known to be impulsive.
7. How did your current boat get its name? Have you ever thought of changing it?  The story behind our boat's name is here.  We love it.
8. What size boat do you/will you cruise on? And if money were no object... would you buy a bigger one?  We cruise on a Brewer 44.  If money were no object we would absolutely buy a bigger boat.  It would be a three cabin monohull in the 48-53 foot range.  Ideally it would be a Hallberg-Rassy 53.
9. It is often said that before you leave, everyone says they will come visit you, but most never do. Who would you MOST like to come visit you on your boat and why?  Richard Branson.  He seems like he would be awesome to hang out with and he could go kiteboarding with Scott.  Or my best friend because I KNOW she's awesome to hang out with and loves wine as much as me.  But, really, we can't have visitors these days since we have no more room!
10. Thinking back to before you tossed the dock lines and how you thought cruising would be, what in reality was your biggest misconception? What was your biggest surprise? What was your biggest disappointment?  Misconception: you can sail around the world in two years. (you can, but you're moving faster than we'd ever care to)  Surprise:  how little we actually move under strictly sail power. Disappointment: rolly anchorages.

Thank you humbly for the nominations friends, but the buck stops here.  Since pretty much every single cruising blog I know of has already been nominated multiple times, I will just redirect you to the blogs that nominated me (links above) and have you take a look at their other nominees.  There are thirty of them combined, so that should keep you busy for a while! Enjoy!

PLAN: Just Another Dirty Four Letter Word (but here's ours anyway)

The BVI's

I have alluded to many "plans" throughout this blog.  Some have come to fruition, some have not.  For most travelers (I don't believe this is limited to cruisers) plans are simply guidelines, something to aspire to so that we keep moving forward toward our goals.  It's nice to have plans - without them we are rudderless ships - but it is equally nice to be flexible with those plans because sometimes our greatest adventures happen when we allow ourselves the ability to "sail the wind we are in" so to speak.  Opportunity favors the bold, so it behoves us to take risks, live courageously and without fear.

So, we have a plan...

We're going back to the boat.  With three kids under three.

Bold? For sure. Insane?  Maybe.

Of course some of you will call us crazy/stupid/selfish...etc, but we think our "plan" is actually pretty good.  Heck, I'd even venture to call it a little conservative.  But then again, you're talking to a girl who moved to Tanzania, East Africa by herself when she was twenty-four.  Crazy and conservative are relative terms in my book.

But I digress...

Flights have been purchased for the entire family to fly down to the British Virgin Islands (BVI's) January 2015.  We have rented a condo at the boatyard where we will stay for two weeks while Scott recommissions s/v Asante.  My mom will be with us during that time (after this past winter, she is positively thrilled at the prospect of the tropics in January) so she will help me with the girls while Scott gets our boat ready to splash again.  Once the boat is a "go", we'll move aboard and spend the remainder of the season lazily cruising around the British Virgin Islands.  << This here, is the "conservative" part.

We are going to take baby steps.  After sailing with Isla for twenty months, we learned a thing or two about cruising with kids.  With her, it was pretty seamless and easy for us, but we also know that going from one to three kids is no joke (like, for real...no joke).  We will be outnumbered and that alone ups the ante on the difficulty scale, not to mention the twin factor which pretty much puts that ante up into orbit.  Any parent of multiples will agree, twins are a completely different ball of wax.  So when we were making this "plan", we took stock of what we learned with Isla, and are omitting the aspects of kid cruising that were the most difficult, namely (in no particular order):  1) really long passages 2) overnight passages and 3) rough weather.  Obviously we cannot control the weather, but the BVI's are relatively easy peasy sailing; no passages longer than 4-6 hours, no need for any overnights, and relatively protected waters where rough seas and the need to watch the weather are significantly less than elsewhere.  In fact, it's kind of like sailing in a (really expensive and very crowded) bathtub.  Kind of.  

While this plan is in no way "fool proof" or a guarantee that this transition will be smooth sailing (pun intended), we think that this will give us a good shot at actually enjoying ourselves on the boat instead of simply suffering through it.  With this plan we have options... If we find that we have a good handle on things, we can be more "adventurous" and head to the US Virgins and even the Spanish Virgins and Puerto Rico.  If we discover that short day sails are our max, in the BVI's we will stay.  Our girls will still benefit from the same gifts that a life aboard gave their big sister (intense family time, living with less, majority of wake time outside in nature...etc), but without the stress of passage making, overnights and rough sails.

"But you will be outnumbered!" you say.  Yes.  We will.  But what I have learned thus far with three kids is the fact that if you have two adults on duty, it's totally manageable.  While I can handle all three kids by myself (it is not easy, mind you, but do-able) - it is so much better with another adult so we can 'divide and conquer'.  The fact that Scott and I will be full-time parents while on the boat is exactly what makes this plan viable, which brings me to the next part...

