Change on the Horizon and Settling into a New Normal

Dropping off the girls for their first day of preschool was hard. While, in theory, they had been asking to go to school for months (something about school busses, of which there are zero here ... *that* was not fun news to break), when push came to shove and they realized they would not be by my side for an entire three hours, they were less keen. I, however, was keen so after I peeled all three girls off of me (with the help of several teachers), I kissed them all and did the brisk walk off the premises. Did I cry? Nope. Maybe that sounds odd (because I know lots of moms who do), but I didn't and I really believe this little break three times a week will do the world of good for all of us. I was told it took them exactly four seconds to calm down, stop crying and they had a great day. Already, the girls have made a few more friends, talk excitedly about their day's there, and I've expanded my community of great island moms. Did I mention how lovely it is to spend 2-3 hours alone a few times a week? It might not seem like much, but to me, it's the equivalent to a five day stay at Fijian all inclusive. That is how rejuvenated I feel. Breaks are good. So is not having three (adorable and lovable) toddlers nipping at your heals at all hours. That s*** can really grate at your nerves.

Them waddling down the docks together in their backpacks will forever be etched in my memory as one of the cutest images ever.

They will attend their little school three times a week. Despite our 6/6:30 am wake-up time, getting all three of them out the door by 9am is a struggle. Come to think of it, a whole lot of my life with our three girls feels very much like herding cats. It's infinitely worse now that the twins have very distinct opinions on what to wear, eat and - in general - how and when to do things. Oh, toddlerhood. It's the best of times and the worst of times all rolled into one. On the one hand, it's my most favorite stage ever because they are so cute and chatty and funny and adorable. On the other hand, we have the tantrums, meltdowns, and general lack of impulse control. It's full-on. One moment we're hunky dory, the next it sounds like I'm pulling our their fingernails one by one down here. Thank god we have great neighbors who either pretend not to care or have a lot of empathy. I get a lot of gently delivered, "You're doing a great job, mom" comments from friends around us. That's when I know they heard me lose my s***. Good stuff.

So, school... the girls are still not at the point where they run up to the gate excitedly, but I think we're getting there. It's only been four days....Mira is pretty much a Cat 5 clinger during each drop off which is hard, but she is our most sensitive and cuddly one so it was expected. Haven, of course, is the least effected and while she does shed a tear or two, it's manageable and all I need to do is offer an after school treat as a bribe and she's good. Isla, for the most part, loves it and her new friends. Hearing all the kids excitedly say, "Bye Isla" in unison when she leaves is the cutest thing ever. I feel 100% good about this decision and I'm told it will get easier and easier.

What else, what else, what else...? (Scratches chin) OH YEAH. We bought a new boat.

Yep. 

We bought a new boat. (contains excited squeal of utter glee).

We are now the proud owners of a bee-you-tee-ful three cabin Tayana 48. I have a whole post on the how's and why's and what's, but this boat is a huge development and I honestly think it's going to change our life. I realize how ridiculous and dramatic that sounds but it's true. A family of five in a two "bedroom" boat is tight to say the least and while there are many families out there would would make it work and thrive in such an arrangement, that is not us. We always knew a bigger boat was in our future so when I found s/v Legato online and the stars aligned that we could check her out, we moved and we moved fast. Anyway...more on that later but you have no idea how excited we are about this change. It's like a million Christmas Eve's (before you found out the truth about Santa) rolled into one. If you are interested in checking out pics (aka "boat porn") check out our >>>Facebook Page<<<.

As such, this boat will be for sale shortly. If you know any one in the market for a very well equipped Brewer 44 sitting pretty smack-dab in the middle of the beautiful Caribbean, send them our way. We've already got a bunch of inquiries so that is fantastic, but the more word that gets out the better. We don't want to own two cruising boats for too long, that's for damn sure. I'm working on a proper listing but for now, here's some info about our boat: >>>>OUR BOAT FOR SALE<<<<. We will probably be listing with a broker soon so if you want to strike while the iron is hot and keep the middle man out, now's the time.

