Spring Break 2013 on Hakuna Matata

Before April gets too far gone I am still compelled to blog about our Spring Break and Easter week on Hakuna Matata. So far all those that have trouble rewinding, I apologize. But the week was just too great not to say something about our unique travel experience with friends. As many of you might already know, The Hetrick family chose to spend their spring break helping us crew Hakuna Matata for 8 days! We have traveled with the Hetricks on mission trips, college weekends, wine country and countless weekends all over the midwest but Seabbatical 2013 proved to be one of our greatest adventures. In 8 days we sailed around and hiked through the islands of St John USVI, Norman BVI, Cooper Island, the Baths and North Sound on Virgin Gorda, Little Jost and Jost Van Dyke. Maho Bay on St John continued to be a great mooring spot and we enjoyed a little hike through the campground and mangroves. But we also decided to visit a bay for the locals called Coral Bay. Although it is a quiet, well protected, fairly nondescript bay, it is home to the popular Skinny Legs restaurant. We had a fun meal accompanied by some of the most peculiar island folk band type music we have encountered yet. The trio sounded more like a back woods West Virginia genre than island happy hour music. But the food and company were great and everyone slept really well from a busy day of traveling. Norman Island is usually known for its permanently anchored restaurant the Willy T in which one must tie the dingy to, climb up the ladder of the aging monohaul and possibly jump from the bar of the restaurant if your night calls for that type of behavior. In four visits to Norman Island we have chosen the lesser known but beautiful hiking trails and quiet dinners on our boat or a fantastic meal at the newly renovated Pirates beach side restaurant. Dave and Rhonda treated us to most of our meals out during their stay which was a huge help in feeding the constantly hungry five teens on board. We closed down Pirates restaurant as the kids burned off energy from dinner practicing acrobatics at the beach. Kaylee and Olivia also worked on their "white girl" dance moves in the Pirates dining room. Pirates has a rockin' play list. Dinghy Captain William got us all safely back to Hakuna Matata in the dark. I am unsure if Monday night was the beginning of the endless euchre but we all played so many hands during the week that the cards are completely worn out. Plus, playing cards on a sail boat means there are usually a few cards being blown from the table. Tuesday was spent relaxing, snorkeling the Caves, lots of great food and Happy Hour at our favorite Cooper Island beach club. Wednesday morning called to us early so that we could motor sail to The Baths on Virgin Gorda. If you have never heard of the Baths on Virgin Gorda take a moment to Google some pics, you won't be disappointed. Timing is critical when hiking the Baths because many of the cruise ships bus in tourists from Spanish Town and most are unprepared for the trails. Our timing through the trails and our lunch at the top of the Baths was perfect and we finished up just as the sunburned cruise passengers readied themselves for their prepaid buffet. The trail through Devil's Head Bay is the most popular and the views are breathtaking. If you are a teenage boy then the breath most likely being taken away is your mom's. Teen boys don't believe in hiking through the Baths on the marked trail. Teen boys must climb the highest rocks, squeeze through the smallest possible crevices and get as close to the crashing waves on the gigantic boulders as possible. But that sounds more like a parenting blog... We have climbed through the Baths numerous times but on this hike we included a new detour on a lesser known trail called Rocky Point. Rocky Point takes you to even more sweeping views of the channel between Virgin Gorda and uninhabited Fallen Jerusalem. We were overwhelmed by this hidden little gem. Wednesday afternoon we sailed to Savannah Bay which is supposedly a quiet area because most charter companies don't want their cruisers attempting to anchor and navigate the reef. Within minutes of setting our anchor three large catamaran's anchored just in front of us and two more cats joined them within the hour. These catamaran's were all sailing as a group with captains and crews and lots of youngins' aboard. Their captains spent the afternoon pulling the younger kids tubing behind the dingy and running snorkelers back and forth between the beach and the boats. So much for our quiet bay. Also during anchoring, Bessie's rope got wrapped in the starboard motor! Dave and the boys were great as they worked together cutting and untangling the mangled rope from the prop. A large swell moved in overnight at Savannah which tossed us from side to side all night. We were all pretty glad to head out Thursday for Gorda Sound and hopefully a calmer anchorage. As always, Gorda Sound feels like home to us. We were really glad Dave mentioned that this is also one of his favorite spots and happily obliged taking them to Gorda Sound. Saba Rock is a tiny island barely seen on a map with a tiny beach, gift shop, small hotel, restaurant and bar and the most domesticated, well fed tarpon in the ocean. Happy Hour on Saba Rock is filled with cruisers from all over the world who are eager to share their adventures. It was an amazing feeling to share our story with other cruisers and find so many unique qualities because we chose to experience this seabbatical with our teenagers. Good Friday through Easter Sunday in the islands is a wonderfully different experience. It wasn't until we returned to the States that we realized we did not see one single easter egg, jelly beans, pastel colored bunnies in various forms, etc. What a refreshing experience for our families. Good Friday brought some much needed rain to Little Jost. Following lunch we hiked to the bubbly pool and the sky let loose on us. We were all dressed for swimming anyway and hiking in the rain was such fun as the girls sang and we all skipped from puddle to puddle. The excitement really began as we climbed soaking wet aboard Hakuna Matata and the kids played in the ocean as it poured down. The winds shifted and our anchor came off the ocean floor so we pulled up the anchor and decided to move on to a different bay. We were all very thankful that we had made it back to the boat before the anchor moved on us! As we motored through two more bays it became apparent that anchoring in the wind and rain was not working so we headed on to our next stop at Little Harbour. We finally got to use the heavy weather gear I had packed. Cody brought us all lots of laughs in his yellow poncho and too small yellow rain pants. We needed the comic relief and are always thankful for Cody's joyful spirit. We celebrated our wet arrival to Jost Van Dyke with fish and lobster dinner at Sydney's restaurant. Spiny Caribbean lobster are huge and not as sweet as US east coast lobster. But Caribbean lobsters can feed a crowd of hungry sailors quite well especially when Dave and Rhonda bring an excellent bottle of Caymus to dinner. Saturday and Sunday found us relaxing in Great Harbour just around the bend from White Bay on Jost Van Dyke. While Gorda Sound is full of yachts, private islands, pricey resorts and more populated beaches, Jost Van Dyke's Little Harbour and Great Harbour have landscapes and locals reminiscent of Roatan, Honduras or the sleepy villages of Jamaica. For this reason, Jost Van Dyke has easily become one of our favorite islands in the BVI. The locals are easy to chat with and they enjoy sharing the history of their lives on Jost. Sunday morning rains came and we agreed to plan A (ashore) and a plan B (church on the boat) for our Easter celebration. None of us really wanted to show up at a local congregation like drowned rats from a wet dinghy ride to shore. We had already found a local Methodist church to attend and could actually see the chapel from our boat but were unsure how to get there, dry. We all cleaned up and at the first sign of slightly clear skies we dinghied to shore and quickly made our way to the Methodist church for a lively 2.5 hour Easter service. Most of the hymns seemed to have come straight from the Baptist hymnal I grew up with. The remainder of our Easter Sunday was spent playing beach volleyball, euchre and we even got to watch a little bit of NCAA basketball at Ali Baba restaurant. The rain finally moved on throughout the night and gave way to sunshine on Monday as we motored to Soper's Hole in time for the Hetrick's to meet the ferry that would take them to St Thomas. We loved having this experience with friends. The Hetrick's are great sailors! Our hope is to have pictures on the blog or on dropbox soon. Thanks for continuing to cheer us on in this adventure. -Kelli

So many miles....