For the foreseeable future, we plan to cruise only part-time meaning that when hurricane season comes around, we will return to the states.  There are several reasons for this:  1) our families are here and we want to see more of them 2) sitting more or less idle during hurricane season was never very fun for us 3) summertime in Chicago is amazing and...oh yeah...4) someone needs to work, and at the time being while I am basking in babies, that person is Scott.

While the captain's gig with Island Windjammers worked out great for us in the past, it is just not realistic for Scott to leave me for a month at a time alone on the boat with three kids under three while he honor his rotation.  Being a single boat mom to one child was totally do-able, but three babies?  No thank you.  So we are putting our ducks in a row so that we can come home and make money during the summers and then cruise/travel as a complete family unit during the winters.  

So there you have it.  The "plan" as it exists right now.  Obviously all of this is subject to change and there are lots of things to figure out (namely our sleeping arrangement for a family of five in a two cabin boat), but for now it feels really good to know we will be heading south for the winter.  It's all about baby steps over here, in so many ways.

>>>>Below are some pics of our last time in the BVIs when Isla was about 13 months <<<<

There are actually PARKS for kids in the BVI's (these are as rare as unicorns in the islands, fyi!)

Swimming off the back of the boat is always fun

There are LOTS of little ones in the BVI's too, which is a big plus (also note: tropical slushy rum drink in mom's hand) 

Dinghy rides! 

Cane Garden Bay was one of our favorites 

Swimming in the bubbly pool

Boat baby :) 

Exploring the Baths

Leary of a squall on the horizon

Making Money Living Your Dream: Earning While Cruising

Because money doesn't grow on trees...not even in the Caribbean.

What if you could make money while living your dream?  If that's not the ultimate "having your cake and eating it too" I don't know what is.  We hear from so many readers - fellow dreamers and gypsies - who are itching to take the great leap into living their dreams (be it on a boat or otherwise) and they want to know how to make it happen without winding up completely broke and penniless in the end.

And therein lies the conundrum:  How to break free but not break the bank?

We were honored to speak briefly at Strictly Sail on this very subject during a seminar given by our friends Paul and Sheryl Shard of Distant Shores and it inspired me to write more in-depth on this subject.  While we do not have the answers or the magic formula, we have met quite a few people in our travels who are making their dreams work for them so I thought I would share what we have learned with you.

To give you a little background, Scott and I were very lucky to be able to sustain our dream of living on a boat and cruising the Caribbean while still bringing in a regular income.  Scott, who is nothing if not determined, set his eyes on getting his captain's license a couple years ago and with a lot of hard work and even more luck (and a nice dose of serendipity thrown in for good measure), he landed a job as a relief captain on a 100 foot schooner for Island Windjammers, an American company based in Grenada (it's not common to go right to a captain's position after getting your license - but IWJ took a risk on Scott and it paid off).  He worked one month every three months and because living on a boat is significantly cheaper than living on land, we made more than enough money to live on and then some.  It was great.

Now, however, things have changed for us (what with operation "family supersize" and all) and we will have not one, but three young children with us.  One child is easy to handle as a single parent (or at least do-able) - but three?  Game changer.  The prospect of being alone on the boat for a month at a time as a single mom of three girls is not realistic (or safe) so we are currently exploring other avenues.  We will keep you posted on this front.

So what are some of the ways people make money while living their dreams?  Let's take a look...Keep in mind, the pros and cons I list are off the top of my head - if you have experience with making money any of these methods and have something to detract or add, we would love to hear your thoughts in our comments.  I have included links to cruisers (most of whom are personal friends) who are actually making money these methods as well, and I encourage you to check out their sites to learn more.  It is also important to note that many of these ways are not providing an actual "living" but merely "supplementing" the cruising kitty and adding a few bucks here and there.  But a drop in the bucket is better than nothing right?  Read on...

1. Writing:  I am listing this one first as it seems to be the #1 way people think they will earn money while cruising.  While you certainly can make money writing articles for sailing magazines and such, you should also be realistic that you are probably not going to make a lot of money.  The writing world is very, very competitive and cruising is a very niche market with only so many publications so there isn't a ton of opportunity.  There are very few people who can actually sustain the cruising lifestyle with their writing, though it can be a way to supplement and make a few bucks here and there if you have talent.  Fatty Goodlander, one of the most successful and prolific cruising writers out there today, writes four hours every single day.  He's written a bunch of books and thousands of articles and makes no bones about the fact that they do not make a lot of money and live on the cheap (very happily, I might add).
• Pros:  You can do it anywhere, inspiration is everywhere, almost zero startup cost/investment.
• Cons:  Very competitive, pay out is small, time commitment is significant, reliable internet is necessary from time to time.
• Example:  The infamous Fatty Goodlander