Scott is as busy as ever on >>>our biz<<<. Owning a (very busy!) business is incredible and wonderful, but it's a crap ton of work and - SHOCKER - it literally never stops when you are the owner. Scott has been pulling eighteen hour days and works seven days a week. The poor guy rarely gets a break and yet never complains. He's working very hard on a better "work-life balance" for both our family and the folks we employ - so he's getting systems in place to streamline things and make sure we can all play hard after we work hard. It's all about balance, right? Easier said than done but that is the goal.

We are settling in for a wild and crazy ride the next couple of months as the season gets into full swing and our new boat gets delivered (early to mid December). Merry Christmas to us! I will keep you posted.

Halloween, Island Style! While we did not get to go trick or treating door to door (not really feasible here) - the girls attended THREE incredible Halloween parties with their school and friends. They had a blast!

This post was brought to you by preschool.

Thank you!

I would like to take a break from my usually scheduled programming (hectic stay-on-boat mom with little time to blog) and say THANK YOU. I am truly awed and humbled by the support you all have shown of our new business venture that we announced last week. From fellow bloggers sharing our post on their fan pages (thank you all SO MUCH, it has not gone unnoticed!), to family, friends and followers spreading the word on their personal pages - it's safe to say you all have given us, and our new business, a huge boost. My post got over 10K views by the evening and the Aristocat Charters Facebook Page went from 120 "likes" to over 900 in a single day! The inquiries and bookings are pouring in, so much so that it's hard to stay on top of them, but we'll get there and what a fantastic problem to have! And this is almost all thanks to YOU.

I have to be honest, I wasn't sure how you all would respond to our 'big news'. Sometimes people are resistant to change, new beginnings, and people shifting gears. You all have grown to know us a 'certain' way, and for us to morph into a new role, with a new story to tell could have been a hard pill to swallow for a certain type of person - but as you have always shown us before, you are truly the most wonderful, loyal, and supportive blog followers anyone could ever ask for and for that I thank you. I'm just...well...awed and grateful. You are a very powerful audience and you put your heart and strength in the right place.

So, thank you. Thank you a million times for following on this crazy journey of ours, for rolling with the punches and changing tacks with us when the wind shifts. From surprise babies to new businesses, you have stood by us every step of the way and I cannot tell you how much it means to me. THANK YOU.

Following dreams is awesome. Following dreams with the support of thousands the world over? Even more so. And fear not, the adventures will continue and now I have even MORE to write about (when I get the time that is!) so I'm definitely not hitting the pause button on blogging. Exciting things are on the horizon and there might just be a book in me yet (don't hold your breath though).

So much love to you all. Thank you, truly. 

xoxox
Brittany, Scott, Isla, Haven, Mira - and the whole team at Aristocat Charters

New Year, New Beginnings: Our Big Announcement

We've been dropping hints and teasing you all about it for months. We wanted to tell you forever ago, however we couldn't make an official announcement until the whole process was signed, sealed and delivered. Until it was, the deal could have fallen through at any moment, and we didn't want to put the cart before the horse so to speak. The entire process (from contract negotiations to web development) took significantly longer than we ever imagined (and we are well versed on "island time") and for every step forward, it seemed we'd take two steps back. But all of that is behind us now! After over ten months of talks, negotiations, work permit applications, immigration interviews and a virtual mountain of paperwork and discarded red-tape, Scott and I now own not one, but TWO Privelege 48 Catamarans. WHAAAAAT!?!

To be more specific, we are the new owner/operators of Aristocat Charters, a top tier day charter company based here on the beautiful island of Tortola in the incredible British Virgin Islands (BVI). Gulp. This is happening, and it's a pretty big deal for our family. We take people sailing for a living now, and it. is. awesome.