And so it begins, the final countdown for Seabbatical 2013. We still need to post about our week through St John, Norman, Savannah Bay, the Baths, Gorda Sound, little Jost and Easter on Jost Van Dyke! We had our "unhook" from electronics Easter week so we find ourselves behind blogging. But today we find ourselves back to Cooper Island with so many miles travelled behind us. Rewind to Monday April 1 we had a beautiful sail after dropping our 4 member Hetrick Crew at Sopers Hole for their journey back to Illinois. The boys did all the tacking required for our arrival on Norman Island. All the rope and teamwork lessons have resulted in a cohesive shift of the jib from port to starboard. Our night on a mooring ball in The Bight at Norman Island was full of 20 knot winds and yet we all slept pretty sound. By Tuesday we formulated a plan to sail to Peter Island but after a hike and lunch, school work, and signing Cody up for the SAT plus beach side service of drinks and snacks our plan simply became to stay at Norman. This is where our evening got really exciting!! Upon our return from the beach, Brian checked our flight itenerary for Friday only to realize we fly home Thursday!! What day is it anyway? Our Friday plans became Thursday plans and our over abundance of provisioning means we eat and drink Realy well for our remaining meals. As we motored away Wednesday morning from our third experience of Norman Island we sensed our first bitter sweetness in leaving the BVI. The thought resonating with me this morning was 'the palest ink is better than the best memory'. We need to continue umpacking all that life encompasses. Even if the day solely involves rising, sailing, boat chores, and a thousand words to describe all the day entails. Not all people will embrace journaling but putting this Seabbatical to words in a blog has enabled us to share and also explore and wonder without google. Our Wednesday of packing, gathering, and drying out the last of our wet clothes and towels began this morning. Hauling luggage from the two coffin births was an interesting feat after 9 weeks of sailing. But a small amount of Wd40 applied to luggage zippers and gathering all our belongings from approximately 650 sq feet of living space we were packed in a small amount of time. We squeezed in a first experience of paddle boarding and William finally got his opportunity to be hauled in a bosan chair up the main sail (pics to come). We have covered over 700 miles in nine weeks. The lifetime of reflection and learning continues to come at us in rapid succession. We hope (or at least I hope) to continue writing our reflections in stone as we leave all else in the sand and the wind. ~Kelli

A view from the captain and crew

10 days in 2 minutes (Cody) So our first crossing, as most of you know, was like being tossed into a washing machine that was strapped into a wooden roller coaster. But the crossing back to the BVI was much, much easier. Instead of 16 hours it was 10.5 hours on March 16th. On the first crossing we had about four major things break, on the way back we had zero things break. On the first crossing we got the living day lights pounded out of us, I actually slept most of the time on the way back. After that we cruised around the Northern Sound for a few days before heading done to St. John in the USVI. By this time it was the 22nd which happened to be the first day of Spring Break  and my birthday at the same time. So for my birthday my dad gave me the trail map of St. John and said "pick some trails and we'll hike them on your birthday" so I did. Four and a half hours, 7 miles and across the width of St. John and back. That was my birthday present and I loved it. On the either hand, the rest of my family thought they were going to die and I'm not sure if Kaylee has forgiven me yet. That night my mom made baked potatoes and pork chops, it was fantastic. The next day our friends Dave, Rhonda, Zach and Olivia Hetrick arrived and we've been cruising around the BVI since. So far we've been to St. John, Norman and are currently on Cooper. This week we're hoping to get to The Baths, Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda. Well there's your semi-daily dose of adventure. Ciao!. The coolest thing I've seen(Brian) We are so blessed.  Not only did we see dolphins once but twice.    First time we were cruising off of Statia at about 7 knots on the way to Saba.  I look up and see something splash in the middle of the ocean.  Look again and I think I see a fin.  Holy cow!  It's a dolphin.  Wait, not just one there are a few.  I yell at everyone on board to come look and then the pod of dolphins surround our boat.  Wow!!!   We now have 15 to 20 dolphins swimming with our boat for the next 4 to 5 minutes.  The kids are laying on the tramps out front and the dolphins are directly in front/ underneath the front of the boat.  Swimming with us at about 7 knots.  All sizes and ages of dolphins.  Big, small, old and babies.  Some are along side and jumping out of the water.  We also got to experience and smaller and shorter version of this on our crossing from Saba to Virgin Gorda ( 90 miles).   Wow I am so thankful for such a cool experience. Boat life (Kelli) Well, I believe I have mastered boiling water, prepping veggies with a butcher knife, readying breakfast, lunch, or dinner all while being underway whether under sail or motor. Brian remains in charge of morning coffee preparation as I don't tend to be brilliant until after my first cup. Cooking on the boat continues to be an adventure. I am so grateful for friends and family that are willing to wait for a meal as I juggle the pressure cooker and one burner that refuses to light after it gets too hot.  I am grateful for Lisbon as he drove Kaylee, William and myself to provision at various locations around Road Town.  What a grand adventure to grocery shop in a totally different culture again. In many ways provisioning in all these islands reminded me of shopping in Honduras.  One never knows what you might find at the local grocer. Flexibility continues to be key in planning.  My favorite time of day continues to be the mornings (which will shock many of you). Just as our day begins, giving thanks for another day. I am learning to be grateful for each day whether I am in Indy or on Saba Island. Both are extremes of "different" and yet each holds its own adventures. C'est la vie.  Adventure (Rhonda) I am not sure I can describe how completely fabulous it is here with the Gatewoods.  We find ourselves trying to find reasons why we NEED to actually ever go back to Chicago.  This is paradise times a thousand! As we venture from island to island, we can't help but marvel at the beauty, the salty air, the friendships we continue to grow and see grow thru our children.  We are a little worried about setting their expectations a little too high.  But I guess if that's the most damage we do as parents we'll be forgiven.  We'll continue to savor every moment until we have to leave next week, which right now, is about a million years away.  Happy hour at Cooper Island . . . incredible!!! Well I keep being required to write write my thoughts but I don't think you want to hear all my thoughts... Soooooo I'll write what I think about these past weeks. After the crossing, which was like heaven compared to the first crossing, we had to go back to where we started to get my baby Bessie repaired. And the guy who was repairing her gave us a replacement. Now Bessie will never be replaced but this one would have to do. So I named her Bessie's twin, Betsie. Betsie was a newer motor but she was a foot less wide then Bessie. She ran like a charm but being without Bessie for a few days was not too good. But we finally got Bessie back after she had a good patch over her tear. She's running beautifully know and shes hauling all nine of us, the Hetricks are here, all around the islands. At the moment were at Cooper Island at a nice restaurant just liming. Liming is an island term for just chillin. Weeeeel that's all I got for now. Soooo byeeee ;) Oh and that pie statement was very valid so im going to need a good pie when we get back ;D      -William Kaylee here and I'm not quite sure what to write about so I guess I will just talk about what Olivia and I have been doing. Well me and Olivia got burnt. Her more then me but still it hurts. We have been laying in bed every night dumping aloe vera all over our sun burns. It's intense. The other night we couldn't help it but we were so slap happy! We were saying the weirdest things and then just started cracking up. It was great. I'm having a great time here. I also have realized that I'm in love with ice cream. It is possibly the best thing on this earth. When I get home I'm going to eat tons of it! YUMMMMMM!!! HELLOOOOOOO THIS IS OLIVIAAA well basically I've been adjusting to living on the boat. The first day I experienced sea sickness, that wasn't too fun. And as Kaylee said; I have a really bad sunburn. So while everyone else took a hike today Kaylee and I stayed on the boat jamming to One Direction <3 we also enjoyed dinner last night and then decided to show everyone our amazing dancing skills, which included; the Bernie, tango, salsa, and a bunch of other random dance moves that probably scared everyone. Needless to say, we are all having an amazing time and we're all blessed very much.  This is Zach, And this trip doesn't suck!