2. Running/working for a business from your boat:  We have met a few people who successfully run businesses back home from their boats.  These folks work remotely by attending weekly conference calls via Skype and working online during the week, possibly flying back home with some regularity to show face.  Obviously, the nature of the business must be so that you are not needed face to face on a regular basis, but this is a viable option if your business or company allows, and if you have a great support team on the home front.  IT, web design, graphic design and other internet-based jobs lend themselves well to this sort of thing.  This does require adequate internet which is not something you always have while traveling abroad to remote places so this can be challenging.  If you go this route, you will most certainly need to invest in some sort of high-powered wifi booster to make sure you can connect when you need to and you will probably have to be based (or not far from) places with very strong internet signal (which will limit where you can cruise).
• Pros:  You can do what you know, you have infrastructure on the home front, good money.
• Cons:  You will rely on strong internet connection (many wifi hotspots in anchorages around the Caribbean are not strong enough to support Skype calls, FYI and are often painfully slow), and as such, you might be a slave to places with good wifi or have to rely on going ashore to connect.  Running a business remotely is not easy and requires significant organization and a reliable team on the "home front."
• Example:  Our friends Tasha and Ryan of Turf to Surf


3. Chartering your own boat:  This is when you take passengers on your boat for adventures/vacations.  This is a tremendous amount of work and requires that you invest in a boat adequate enough to hold both your crew and your passengers in private rooms or bunks.  It also requires that you hold a captain's license and anyone else who works on the boat alongside you must also carry their STCW certificate - both of which require a significant investment.
• Pros:  Freedom of making your itinerary (you can cruise where you want), you are your own boss, you get to share your lifestyle with others which can be refreshing.
• Cons:  Sharing your home with strangers, very competitive, slave to a schedule, incredibly hard work when passengers are aboard (you cook three meals a day, clean, and look after them), guests can be great or awful and you have to live on top of them for days or possibly weeks at a time.  I repeat:  this is very hard work - long days, long hours. You are in charge of paying for maintenance and repairs, insurance costs are high. 
• Example: John and Amanda Neal of Mahina Expeditions


4. Charter running another boat:  This is similar to above, but you work for an owner or charter company running someone else's boat.  People who work on mega-yachts are the most common workers in this category as are captains who work for charter companies.
• Pros:  Good pay, you're still living on a boat in the islands, you get to share what you love with others, someone else is usually in charge of the booking, someone else is usually paying the maintenance/repair bills.
• Cons:  Very grueling work schedule, very competitive, you are at the mercy of your boss/charter company, you do not cruise for you, but for others, very hard work (again, cooking, cleaning, boat maintenance), you are in the service industry and might have to deal with unruly guests.  You are married to the boat you work on so personal free time is compromised.  This type of work is probably not a possibility for cruising families.  You also need the requisite licenses to do this (captain's license, STCW, etc.) which, again, are a significant financial investment.
• Example:  Our friends Mike and Rebecca of Zero to Cruising


5. Delivery Captain:  We've met a bunch of cruisers who supplement the cruising kitty by delivering other people's boats from point A to point B for them.  This can be a very lucrative endeavor but involves a lot of offshore miles and many days at sea at a time.  It is far from glamorous but a good way to stockpile some cash relatively quickly.
• Pros:  You can pick and chose what jobs you take, you get to sail other people's boats and someone else is footing the bill.
• Cons:  Very competitive and not easy to get your name out there.  This is also risky business as you are sailing other people's boats and are therefore at the mercy of their maintenance and gear or lack there of (we once met a delivery captain who was supposed to take a boat from Florida to the VI's but refused based on the state of the vessel).  You often must adhere to strict schedules and deadlines which means sometimes sailing in less than ideal (or downright awful) conditions.  Significant time away from family.  You will often need to bring along at least one other paid crew member, which will cut into your earnings a bit.  
• Example: Our friend Christopher (and family) of Wandering Dolphin


6. Run an industry related business:  Cruisers are nothing if not innovative and we have met and heard of several that have found a niche or need and developed great products to sell to fellow cruisers.
• Pros:  Good money, you are your own boss, working with like-minded folks in an world you know and love (boating/cruising), you can be a traveling salesmen and your audience is all around you.
• Cons:  You are still running a business and this takes a lot of time and commitment.  You will probably need a person or team of people on land to help distribute and/or run customer service for you.  Depending on your business you must make a significant investment upfront to get it up and running.  You will still need to be "connected" a lot to fill orders, answer questions and ensure customers are happy.
• Example: Rich from s/v Third Day, owner of Cruise RO Water and Power, Paul and Sheryl Shard of Distant Shores,  Mark and Liesbet, creators and distributors of The Wirie wifi booster


7. Relief Captain:  working part time for a charter company or cruise company as the "relief" for the main captain (Scott's rotation was one month on, three off).  Again, this requires the captain's license and other relevant certificates and finding these kind of jobs is akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
• Pros:  Less rigorous work schedule, usually there is a little flexibility involved, decent pay.
• Cons:  Difficult to find this work, time away from family, pauses in your own cruising for weeks or months on end, cruising on a deadline to ensure you get to your place of work.
• Example:  Scott of Windtraveler (yeah, that's us!)