The back story is worth noting, as this was not a decision made in haste. We have, for a couple years now, been keeping our feelers out for a great opportunity that would allow us the freedom to live the lifestyle we love, allow Scott to utilize his captain's license without being away for weeks on end (as he did before), and give our family some financial stability. We've always known that we'd have to go back to work and that we couldn't keep aimlessly floating, filling the cruising kitty here and there forever. After spontaneously super-sizing our family, reality hit - and we knew we needed something more. When sailed through the BVI's back when Isla was a baby, both Scott and I fell in love with the islands and agreed that we could see ourselves actually living here. It was so much more appealing than any of the other places we had been for a whole bunch of reasons (more on this in a later post!), and we began to dream up ideas... Little did we know, we set a plan into motion with that simple thought...

When we decided to bring the whole family back down here last January, the undisclosed goal was to seek out an opportunity that might work for us in the long term. The Universe has always been good to us and I had a crazy gut feeling that something would present itself. After not even a month of being back aboard, Scott came home and said, "I saw an ad for a day charter business that's for sale, I called the number and I am going to meet the owner tonight." This was last February. The process has been limping along ever since that fateful meeting almost a year ago. Patience has been a virtue during this process, for sure. From negotiating price, to boat surveys, from solidifying funding to arranging a long-term slip to live at, we remained vigilant. We had to leave the island while we applied for work permits (the "real" reason we had to go back to the States this summer) and that process was....long and arduous. While that was happening, we re-designed the company website and hired our awesome co-workers, the incredible duo behind Where the Coconuts Grow and our best buddies, The Sunkissed Soeters. We have an amazing team and the excitement we all feel at starting this new endeavor is hard to match. We're all in it together, learning and growing as we go and there's a definite feeling of being on the verge of something big and awesome. We've been at it for over a month now and business is booming.

So what does this mean? Well, for one - it means we've signed up for island life for the foreseeable future. While moving to a tropical island paradise seems ideal in many ways, there are definitely down sides and this was not an easy decision. It means that the bulk of our girls' childhoods will be down here, which - at first - seems idyllic and wonderful (and, in many ways, it is), but many things had to be considered from socialization to schools. It means being away from our families and all missing out on many holidays and milestones. It means we will be living on a very small island as outsiders and all that implies. It means we will be running a small business in a foreign place and the struggles associated with that. It means living in the 'hurricane belt' and all the added stress and maintenance of owning not one, but three boats here. It also means we'll be living on our boat at a marina full-time, which is has it's own unique set of perks and challenges. Luckily, we are now in the business of sailing and we have vowed that when we get a long weekend or a few days off, we'll sail across the way and drop the hook on any one of the other amazing islands that make up this incredible island chain. Living here makes island hopping on a whim very easy, which is a large reason we selected this place as our new home because we don't want to give up living aboard and sailing when we can.

Scott and I had many serious conversations about what our life would look like, what our future might be and if we were willing to take on the considerable risk associated with running a business on a small island... After much deliberation, we decided to go for it. Jumping in head first is kind of our thing. And, believe me, this type of endeavor is not for the faint of heart. If you don't believe me, just read the incredible classic novel, "Don't Stop the Carnival" - it's one of my most favorite books (I've read it three times) and I made it "required reading" before Scott and I signed on the dotted line. We're both better for it. It paints a very accurate (and hilarious) picture of what doing business as a foreigner on a tropical island looks like and, believe me when I say, it's not always pretty. But it is a non-stop adventure, and there is something to be said for that.

We are SO excited and we've come out of the gate hot. We'd love it if you'd give our company some love by liking our Facebook Page and sharing our website with anyone you know coming down to Tortola for a visit. If you are a blogger or have a travel website, you might be entitled to a free day sail in return for a review on your site (email aristocatcharters (at) gmail.com for more info). We are currently the number one day charter company on Tortola and we're only going to get better. We have a great team, an amazing "back yard" and big plans for this company in the coming years and we're really excited about it. And, by all means, if you want to come on down and sail with us, we'd love to have you. We'll have a rum punch and a killer view waiting ;)