What day is it?

One of the most common questions while spending weeks on a boat is "what day is this?" Kenny Chesney was lyrically correct as he sang about sailing and having no idea what the day was nor did he seem to care. It has been that sort of day or days since our arrival back to the BVI. We completely understand another lyric that says "went through customs and immigration, still this feels like home." Gorda Sound has that effect on us. But enough about song lyrics and sentiments. Upon our arrival to Manuel Reef Sea Cow Bay the Cap'n and crew quickly busied themselves for a full day of chores. (This crew member, Kelli, needed a few minutes to reflect how far we have gone and give lots of praise for our arrival back to our starting point). There is a phrase used in St Kitts, "I got to go so I can come back". Our family has lived this little motto. Hakuna matata was in dire need of cleaning, towels and sheets were stinky and we had eaten every bit of protein on the boat. At this point in this post we must have a moment of silence..... Bessie had to be hauled up on the dock and a dingy doctor will be assessing her to determine if she will ever be sea worthy again. Brian had done excellent work at patching her but with the upcoming arrival of Crew Hetrick we must not take chances with an unseaworthy vessel. Dingy cap'n William needed a moment to himself but nicely recovered. William introduced himself to our new dingy and affectionately named her Betsy. As of this post he has cleaned her up and filled the gas tank. Last night we dined like royalty on chicken cacciatore over potatoes accompanied by baguette dipped in a balsamic garlic sauce. We really splurged yesterday while provisioning and purchased a rug and a few real wine glasses. It set us back 15 dollars but was worth every penny. Of course the selection of rugs at Cash & Carry was limited to Tinkerbell, spider man and a lone santa. I am pleased to no longer be using a beach towel as a rug. Plus, I thought it fitting that we have a proper rug upon the soon arriving interior designer, Rhonda Hetrick. This morning we had a family meeting to have a plan for coming off the dock minus any tension. LeaVing the dock is fairly simple but getting to the dock is a slow and steady process. Brian has mastered backing stern to on a dock. It is sort of like parallel parking except your vehicle is 47ft long with two engines and the wind and water are pushing against your vehicle. As crew members we try to ensure our bow and stern lines are ready to throw to someone on the dock or in the absence of help we jump from boat to dock and work our lines until we are positioned correctly. We only have four fenders on Hakuna Matata that we tie to the side the dock will be on. But we have found that it is important to have a crew member with a fender in hand to move quickly should we get her too close to colliding with the dock. Five fenders would be ideal for a boat this size but we have learned to problem solve and work together. This morning was flawless as we came off the dock at Sea Cow Bay and minutes later backed into Nanny Cay for refueling. All this to say, Family meetings are important. Currently, we are under sail to St John, USVI. Two-thirds of the island is a national park. We look forward to hours of hiking, school work, and finishing our remaining days of Seabattical well. We are trying to get some pictures uploaded for your enjoyment. Sending warmth and sunshine!

A day with Jumie & Della

St Kitts and Nevis are two of the few islands in the Leeward islands that are nicknamed "islands that touch the clouds". These sister islands gained independence only a short 30 years ago. The government put an end to sugar cane production only 5 years ago. Both islands are now heavily dependent on tourism. When the cruise ships are in St Kitts Port Zante is bustling. Fortunately, for us we were able to check in as the cruise ship passengers were receiving their cattle call to head back to their respective floating resorts. We were also glad to hit the Ballahoo for happy hour, wifi, and a chicken roti that is popular everywhere down here. Day 2 on St Kitts was to be a hiking and tour day. Taxi driver, Jumie, happily obliged after a minor negotiation. Jumie gave us a wonderful tour all the way around the island. As a born and bred Kittian he seems to know countless numbers of people through each little town. The highlights were abandoned sugar plantations, batik wax silk screening and the Brimstone Hill fortress. The fortress remains mostly intact and was a bustling city of soldiers, families and slaves in its time. Sadly, the French and British took St Kitts just after slaughtering all the Carib Indians that lived there. The island was then divided into thirds with the French occupying each end of the island and the British in the central part. Of course the division and unity amongst the settlers did not last and the British took control following years of battles. The inhabitants today are said to be generations of the slaves brought from African countries. The only remaining Caribs are living today in islands further south like Guadalupe and Dominique. While we completely enjoyed the history lesson from Jumie we were ready to move on out of the busy Port Zante to Nevis. Upon arrival to Nevis main port and only true "town" Charlestown, one would think you may have travelled to Jamaica or a Hatiaan port. We walked around a bit as the heat of the day set in, consulted our trusty Leeward Island cruiser guide and decided on the "short" walk to a nearby restaurant with wifi. Fortunately, a gentleman that had seen us in town stopped and offered a ride the remainder of the 20 minute short walk. As I said in a previous post, the Double Deuce easily became a favorite spot. The owner, waitress and bartender had a good word for Brian and I in parenting and sailing with our kids. They also arranged a hike, taxi and just about anything else we needed. The tour the next day with Della was beautiful and restful. She took us to some beautiful former sugar plantations and gave us the best history lesson. Again, the island was built on the backs of slaves. And now the Nevis economy is driven by tourism. Following our tour we waited out a short rain shower and headed back to the beach where we had beached Bessie. Sailing lesson #500 would be, when a local offers to help you get your dingy off the beach at high tide with a northern swell coming in, take the help. We got Bessie in the water but immediately knew the next wave was coming to quickly and Bessie's nose turned sideways back toward the beach. Kaylee ended up off the boat in the sand, Brian and Cody steadied Bessie, William worked to get the engine down, I prayed and quickly bailed to ensure Kaylee didn't get hit by another wave. In a matter of moments it felt that 10 locals had gathered behind us to help and give sound instruction on getting out to sea. Cody and I paddled hard while William and Brian wrestled the motor down and fired her up. The bag of ice we had just purchased was now a huge puddle in Bessie and we bailed water as we hurried back to Hakuna Matata. I am sure it took a solid 30 minutes for my blood pressure to level off. Nobody was hurt and we learned some valuable skills. The next day we chatted with two couples that were unable to even get their dinghy to the dinghy dock in Charlestown due to the swell. Again, we were grateful for the two days there. Be sure to read Brian's last post about our round trip sail to Monserrat after we left Nevis. If you want to learn lessons in flexibility this type of life will offer numerous opportunities. As we have said in almost every post we will always be grateful for this time. I have seen myself push through physical and mental situations that life back home will not compare. Our time spent learning the history of the Islands that touch the clouds has been an unexpected education in our intentional travels. Sail on.

Monserrat and back

Brian here - Yesterday was a fabulous day of sailing. We headed off to Monserrat about 8:30am from Nevis. 15 to 20 knot winds and about 3.2 meter waves. Great sailing!!!!! We were averaging 9 knots which is fabulous for a 47 foot catamaran that weighs 24 tons. The boys and Kelli are becoming very good at raising the main sail and letting the jib out. We arrived at Monserrat about 5 hours later. Great views of the active volcano. The port was very small and the direction of the waves (swell) was causing the 3 meter waves to crash into a very small dinghy dock. So we had lunch on the boat and set sail to come back. We arrived in Nevis just before sundown and had sailed almost 10 hours in one day. A long day but better than any day at the office!