8. Living off investments on land:  We have met many cruisers (and travelers) who either rent out their paid off land-based home and live off that income, or have several "income properties" that bring in a monthly sum and they live off the net income from those.  There are obvious costs (and risks) involved in being a hands-off landlord, but it can be done.  For the record, this is the next step for us and the avenue we are currently pursuing.
• Pros: Can make some decent money and when you have the right formula (properties, partners, tenants), this can work very well for the vagabond lifestyle.
• Cons:  Lots of investment up front, must have a reliable partner or management company to work with, at the mercy of tenants, risky business if tenants are unreliable or unruly, stressful being a landlord, requires semi-frequent returns to the home-front to check up and maintain properties.


9. Blogging:  While there are a lot of people on the internet who make a living with their blogs, I have yet to meet a cruiser who makes a living this way.  Like writing, blogging is very competitive and making significant money requires much more traffic than many sailing blogs will ever get.  It is, however, a nice way to supplement the cruising kitty and bring in a few bucks  each month with things like affiliate links (ex. most cruising bloggers are Amazon Associates) and banner ads - but again, you must have traffic to get people to click on those links.  You can also save some good coin with sponsorships as we have. 
• Pros:  If you enjoy blogging, this is very fun and rewarding.  You get to chronicle your adventure and help others embark on theirs, you make great relationships with other bloggers.  Check out my post Tips for Cruising Bloggers to learn more.
• Cons:  Very competitive, financial gain nominal unless you have a LOT of traffic, requires many hours of work and time in front of the computer to do it well and be successful (I spend between 2-4 hours on this blog a day.) Takes a very long time (months or years) to ramp up and get a big audience, also relies on decent internet connection regularly.
• Example:  Friends Behan of s/v Totem who blogs for bucks on Sailfeed, and Carolyn of The Boat Galley


10. Online Trading:  Playing the stock market and making trades using an online trading site.  Pat Schulte of Bumfuzzle wrote a very detailed book, Live on the Margin, on how to do just this, you can check out my review here.
• Pros:  Easy to set up and get started.  Possible high reward.
• Cons:  Need some money to start up, signifiant risk involved, requires reliable internet regularly to check positions and manage portfolio.
• Example:  Pat and Ali Schulte of Bumfuzzle


11. Freelancing:  Using your skills in photography, web design, social media, marketing,  IT or something similar and freelancing as you go.
• Pros:  You are in control of your income and the hours you work.  Can make decent money if your skill is in demand.
• Cons:  Competitive, hard to find work, typically a feast or famine sort of gig, requires a lot of self promotion and possibly lots of time on the computer, oftentimes require reliable internet connection.
• Example:  Taru Tuomi, amazing freelance photographer of World Tour Stories,  Mercedes Villa Lopez, freelance graphic designer cruising the South Pacific


12. Cruising part time, working part time:  Not all cruisers are full time and sometimes going home during hurricane season offers a nice balance and can really keep you from getting "burned out" from the full-on live-aboard lifestyle.  Cruising part time and working part time offers a nice work/life balance if you can find a job that will allow for this kind of schedule.
• Pros:  Nice work life balance.  Very sustainable if you find the right situation.
• Cons:  You have to constantly take your boat in and out of commission, you must pay to store your boat somewhere as well as pay for some sort of "home base" on land, not easy to find jobs that are conducive to this type of schedule but they do exist (seasonal jobs probably offer the best bet).
• Example:  Our former buddy boat George from Earthling Sailor


13. Finding work along the way:  This sounds like a great way to go - just stopping and working along the way - but there are many complications that make this tricky, difficult, and potentially illegal.  Finding work in another country is not easy (especially if the countries you are traveling to are "developing" as most of the ones we visit are) and often requires very expensive and hard to obtain work permits.  If you decide to skirt the permits and work "under the table", you risk legal issues.  
• Pros: You stop and really get to know a place, you make money as you need and cruise freely the rest of the time.
• Cons:  Very difficult to find, requires you to stop cruising for significant lengths of time, possibly need to move off the boat and onto a land base for a while.
• Example:  Our good friends Eben and Genevieve of Necesse who are currently working in the Dominican Republic


14. Selling a trade: Some cruisers work from their boats as shipwrights, sailmakers, canvas workers, massage therapists, hairstylists and more.  This is a decent and relatively easy way to supplement, but cruisers are a famously thrifty bunch and more often than not you might find yourself trading goods instead of getting paid actual cash for your services.  Other services that are in high demand with cruisers:  marine electrician, diesel mechanic, marine refrigeration expert, and specialty guides (kitesurfing instructor, dive instructor, yoga instructor... etc).
• Pros: You can do this from any anchorage anywhere you are, you will meet lots of other cruisers, your "clients" are literally all around you.
• Cons:  Working "under the table" for cash in a foreign country might pose legal issues, cruisers - as a rule - are a pretty cheap group and might not be willing to pay for your services, must creatively advertise and market yourself. 