Our day on Nevis

Kaylee - Today was not such a good day for me. Before bed last night I wasn't feeling so good so I just decided I would try to sleep it off. I didn't end up getting much sleep though. I woke up with a soar throat, a stuffed nose, a major headache, and I over all felt achy all over. Mom gave me all kinds of good medicines and I took a nap. After my nap I felt a tad bit better and so we came back to the restaurant we were at yesterday. I had one of the best burgers I have ever had for lunch and that's saying something because I am a burger expert. We then proceeded by getting an island tour in a cab. Although I wasn't feeling well it was better than having to hike. I would rather be sick here than back at home. :) Kelli - the Double Duece staff took great care of us again today in Nevis. Even a couple locals helped us beach our dinghy, Bessie. Our tour around Nevis was rich in history as well as beautiful. When we arrived yesterday I was questioning our decision to come here as the Friday crowd and cruise boat crowd were overwhelming. But because we took a long walk, grabbed a ride with a local and followed our instincts to the beach area not to far from Hakuna Matata I have loved our time here. The ruins of sugar plantations are a work of genius as they have stood the test of weather and time. The Montpilier (now a gorgeous inn) was my favorite and I did my best to remind Brian that before the trip he assured me if we needed a night off the boat we could get a room. The pool and grounds plus a full bar with real glass ware were very appealing. But my tactics failed. C'est la vie. I am loving boat life enough to skip the fancy inns and hotel. Cody-Today we took a great tour of the island. Saw some awesome stuff. Jackie would have been proud, my inner photographer came out like a hunting tigress. I was at one with the camera and in harmony with my surroundings. William- well hi. My names William. I am fourteen years old and I like to eat chocolate pie. Daddy just said that I should write something short and sweet and it reminded me of chocolate pie. If someone wants to be a peach and make me pie when I get back I would love that. This post is very unrelative to everything but it's what's on my mind. We have to go back to the dinghy now. Without pie :( byeeeee ! Brian - today was an adventure. Our boat needed fuel and further south we get the more primitive it gets. So Cody and I set out in our dinghy. About a 10 min ride to the dock. Then meet our cab driver who has arranged to find 3 15 gal fuel containers. Off to the gas station we go via taxi. Fill the containers and back to the dinghy dock. The swell is running high today so putting a 100 lb jug in a dinghy that is moving a lot is a challenge. But we did it. Back to the boat and then teach Cody to siphon diesel from the containers to the tank. Lots of fun realizing that sometimes you just can't pull up to the dock and get fuel.

A family perspective

Changes in latitude, changes in attitude. Kelli-from the 3000 foot climb in Saba to the clouds, 1900 foot climb in Statia, hike around one of the oldest forts in the Leeward Islands, St Kitts and the possibility of a 3000 ft hike tomorrow today seems a respite. We have kept a good pace and are sleeping soundly from full days and nights. Plus, there has been little wind which results in minimal rocking on the boat. Nevis hospitality has been unexpected and gracious. The weather remains mild and really hot inland. The winds are changing so Monserrat will have to wait for us until Tues. check out The Double Duece, Our favorite hangout so far on Nevis. We are grateful every day for the opportunity to explore and grow. Brian- I have been amazed the last few days with a flat ocean that I could see the bottom of the ocean in 35 feet of water. I could see lines in the sand and sting rays on the bottom. The wind has been almost nothing and the same with the waves. We have motored from St Bart's to Statia then to St Kitts and now Nevis. The further South we go the less inhabited and more primitive the islands are. Very peaceful. There was a Criket game last night on St Kitts. The colors of the sands have changed on the volcanic islands to more of a light brown instead of the white sands on the more Northern islands. We saw a very old sugar cane mill and lush rain forest environment yesteray on Statia. It's easy to see why the French and English fought over these islands for 100's of years. Kaylee - It is amazing the opportunity that our family has received. Although we may have had some troubles along the way it is an amazing experience. Going to all of the different islands and experiencing the different cultures has showed me how many things some people miss out on. Going to all of these French islands has given me a want to learn French. It is actually a fairly simple language to learn and I would say I am making fairly decent progress. I have learned that my favorite island food are conch fritters. They are so delicious I could eat them every minute of the day. My favorite island so far that we hadn't visited before this trip would have to be St. Barths. Although it may be VERY expensive I love all of the little boutiques and shops. Besides St. Barths though Cooper island still holds a special place in my heart. This is a lovely life. William - Weeeeel the islands have been good to me so far, and I'm ready to see what comes next on our list of adventures... It's been very interesting so far. But I would say the thing that I miss the most is a real shower. With warm water. When there's a free shower or somewhere you can shower at for a low price you want to take it. On the boat you've got 200 gallons of fresh water. And at someplaces you might not be able to fill up at the moment. So instead of using fresh water Cody and I have just decided to shower in the ocean. You dive in, lube up on body wash and them jump in again to wash it all off. But the ocean isn't 90 degrees and where you can stand for thirty minutes. Instead you have to tread water. But other than that this trip has been amazing. I still miss everyone at home but it's been a blast so far. Bye ! Cody-oh my goodness I feel like a new person!! Just took my first shower in over a week and I feel grrrrreat!!! So our trip and all. Well it's been quite hot with almost no wind so the ocean has been super calm. I slept outside on the tramp last night and will probably continue to do so as long as I can because it just fantastic. I found out today that water has been collecting in my nasal cavity for the last month and all day whenever I would incline my head to much water would drain out my nose. It was super annoying trying to do homework because I would lean forward to read something more closely and water would get all over my homework! So distracting. I've discovered that Tom's are the greatest shoe ever created by mankind and everyone should have them because they make your life better and give kids without shoes a a pair of the worlds greatest shoes. I've found that I actually miss vegetables due to the fact that we don't have a lot of fresh veggies on the boat and for the first time in my life last week I ordered a salad as my main course for dinner! Crazy right? Well that's what my life has been like for the last month, along with a lot of sailing, sunning, swimming sleeping, and being salty. Eating, talking, reading and lots of learning. Thanks Kelli(again)-this entry of our blog has been uncensored and unedited by me. The goal was to get the entire family to write at once. Hopefully you all get a sense of the humor our kiddo's have. Pray for health as Kaylee and I are fighting colds. Love to you all.

Boat life 101

Well here I am again... Tonight I will be writing about what we've learned thus far in the trip. I think what I'll do is make a list and then write about the details of a few. Well here it goes. I've learned to tie numerous types of ropes, ALWAYS wear sunscreen, do your school work when told to do so, make sure all your hatches are closed or else all of your belongings will be soaked, use wifi when available, use the smallest amount of water possible, the sea is a great and friendly bathtub, the responsibility of being dinghy captain, when something goes wrong (like a rip in the dinghy) Don't worry maan ! Without working out every day you will become very out of shape very quickly, friends are such a crucial thing in life, eat well when good food is available, be ready to wake up in the middle of the night with rain pouring through the window above your bed, ALWAYS have a light at the front of the dinghy or else the coast guard will pull you over, don't smoke cigarettes because they smell like poop, use proper English when speaking with someone you don't know, DON'T EXPECT PEOPLE WHO ARE MOT FROM AMERICA TO ACT LIKE AN AMERICAN, sometimes things won't always go as planned.. Well I could go on for hours about other things that I've learned but I don't want to bore you anymore than I already have (; So let's start with the tying of ropes. Ropes, ropes, and more ropes. Ropes are probably the most essential thing right under God and water. You use them to lift the main sail, the jib, tie the tramp to the boat, tie the escape hatch closed so that water doesn't come spraying into the kitchen and many more uses. We have learned many types of knots on this trip. We can tie knots to the fenders, tie a knot so that the dinghy doesn't go flying into the ocean... Knots and ropes are used everyday and they also take a toll on your hands. By the time I get back my hands are going to feel like rocks. Another learning experience is showering. Back in the states we shower everyday and don't think about how much water we use. But when your on a boat and all you have is 200 gallons of fresh water it goes fast if you take a thirty minute shower. But sadly your shower usually consists of about two whole minutes of fresh water. But luckily Cody and I have figured out that salt water is just as good as fresh water. It may not be as nice but you'll take what you got when there's the biggest bathtub in the world right outside your window. So ya throw on some compression shorts, jump in the ocean to get nice and wet, soap up and then jump off the top of the boat just to make sure you got all the soap off. It's probably the most adrenaline I've ever had when showering. So not to brag or anything, but I'm kinda the captain of the dinghy. No big deal (; but for those of you that don't know what a dinghy is. Well its like a small boat with a motor strapped to the back. And ours is about 13x5 feet. It's certainly not the biggest one out there but she gets the five of us where we need to go. Me being the dinghy captain I got the honor of naming her. So I named her Bessie. And she is the perfect woman for me. She starts when we need her to start, she runs like a machine (see what I did there?) and she doesn't complain when she hauls our 700 pound family from our boat to the docks. But enough about Bessie, let's get to the good stuff. An interesting story to come later involving the coast guard but now I'll talk about the Regatta. The Regatta is a huge sail boat race around the island of St. Maarten. This race involves a few hundred boats of all shapes and sizes. Catamarans, monohulls, trimarans all in various lengths from 20 to 100 feet long. This year it was sponsored by Heineken and I don't think I've ever seen so many people drink so much beer ! But since we were in the harbor of where the race was ending we decided to stay here for the week race and watch the end of the race. On Sunday night when it was all over we went into shore and witnessed the medals and award ceremony. After it was over there were a few DJ's who played some music to which everyone was dancing to. I personally did not enjoy having my space bubble intruded upon so many times by complete strangers. But if you block that out and have a good time then it was a fabulous party. After the DJ's time was over the Grammy winning (in the 70's) Commodores came onto stage. Before they started their first song I could sense that my ears were about to witness badness. They didn't sound too completely terrible, but when we saw the five pounds of makeup combined with dance moves that look like what Pop (my grandpa) does we knew we had to leave. Not trying to insult your dance moves Pop but even you would have laughed at these guys. Their intentions were good but I don't think it came out the way that they wished that it would. But here comes the interesting story that I promised you earlier. As we're we're leaving the Commodores were still playing and there was still lots of light from shore and also from the moon we didn't need a light up front of Bessie. So we were cruising as fast as Bessie could take us (which isn't too fast) when the coast guard proceeded to shine there VERY bright spotlights at us. I was already temporarily deaf from the volume of the speakers from the concert I was clueless that they were actually trying to talk to me about something. Dad finally looked at me, told me to turn Bessie off, which I refused because she would more than likely to start again. So I risked being boarded by the coast guard and I just put her in neutral. I'm a rebel, Inknow. And I can assure you that I was a little intimadated by the fact that there were about nine of them, all carrying light machine guns and a few extremely bright spotlights. But when my dad heard what they said he just looked At me and told me that I needed a light. They continued to stare at me as I struggled to pull Cody's tiny LED flashlight out of my pocket and hand it to cody at the front of the dinghy. We watched each other for a few more seconds until Cody started telling me in his raised volume voice that we can go now. This whole time I was still temporary deaf to the fact that they were still trying to talk to me. So I put her in gear and we slowly made our way back to the boat. We are currently back in Gustavia, St Barth's for one night. We will pull up anchor early Tuesday so we can get to Statia (St Eustatia) early enough to hike a volcano. Well on dads iPad this looks like an extremely long post so I'll end it here. I'm learning things every day about who I am and what the world is like outside of the USA. It's an amazing trip and I'm having oh so much fun. So I'll leave you with this, quoted from a man we were talking to last night at dinner, "You cannot expect people who are not from America to act like an American." They won't talk the same as you, they won't walk or dress the same as you, and most of the time they will be much much nicer than you. There's no competing with the French, Dutch, carribean manners. -William.

Blown Away

Our Adventures on St Maarten continue. It is hard to believe we set our anchor on the Dutch side of St Maarten seven days ago! Our friends Mike and Jama headed home last Sunday after a busy week of sailing, climbing Saba, and numerous card games and shared meals. What a blessing to have visitors from home. We have frequented The Taste Factory so many times for breakfast, lunch and dinner we are officially "regulars". How much can you possibly love a pastry shop that has a "happy hour" after six? We cannot resist the beautiful French desserts at the buy 2 get 1 free Happy Hour. Lagoonies has become a favorite spot for lunch and happy hour. Satara offered us a beautiful setting for a multicultural dinner of Japanese, Indian, and Thai. We had to retreat to the bar for the remainder of our meal as the rain came in. We keep thinking of Satara because it offered not only a beautiful garden setting but an oversized couch with oversized comfy pillows...we miss a big comfy couch. We have been blown away by the beauty of the sunrises, sunsets and the full moon that peeks inside the hatch over our bed each night. Our days are a mix of boat chores, provisioning, exercise on land and in the water, laundry (the laundry lady took a liking to Cody this morning as he spoke to her in Spanish) and we also have spent tons of time reading and relaxing. Hopefully everyone enjoyed reading the blog on our reading list. Amazon is making a fortune from all the Kindle's aboard Hakuna Matata. The crowd in Simpson Bay grows as we are in the second full day of the Heineken Regatta. This morning's races began just outside the bay we are anchored in. We sat mesmerized by all the ships that sailed today. The racing party is in Philipsburg tonight. We will head there via taxi later this evening. On Wednesday night we ventured out via taxi to Maho Bay which is famous for its Sunset bar and grill at the edge of the water and the end of the airport runway. The small bay becomes a huge wave pool as the planes get set to take off. No sooner had we retrieved a table, Cody and William took off to experience the next plane taking off. The pics will hopefully speak for themselves! Yes! That was William who found himself a spot in the road to land in order to avoid being blown across the road into the bay. Cody was sad he didn't have his Nacho Libre mask and bible man cape as the guy next to him had a cool flag for a cape. When the boys came back to Sunset bar and grill Cody's description was "That was completely terrifying". It only took about five minutes for them to ask if they could stand behind the next plane. As far as daily boat life...William has officially taken charge of "Bessie" our dinghy. He is working on his driving skills, assuring us he is ready for Drivers Education when we return home. Kaylee is officially in charge of all the hatches when we leave the boat or set sail. Her other responsibility includes sleeping as much as possible and working on her tan. Cody and I have learned to tag team well at anchoring and taking charge of the jib. Cody and William have mastered the mainsail which I have affectionately named 'the monster'. Brian is in charge of it all. Kaylee took a permanent marker to Brian's Crew shirt from DreamCat in 2010 and changed Crew to Captain. I am blown away all the time with his ability to juggle all the boat issues, ShepCo and he is still able to find room for a nap or a card game on board. The bridge to Simpson Bay Lagoon has just gone up to allow boats and ships into the Lagoon. It is an event that everyone gathers for a few times a day. Multiple racing teams are coming back and the boats range from little Hobie Cats to mega yachts. So I will sign off here. Thanks for cheering us on and praying for our family. Miss you all.