15. Selling a craft:  there are so many cruisers with incredible artistic talents for handi-crafts. Nowadays, with online storefronts like Cafepress and Etsy it's pretty easy to set up your own shop where you can sell your goods and art.  We have met cruisers who sell their art, tee-shirts, jewelry, music, knitting and more.  The money is probably not so much that you can make a living, but it might be a nice supplement. 
• Pros:  You can create art that you love, arts and crafts are a great way to pass time on a boat, can possibly sell your crafts to fellow cruisers while underway but you can also reach a wider audience with online storefronts like those mentioned above.
• Cons:  You must carry supplies enough to meet the demand, shipping items from far-flung places might get tricky, you might need to have a partner on the home front to help manage orders if you can't manage it from afar, requires reliable internet, must have decent marketing skills to get the word out there as the craft market is pretty saturated.
• Example: Former cruising buddy and nature artist Lara of Forest and Fin and friend and jewelry designer Melody of Maggie&Millie, Chris DiCroche - singer and songwriter of MondoVacilando.

The bottom line:  there are ways to make it happen, but it will take sacrifice, creativity and some good old fashioned perseverance.

Other informative posts by fellow bloggers on this same subject:

Earning Money While Cruising:  Lessons from the Pros (we contributed to this one)
Making Money While Cruising from our friends Paul and Sheryl at Distant Shores
Wireless Ideology a website dedicated to interviews with "Digital Nomads" (see our interview here)


Do you currently make money any of these ways?  I would love to hear your thoughts on the pros and cons and realities of it!  Do you make money a different way?   How have you made your dream work for you?  Please share in the comments with any tips, tricks and insights.

Baby on Board: Sailing Magazine and Family Cruising

Sailing Magazine's latest issue has a special on "Family Sailing" and guess who helped contribute to it?  Yep.  We did!  The article highlights tips and advice from a few cruising families with children and offers some great insights to what it is like to cruise with kids from infancy through childhood.  While the article only featured selected quotes from our email interview - I thought I would post it in it's entirety here (with permission from the editor) so other families interested in cruising with an infant/toddler might learn from it.  I hope you enjoy!

1) How is cruising with a child different from how you imagined it would be?

Right now, we are cruising with only one toddler which, I must admit, has not been difficult for us (I will almost certainly be singing a different tune in a year when we resume cruising with our toddler and impending twins). There were very few surprises and this was always what we wanted for our kids.  We cruised before we had our baby and so we had a good idea of what to expect.  Cruising with a child, for us, makes cruising more fun.  We revel in seeing the world through our baby’s eyes and watching Isla enjoy and utterly thrive in this lifestyle makes all the extra work and effort it takes totally worth it to us. 

2) What's the biggest challenge of cruising with a child and how do you overcome it?

There really haven’t been any unforeseen challenges* that threw us for a loop but for us, the biggest adjustment has been that our boat is more or less singlehanded.  When you cruise with an infant or (especially) a toddler, typically one person must be on baby duty at all times meaning they are not available to help out as much with the boat.  We anticipated this and bought a boat that is very easy to single hand because of it (all lines lead aft to the cockpit, roller furling main, jib and stays’l, autopilot, windlass with remote...etc). Even still, I am expected to keep watch during overnight passages and those have proven tough because my husband and I are sleep deprived and Isla is well rested and ready to go the next morning!

Another challenge is our baby schedule.  Every parenting style is different, and we are very relaxed and laid back about most things except sleep, which we are pretty regimented with (unsolicited advice: best baby book ever, in our opinion).  At twenty months Isla naps once a day from about 10:30 to 12:30 and goes to bed between 6:00 and 7:00 (usually 6:30).  This means our cruising and related activities revolve around this timeline whenever humanly possible which, obviously, can be a limiting (i.e. anchor down before she goes to bed, short sails during the afternoon nap, day time excursions after the nap, back on the boat and in for the night at 6pm so she can go to bed - no late night pot lucks or bar hops for us!).  From time to time we do make exceptions for special occasions, but we found that the pros of having a schedule (namely having a happy, well-rested, even tempered baby) far outweigh the limitations it puts on us.  It is a sacrifice we are more than happy to make for our child (and subsequent children), and it would be no different if we were on land. 

Another challenge can be keeping her entertained, particularly underway on long passages or when the weather isn’t good for outside play or beach time.  On land there are a million places to take kids; parks, play groups, libraries, tumble gyms, story times, organized classes...etc.  Also, most homes have a large safe “play room” full of toys to keep kids busy and entertained.  Here in the Caribbean and in a boat, those things are not as plentiful and some are non existent.  Isla has a fraction of the toys of her landlubbing peers and, in addition, our family is very adamant about limited “screen time” and no television at this age.  At twenty months she is not quite independent enough to sit quietly and play by herself for anything longer than 30 minutes, which means we do a lot of  “entertaining” ourselves by reading to her, singing to her, and playing with very basic, everyday things with her.  While it definitely takes more work, creativity and effort on our part, I must say these things have only benefitted our child’s development. 

3)  Obviously, safety is a concern for anyone on a boat but especially a child. What has worked best for you to ensure Isla's safety and your peace of mind?

Isla is twenty months and has been on a boat since she was six months old, as a result she is very agile and moves with ease around the boat, up the stairs, in the cockpit and on deck...but from day one our #1 piece of safety gear was her infant harness and tether.  If we are underway, she is clipped in.  Our primary goal is to keep her IN the boat - and when she is clipped in, she cannot go overboard.  She is comfortable (not wearing a hot and bulky life jacket) and secure (can only go as far as the tether lets her).  We do have a life vest that we use on the docks and during dinghy rides, but the harness is - bar none - what we would consider the most essential piece of safety gear for extended live-aboard cruising.  In addition, we have netting around the entire perimeter of our boat which we would not do without.  Some people say it provides a false sense of security (we obviously disagree) but even with the netting, one of us is always on deck with her and she is never far from our reach when on the boat.  The other aspect of safety is to constantly talk to your child about it (yes, even if they are young) to instill good habits.  The more they understand about the dangers, the more cautious they will be.

As a side note, we let Isla explore, climb and roam and instead of dissuading her and/or holding her back from these things we teach her how to do them properly (i.e. climb up and down the companionway stairs backwards) since, no matter what, she will try to find a way to do them anyway.  As a result, she is very independent, confident, steady on her feet and agile when moving around on a boat or on land.  The child has sea legs I tell you!

4)  What do you do when the going gets really tough, say on a particularly rough passage?

I am with the baby, either laying down with her on me in the cockpit singing songs or if it’s really rough, we’re down below.  If we know ahead of time it’s going to be rough I will give her a tiny dose (quarter of a pill) of children’s dramamine (because she gets seasick from time to time) and do whatever I can to keep her comfortable.  She usually can sense when things are not right and if it’s rough, she just clings to me and keeps quiet while I sing to her.   I should mention we do everything in our power (i.e. watch weather closely, try not to have a rigid cruising schedule, only move when conditions are favorable...etc) to eliminate rough passages because they are no fun for anyone, and are infinitely worse with a baby on board.

5) What's the best way to pass the time when the usual stuff isn't working?  

A toddler needs more entertaining than an older child, so for us the name of the game is distraction, distraction, distraction.  We have become masters of this.  When she gets bored and fussy, we distract, “Look at that bird!” “Oh, where is daddy going on the chart? Point to it” “Let’s look for dolphins!” “Oh - here are your blocks! Let’s build a tower!” and there is always the offer of a snack and/or water.  The key for us has been to focus on one thing at a time (instead of having her surrounded by a ton of toys) and when she’s had enough, we rotate.  There are moments when fussiness is inevitable and you just need to let it ride it’s course.  For the most part, however, distraction, healthy snacks and some select toys on a regular rotation seem to keep our baby happy.  If we are really desperate, we will bring out the iPad for her to play with (along with one of us to keep interaction up) but we have rarely had to resort to that.  Another thing that is an almost an instant fix for fussiness?  Grabbing one of her baby albums or scrolling through photos on my iPhone.  Babies are little narcissists and LOVE looking at pictures of themselves!

6) And what about stuff? i.e. what are the kid accessories that you wouldn't live without and what have you found is really not necessary?

The things we love the most and would consider essential are (in no particular order): 

• Phil & Teds Traveller Crib(it’s secured in the v-berth and keeps her closed in and safe on all four sides).  I should note that the older generation, which we have, had a side zip and top zipper which we loved - the new ones do not have these features unfortunately.  It doesn't necessarily need to be this crib - but a way to secure the baby safely in his/her bunk (preferably on all sides and above) is a must.
• Bumbo Seat with play tray addition for eating is all we ever have used for her on the boat, great for down below and in the cockpit - the seat is also handy on the low side if I am needed on deck.
• Infant Safety Harness with tether (for underway), Life Jacket (with collar for easy hauling in and out of dinghy!) for docks and dinghies.
• ERGObaby Carrier (or some type of carrier) for shore excursions and hiking. 
• Books, books and more books. 
• Bucket, shovel and lightweight beach blanket for the beach. 
• Simple toys like blocks, puzzles, flash cards, glockenspiel, dollies (and some that are small and travel well for shore excursions).
• Sunscreen, rash guards, and sun hats (with ties) and sunglasses (preferably wrap around so they stay on).
• Crocs (simple slip on shoes that are great for water/boats) - Isla had 2 pair and never wore any other shoes ashore.  On the boat we are all almost always barefoot.
• Healthy snacks that are easy to eat - we found things like small pieces of cut up fresh fruit, graham crackers,  squeeze pouches and organic granola barsworked well and we stocked up on these items any time we could (tiny snacks like cheerios just got everywhere, whereas these other snacks were easily handled by baby).
• A Travel high chair proved useful for shore meals/happy hours at local restaurants because eating with a squirming toddler on your lap is no fun (most restaurants where we travel do not have high chairs).
• While we hardly used it after Isla turned one year old, the car seat (which could be secured both above and below deck) was useful in the event that it was really rough and both of us were needed on deck (this never happened, but it was nice to know we had the option) - we also would use this if we rented a car (though in local transportation we always had her on our laps, such is the island way).