Not all islands are created the same We spent the last week sailing around St Martin, St Barts and Saba. St Martin (French)/Sint Maarten (Dutch). This is a great island with lots of culture and great food. I had some of the best pizza I have ever had a quaint little French bistro, Quai Oeust, in Oyster Pond. The French love food, laughter and fun. They are very relaxed and embrace the C’est La Vie (that’s life) attitude. Most shops are closed in the afternoon and reopen later in the day. Sint Maarten (Dutch) is very clean and fun and vibrant. The Dutch people are very friendly and helpful. We started in St Martin last Sunday and are now back on Sint Maarten this Sunday. We visited St Barthelemy (St Barts) after leaving St Martin last Monday. This was a great sail about 12 miles taking about two hours. We arrived on St Barts in Anse De Colombier. This is a beautiful little protected bay that is pristine. Access is primarily by boat and not easy to get to by land. It has a great beach and snorkeling. This bay is part of a marine park and was owned by the Rockefeller family before it was donated as a marine park. The remnants of a summer house, stone dock and main house can be seen from the beach. Next stop was Gustavia on St Barts. Clearing in at customs is completely automated and very nice. This is one of the bigger mega yacht harbors and a very beautiful place. We toured the town and hiked to all three forts that surround the bay. The forts were built by the French and the Swedes as the island has changed ownership between France and Sweden over the last 200 years. We enjoyed Great food and people watching. Shell Beach is a fabulous small beach surrounded by steep rocky cliffs and as the name indicates there are a ton of shells on the beach.. St Barts is known to some for glitz and glamour and is the home of the restaurant, Le Select, that inspired Jimmy Buffet’s Cheeseburger in Paradise. We celebrated Kell’s 43rd birthday with a beautiful dinner at LaRepaire. The kids tried foie gras and of course enjoyed it. Their taste buds are way to sophisticated and expensive. They each had a sirloin steak. We also enjoyed risotto with smoked lobster cream and a seared tuna. On to Saba we went from a sea of humanity to being only one of two boats in Ladder Bay. This is a 28 mile trip and about 4 hours. When we get there the waves are very rough and the mooring balls we are supposed to use when we clear in are taken or broken. Somewhat frustrating but we found a mooring balling on the other side of the island. What a difference. We went from seeing tons of boats and $100 million dollar yachts to being one of two boats off of Saba. Saba is a little round island with NO BEACHES. It is a rock that rises straight of the ocean with shear rock walls all around that go from sea level up several hundred feet. Until the 1940’s the island was only accessible via a set of 800 steps carved into the rocky cliffs. All materials, foods, etc were delivered by hand using these steps. In the 1940’s a small port was constructed that will accept small commercial boats. So we cleared customs in and out in one shot. That’s great!!. Then spend the day on the island. We all went for hike to tallest point on the island. The hike was up to Mt Scenery. 1064 steps and 3084 feet high. This is a world class hike on stone steps that have been cut into the hillside by hand. Took about one hour up and was quite difficult but lot’s of fun at the top where we were in the clouds and a rain forest environment. I read a description of Saba that described it as a fairy tale picture of a forbidden land. I would agree. It’s one of those places you see in movies and go wow. God created something very special here. After two nights at Saba on we sailed back to Sint Maarten and to Simpson Bay. This is a 24 mile sail pointed into the wind. A little rough but not terrible. We had great wind for most of the trip and were sailing around 9 knots. It’s very cool to turn the engines off and the boat is quiet just cruising through the water with wind pushing us along. Now back to Sint Maarten and cleared in on the Dutch side. This was the most paperwork and strict clearing of customs yet. We are anchored in Simpson Bay and have discovered that one of the largest Regatta’s in this area is this coming week. The 33rd annual St Martin Regatta. We are watching the race boats and teams show up as we speak. We have chores to do the next couple of days and will stay here to do laundry, get some boat parts, rest, catch up on work and school. Also need to provision food and water. Everything needed for cruisers is available here and accessible with only a 10 min dingy ride. Cody & William have learned to drive and maintenance our dinghy. William has announced he is the dinghy captain and is taken good care of her (Bessie). Cody has become very good at putting up the main sail and the jib. It’s no easy task to put the main sail on a mast that is over 40 feet tall. It pulls up by hand most of the way and then finished using a hand crank wench. Kaylee is in charge of ropes when letting out the jib and she has helped to batten down the hatches (ARRRRRR). Kelli and Cody are both learning to drive the boat and understand the engines. Kelli is getting quite good at managing the anchor and I am becoming much more confident in all aspects. We have learned that life is different everywhere you go. Different cultures view life from different perspectives. Latitude plays a large role in culture and behavior. Not all islands and people are created the same. -Brian

LOL :D

Funniest moments so far: -We were driving out dinghy back to the boat when the engine stopped. Our dinghy was quickly floating toward a large yacht. the yacht workers were just standing there watching not knowing what to do while we all just laughed ourselves silly!! -When getting off of the dinghy at our boat William was trying to help our friend Jama off. It was very wavy that day so it was a big struggle. William was standing on our boat while holding on to our dinghy. The dinghy and the boat slowly started separating so William was left planking over the water from our boat, Hakuna Matata, to the dinghy. The two boats didn't stop separating from each other there though. Pretty soon William ended up not having enough boat to hold and to anymore and fell right into the water. We all thought it was hilarious other than maybe William. -Everyone was above deck while sailing other, than William. William was down in his head brushing his teeth. It was very rough out with waves up to 10 feet. A big wave hit our boat and William's top hatch to his bathroom happened to be open. While William was brushing his teeth the water from the big wave crashed into the port. William was soaked from head to toe. Oh his luck! Funniest cultural moments: -Brian interpreting the wifi as virgin when it was 2013 -Waitress interpreting boef, which if beef in French, as woof like a dog! -Because of our location the smart phone translated deleted items to rubbish bin. -We went to a restaurant on St. Martin called Le Repaire that Brian had read about on a travel site. The place was a total dive and not very good,  and very shady. When we came to St. Barths there was also a restaurant called Le Repaire. It looked a lot nicer and wasn't just a bar but an actual restaurant. We went there for Kelli's birthday and it was wonderful! We had the right restaurant name but the wrong island!

Rainy but still beautiful

Kaylee here! We had a fantastic day today with lots of exercise!! We started the morning with coming over to land in our dinghy so that we could go on a hike. We went to two forts that were very historic. The first was called fort Gustaf and the second was called fort Carl. After the hike we were all very hot, sweaty, and hungry. We went to a little beach restraunt that was very good!! I had lobster fritters. We then went back to the beach to take a quick swim in the ocean. After we all were dressed and Cody and William had there school work we headed back to land. Cody and William went up to a little area with wifi to do homework and mom, dad, and I went to a little bar. I am at the bar currently and Mom and Dad are talking to some people next to us from Carmel, Indiana. Our friends Jama and Mike who are at the beach should be here any minute. We mentioned them and the guy from Carmal knows Mike! What a small world!! It is rainy here but still beautiful! I'm loving this life!