We believe very strongly in the “less is more” approach when it comes to baby stuff and we thought very carefully about what we brought aboard, doing lots of research and making sure things had more than one purpose and could be stored easily.  As a result, we found that we brought along very few things deemed “unnecessary” in retrospect.

Follow SAILING Magazine on Facebook, too!

Interested in cruising with a baby?
Be sure to check out my other musings on the subject after sailing 5,000 nautical miles with ours:

• Baby on Board: 10 Challenges of Cruising with a Baby
• Baby on Board:  Passage Making with a Baby
• Baby on Board:  Bringing up Baby (On a Boat)
• Baby on Board:  Boats and Babies, Products that Unite the Two
• Baby on Board:  10 Useful Products for the Boat Baby
• Baby on Board:  On Boating with a Baby and Being "Irresponsible" Parents
• Baby on Board:  A Day in the Life of a Cruiser with a Toddler
• Baby on Board: Video Montage of 2013 in Review

* I should note that we got VERY lucky and cruised with a buddy boat for six months who had a child roughly the same age as Isla and I don't think our experience would have been as enjoyable without them - so not having other people in the same "boat" so to speak, I imagine, might be a challenge for some.  We just got very lucky in this regard.

Hey, do these folks look familiar?  That's Isla's bedroom up in the corner!

Still my favorite boating picture with Isla

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes: Re-Entry

"You must really miss the Caribbean right now" is something I am hearing a lot these days from people.  Because it's cold here.  Really cold.  Frigid cold, in fact.  Isla and I walked to the local Walgreens the other day to mail some Christmas cards and get some fresh air and the poor thing would gasp with every blast of biting wind and nuzzle her face in my shoulder exclaiming "cooooold!"  With temperatures in the teens in our neck of the woods, we're not getting out as much as we used to, that is for sure.

But the strange thing is this:  I actually do not miss the Caribbean.

Okay, that is not entirely true, of course I miss the warm weather, not having to put on so many layers of clothes every morning, and the fact that - on the boat - my daytime clothes easily double as pajamas.  I miss the water and beaches and the boat and I am really missing my tan right about now (how quickly they fade!).  But I'm not missing these things as much as I thought I would, which is kind of interesting.

Maybe it's just self preservation.  A mentality shift that is forcing/allowing me to just be present and embrace where I am right now, instead of longing to be elsewhere.  Maybe it was time for a break to re-charge and re-calibrate after all?  The fact that we spent the last couple weeks on the boat sedentary and in a marina definitely made this transition easier because living on a cruising boat that is dock locked is significantly less-fun than actually cruising.  There is a huge difference between the two.  Whatever the reason, this "re-entry" isn't as hard as I imagined... Spending the vast majority of the past three years living on a boat on the water in tropical climates has certainly primed me for appreciating the finer things that land life offers: washer/dryers, unlimited running water, private showers, fantastic grocery stores, big beds with down comforters, super fast/reliable internet, ability to make phone calls to my hearts content (though I am not much of a phone person to be honest) and pretty much every other convenience that can be imagined from the abundance of space to the profusion of choices that face every new day.

I have a huge appreciation for these things and am happily reveling in all of them.  But the best part of being back ashore, without question, is being near friends and family.  I am sure this comes as no shock to anyone who has ever spent significant time away from "home".  Missing loved ones is the single most consistent grievance among cruising sailors.  The fact that I have been coming and going from mine for a nice chunk of my adult life means it's nice and kind of refreshing to be slowly settling into some pattern of consistency.  I can get an invite for a party in a month and know that I can go because I will be here.  I can contemplate signing up little Isla for a swimming lessons or a dance class because we're sticking around for more than a few weeks.   I don't feel the need to rush like crazy to see people because we have time on our sides for a change.  Isla can bond with and learn from a plethora of local playmates - from my best friends kiddos to her cousin who is only four months younger.  The islands will always be there.  We will undoubtably go back to cruising, back to our boat...  But these special moments in time with family and friends?  These are things that do not lie in wait.  Kids get older, people move away, families expand and milestones are reached.  We need to catch the moments while we can, embrace them and savor them, and being right, here right now is allowing us to do that.