A Bit of the Larger Story

Blog 02.19.13
The larger story from Kelli's point of view...
As we adapt to "i'lon" time we can feel the ease and slowness setting in. An evening dinner with any discussion of what tomorrow holds usually ends in a variety of choices and the conclusion that we can wait until tomorrow to decide. C'est la vie or such is life. 
Today we find ourselves anchored in Gustavia, St Bart's where the history is rich in French and Swedish ownership and the clientele of tourists here is wealthy.  From where I write at the stern of our little 47 foot catamaran I see seven mega yachts. 
This puts me in such an interesting mind set as this very week 365 days ago I was in the slums of Mathare Valley, Nairobe, Africa. To have travelled so far and explore this huge ball we exist on is life changing and breath taking.
The larger story I have composed in my mind a dozen times is to aid anyone reading this with an insight as to how our family dreamed big enough and came about planning a few months at sea.  Fortunately, for me there are many of you that know the intimate details of our Seabattical as well as the details of the life we have lived in community with you. So please rejoice with us and cheer us on as you always have. You know who you are. 
The larger story that continues to overwhelm me and often lays me out, flat on my face in thanksgiving, comes from the difficult places Brian and I have traversed together alongside the journey of joy  that we have experienced in numerous environments. I easily recall Brian's decision to move on from a mortgage/ real estate business and begin Shepco Commercial Finishes. The days were long and difficult financially and emotionally. (a momentary aside here as We thank mom and dad Bennett for being our first official paying project. Love you so much) Not only were those straining years financially but we were experiencing the "in your face, nobody tells you about" years of parenting three young kids. I am eternally grateful for every summer when contractors are at their wits end to finish projects on time and under budget that Nancy Kent and Kathie Kunish would welcome us for however long we needed at Powers Lake. Those weeks were a lifeline for me. I cannot count the number of times the electricity or gas were turned off at home while the kids and I were in PowersLake. Brian always made sure his paycheck was cashed last in the companies busiest months to ensure Shepco employees were paid. While this was extremely difficult to walk through, our family never went without exactly what we needed. Those months and years gave us such a broad understanding of wants and needs. 
We had unexpected house guests during those years (most of them migrating from Wyoming) that would fill our refrigerator and freezer as a token of thanks for lodging.  Their  provisions at the time allowed me to play in my kitchen more and fulfilled a strong desire to provide a family meal every evening. We still practice the lost art of a family meal every evening. I love that each of our kids will want to wait for all five us to eat and share the evening meal together. 
During all the growth and struggle and victories of owning and operating a small business, raising kids, participating in far too much ministry at church, providing a private Christian education for three children, Brian and I came to an agonizing realization. Our ability to dream was gone. I can recall the night in our bonus room, farthest away from sleeping children, the intensity of the conversation as Brian and myself poured out all the fear, anxiety, concern and  questioning. The outcome was this, "we as a couple will fight for each other, our family and we will begin to desire and dream again regardless of the penny's in our pocket." I love this attribute Brian has always had of "dollar dreams and a penny in his pocket".  
In 2008 our friends Dave and Rhonda Hetrick invited us to her family condo on the island of St Thomas. What a hilarious week of laying on the beach, kids sprawled out everywhere sleeping on pool floats, good eats, funeral party at Coky Beach and of course the day sail on Scuba Doo catamaran. As the day sail companies went out with 50 or more people we felt like movies stars on our private little cat with a captain and first mate. And so it was from that simple day sail we were smitten with the sea.
In 2010 we sensed we were living the dream as we hired Captain George on Dream Cat and coerced (just kidding) five friends,  J&M, D&R and Smidro, to come with us to the British Virgin Islands to crew the Dream Cat for a week.  That trip was the beginning of one of our most far reaching, some day dreams. 
Once we began researching living at sea for an extended period of time our someday plan changed to a three year plan.  Cody would be a junior, William a freshman and Kaylee in 7th grade. Timing for school would work, Shepco would be about thirteen years old and three years to plan would be plenty of time.   We happily dug in and began reading everything we could get our hands on.
In 2012 we leased a boat called Golden Dawn for two weeks in the British Virgin Islands and hired Captain Aaron for the first week. Aaron understood our goal to learn all we could about ropes, knots, anchoring, navigating, etc. During our second week aboard Kaylee, William, Cody joined us aboard and took to it like professional sailors.  Clearly it was important to ensure the kids even liked being on a boat and at sea for more than a day. The planning continued and so many doors opened for us as we chatted, blogged, researched and dreamed together as we had purposed to do many years ago. 
There are too many details and conversations to recount here but please continue to follow our blog for details as we unfold other details.  
As I celebrate another birthday eve in one of the most beautiful parts of God's great creation I continue to be amazed and overwhelmed.  The sea is not my home but for the next six weeks I am embracing this adventure. I marvel at how big God has let me dream and how deeply He has recognized my desire. 
The sun is setting and I must not miss it. 

Out of Oyster Pond

Soooo this is William here. So It's been a whole two weeks and it feels like I've been here for just a few days! We were in oyster pond for a whopping four days. But sadly that felt like four weeks :( but while at oyster pond we met some lovely people and some not so lovely people. It was a good sized dock but there were constantly people walking up and down staring into our boat. I felt like I was in a fishbowl. As they would walk by they would slow down their pace, and point and stare as they walked. It was almost embarrassing, but being the family that we are, Kaylee, Cody, and I would just stare back or make extremely funny faces. We certainly hadn't planned to stay that long but it was peachy keen. On the last day we decided to make it special and go out to eat at this little pizzeria. We started out with some amazing appetizers and I could already tell that it would be great. We decided to get three pizzas and they were the bestest most fabulous pizza I have ever had. After leaving we went to Grand Kays and we are now anchored here. On our way across we saw some amazing kite sailors. There was one guy who was literally three feet from us. I was so inspired, I want to do it so bad right now :D  This morning we went snorkeling and now were on land at a quaint little restaurant on the beach. Its been a wonderful time so far and I'm loving every minute of it.

Practically French

Bonjour, Bonswah, Merci, these are but a few of the many French words that can be heard floating through the warm air every Tuesday night in the small town of Grand Case on the island of St. Martin. But they are hard to pick out because of all of the other sounds, smells and sights vying for your attention in the midst of a weekly version of the oh so famous Carnival.

            After our washing-machine-strapped-into-a-wooden-rollercoaster ride over from the British Virgin Islands on Sunday night and a day of R&R on Monday we decided it was time to party. And me being my I-like-to-party self, thought it was a great idea. So Tuesday night we called a cab and made a friend with “Big Willy” who drove us to Grand Case for a weekly street fair that the town has during tourist season. It also happened to be Fat Tuesday which was a plus (depending on how much you like to party). So on the way there Big Willy tells us that his wife works at a lolo called Scoobys and we should go check it out and tell her he sent us. Now I’m assuming that most of you don’t know what a lolo is (I didn’t before today) and even though it looks like someone mistyped lol it has nothing to do with “laughing out loud” although you will hear quite a lot of lolzing if you ever visit one. A lolo is a small, roadside restaurant that specializes in grilling and frying meats and seafood’s. They are usually just tables and chairs set up around a main building with some big open tents surrounding them all crammed into one little area beside the main street. But the cooks at these places know what they’re doing and they do it VERY well. We took the advice of our new found friend, Big Willy, and stopped by Scooby’s to begin, what my family likes to call a night like that, eating our way through the night. We began with ribs, curried shrimp, grilled snapper and ox tail stew. All of this was served on plastic plates with plastic utensils wrapped in your typical paper napkin. On a side note the napkins there and everywhere else are better than the ones we have on the boat. We bought a pack of like 500 napkins for about 5 bucks and they are the worst napkins in the entire world.  I like to describe them as “the epitome of suck”. But back to what really important in life, food.