Living on a boat and traveling is an amazing life (to us, at least), but there is definitely something to be said for staying put for a little while.  The other day I got a library card.  I've invested in a winter wardrobe that consists of fleece lined leggings, boots, leg warmers, hats and gloves.  My friends and I are scheduling regular play dates with our kids to ward off cabin fever.  While I could definitely do with a few more degrees and a bit more sunshine right now, I think we are in the right place - for me, for our unborn babies, for Isla, for our family.  It's definitely different and there is still a lot of change on the horizon that will take some major adjusting to, but with a change in latitude comes a change in attitude.  I say "bring it".

Packing Up and Shipping Out

Should packing up be this much fun?

It never ceases to amaze me how much stuff you can accumulate on a boat.  It's insane, actually.  Live-aboard cruising boats are like the Mary Poppin's carpet bag on steroids.  We learned this lesson the first time we packed up our boat, and I am learning it again this time around.  Where the heck did all these clothes come from?  How many towels, sheet sets and blankets can one boat have?  And exactly how many was I planning to feed with all these canned goods?  Thankfully, my amazing mother flew down the other day to help me out.  Packing up all your worldly belongings and then traveling with them through three airports over the course of a day is a lot to handle alone, never mind twenty-six weeks pregnant while accompanied by a very active toddler.  So, being the awesome mother she is (and, okay, her grandmotherly adoration was definitely a motivator as well) she flew down to help me pack up and ship out, as it were.

While we are not taking everything off the boat (like spares, charts, galley gear, books and any thing strictly 'boat' related) like we did when we moved off of our first boat, Rasmus, I am prepping this boat to be left for over a year.  We want to come back to no surprises which further means I have had my work cut out for me.  An unused boat on the hard can harbor a litany of unpleasant surprises if you don't pay careful attention to how you put it away (mold and bugs come to mind).  All the food has come off, yes, even the non-perishables.  Every last can, morsel and spice must go bye-bye (our friends have been happy recipients of the bounty).  I have put every single one of our paper books into a large water-tight bin so that - should a leak occur (best to assume the worst-case scenario imo) - we do not return to ruined, moldy pages.  All our towels, throw rugs, and linens have been washed and stowed in airtight bags, again to prevent them from getting wet and moldy.  I have de-cluttered and cleaned out all our hanging lockers and cupboards.  I have packed up pretty much all of our clothes and the ones I have left are, again, sealed in bags.  Isla's beloved toys have been put in a box to ship home.  The fridge has been emptied and cleaned.  Toiletries have been removed, medicine boxes have been cleaned out, old sunscreen has been tossed, trinkets stowed away and anything we haven't used in the last year has either been donated or trashed.  Today the interior of the boat is getting a through cleaning.  It's been a busy and slightly hectic couple of days and, for an organization junkie like myself, it feels pretty good to be on the finishing end of it.  I'm the kind of person who, before a vacation, would clean her entire apartment (laundry and all) just to ensure I came back to a nice, welcoming place where I could kick back my feet.  Same goes for the boat (though you will never return to a decommissioned boat and kick up your feet!).

Of course there is a lot of other stuff to do.  Boaty-type stuff like remove sails, halyards, solar panels...etc.  Luckily, Scott is returning to the boat in four weeks after this last work rotation at which point he will sail her to the British Virgin Islands where Asante will be hauled out and put on the hard to await our return as a crew of five (!?).  He will be able to finish where I left off so the urgency is not 100% on me at the moment, though I do want to make his job as easy for him as possible.  The goal in all this, of course, is to come back to the same pristine boat that I am sitting on right now (though we do plan on having some modifications made to make the boat more family-of-five friendly).

So that is where I am at right now.  We fly out tomorrow morning, bright and early.  Luckily, the busyness of it all and the distractions (and help!) of our amazing friends have forced me to focus on the now and not dwell on the fact that this is my last full day on our boat for a very long time.  If idle hands are the devil's playground, an idle mind is his nice and cozy living room where he plots his games so keeping busy has helped me from getting too nostalgic and emotional about it all (read: sobbing like a baby).

Also - I need to thank you guys for the incredible outpouring of support, love and awesomeness I have received (and continue to receive) since my last post.  Man, I love you folks.  For real.  Looks like a lot of you could care less if we are actually cruising or sailing and are happy to jump ship and follow us wherever we go - so thank you for that, this makes me happy.  Your kind words and support brought me to tears of joy and while I do not have the time to get back to each and every one of you at the moment, I do feel compelled to say THANK YOU collectively.  I really, really appreciate all the love.

The next post you read from me will be from a northern latitude.  Wish me warmness from the inside out 'cause the cold will be quite a shock to this system!