The food there was absolutely amazing, it was fantastic, marvelous, stupendous out of this world good, and it was from a street vendor. Now I’m assuming that most of you have had great ribs and shrimp. Some of you have had grilled snapper (maybe not served to you whole with eye balls and all but grilled snapper at least). But I would be willing to bet that the majority of you have never had ox tail stew. I must say that it was absolutely delicious but if you’re trying to watch your weight stay away from it. It’s one of the fattiest meats I have ever had in my life.

After our first dinner we wandered down the main drag and tried to admire all of the street vendors but there are so many crammed into one little space that you would have to walk up and down the street about four times before getting the full experience. There were people selling painting, sculptures, trinkets, jewelry, clothing, food and I even saw a guy selling plastic light up swords. All the while there is constant noise coming from the hundreds of people and the live bands scattered up and down the street. There are so many different things to see that it makes you want to stay for hours and just talk to everyone and find out what they’re selling. Although to speak with everyone you would probably have to speak three or four different languages and I don’t even know how many dialects. The majority of the people were French or American but there were many people from all over Europe, Asia and I even heard a distinct Canadian accent complete with the “eh” at the end of each sentence. We eventually ended up in a great little pizzeria called Castillo de Diablo that looked like it was straight out of France. So of course the food was, again, absolutely wonderful. Even better was the parade that the locals put on for everyone. About 30 people all dress up in typical festive Mardi Gras costumes of bright colors, feathers, beads and lots of sparkly objects. They would tap out a beat on homemade drums and play a simple tune on homemade whistles but because there were so many of them in such a tight space the noise for deafening. But in a good way if that is at all possible. They rambled on down the street and after a while people began milling about like they had for hours. We sat at our little back table in that wonderful pizzeria for nearly 2 hours just eating and chatting and having loads of fun, especially when one American couple made their way in and sat down. Now I am a people watcher so I find it entertaining to look for people who are totally out of their comfort zone and see how they react to certain situations, this was one of those times. The husband was about 6’3, 250 pounds and rockin the cut off, ball cap and bright red lobster look. He also must have completely missed the fact that this was a pizzeria because when the waitress came to take their order he loudly asked for a burger about 10 times before he finally realized they didn’t have any, so he got a pizza.

After a great dinner we headed back to where we were meeting our taxi driver when we came across a booth selling crepes. I had heard of a crepe before but never actually had one. That ones in the Top 10 biggest mistakes of my life. I would describe a crepe as the French version of a pancake but 100 times better. It is thin, light, and rich like a lot of French foods but at this stand you could pick different ingredients that could be spread over it such as lemon and strawberry jelly, caramel or, my sibling’s personal favorite and my least, Nutella. The Nutella was gross, at least to me but many people would disagree, but the lemon was sooooooooo good. I could have eaten that stuff all day long until I exploded. Our cab driver arrived and we finished our crepes in the car and talked about how much fun we had. I had an amazing time and would love to do it again. If your ever in St. Martin I would highly encourage you to drop by this Tuesday night party and enjoy the many sights, sounds and tastes that the locals jam into half a mile of road.If your experience is anything like ours even after a couple of hours of being immersed in the culture you will feel like you are practically French.

Inside a Washing Machine

It took a few days to recover and grab perspective to write this post.

Our journey started Sunday afternoon at Jost Van Dyke.  We had planned to spend the day on Jost and head to Virgin Gorda on Monday morning.  That changed with the big snow storm that hit New York.  That storm was tracking to head toward the Atlantic and make waves and winds quite large on Monday night.  So, we left Jost on Sunday about 3pm and arrived in Virgin Gorda about 7pm to grab a ball in the dark.  First time to do this, but it went relatively well.   We met our captain, Pedro, for the journey to St Martin and had dinner.  A nice break before the 16 hour haul to St Martin.  We departed Virgin Godon about 10pm on Sunday and plowed through wind and waves coming directly at us for 16 hours.  Very little sleep and banging the waves most of the night.  Pedro our captain was awesome and had a great attitude letting me know the 8 foot waves and 20 knot winds would double the next night when we had planned to cross. 

The thing I know and expect about boats is that things break.  This was quite challenging when we had three things break at once about 3am.   But all was good and all was made to work well enough to arrive at St Martin about 2 pm on Monday.   I was at the helm while the sun was coming up and I could see the faint distant shadow of St Martin.  We were still a good 6 hours away but it was cool to see land from the middle of the ocean and darkness and know what sailors felt like long before GPS and modern ocean charts.  During the passage between about 1am and 3am Kelli and I had a chance to sit on the back of the boat and count shooting stars.  Kelli saw 11.  I counted 4 and Cody was up for a while and saw 5.   It was pitch black and the Milky Way was glowing.  God was smiling.  It was comforting.  Shortly after sunrise a small rainbow appeared and again the thought of God's promise was comforting.  As a father I was extremely proud of my family for dealing with very uncomfortabe conditions for 16 hours straight.  Not one complaint just a few questions of "how much longer".  

Monday afternoon was minor clean up on the boat.  Relax, eat, drink and sleep.  Our bodies were in need of rest.  Tuesday morning we all got up late, school work, boat repairs and cleaning in the morning.  I had work to catch up on.    We spent most of the day Tuesday getting back into a normal groove.  Late afternoon we found a small rocky beach and then a nice pool where the boys swam laps and cooled off. 

Then off to Grand Case on St Martin via taxi where there is a carnival parade every Tuesday during the spring.  We spent the evening strolling along the main street where all the shops and restaurants are located.  Lots of street vendors, artists, t-shirts, bracelets, etc.   Quite a few great places to eat with great French restaurants, boutiques and LOLO's.  We ate at a great little LOLO.  This stands for locally owned locally operated (I think ).  Great foods cooked on open fires for about $10 each.  The parade was full of men and women dressed in typical carnival apparel along with drums, whistles and many other noise making instruments.  Quite fun and relaitively family friendly.  The kids discovered crepes from several of the street vendors and all had several crepes filled with ingredients such as Nutella, Lemon & Sugar, etc.    Very French and very fun.

It's been great to see our family adapt to environments we are not accustomed to.  To be in areas where there is no cell phone, texting or internet service and figure out how to communicate with the locals who primarily speak French.  It's great to get outside your comfort zone and to truely understand that God has not brought us this far only to leave us.

Ocean Crossing

Flexibility is key when watching the wind and waves and waiting for the perfect window for our crossing to St Marteen. We have been preparing for the overnight sail to St Marteen and the timline has been moved to tonight! So our quiet day in Great Harbour and White Bay at The Soggy Dollar Bar will have to wait...
We hired Captain Pedro a local from Tortola to help us in the overnight crossing.  We are anxious to learn the nuances of sailing at night.  I  am really looking forward to putting our new star map to use. Right now Brian is attempting to complete all paper work for clearing out of the BVI as well as clearing out Captain Pedro with no paperwork. Everything is a learning experience!!
We continue to learn how to communicate effectively in sailing, anchoring, and completing school work.
Each day we learn more about Hakuna Matata. Such as how long we can run electricity before draining the battery, resetting fuses, remembering to run the right engine and turn the timer for the freezer and fridge so they don't defrost (again), and a myriad of other useful and necessary tasks.
Just before we left the states we heard a great teaching about being a "city on hill" and a  "beacon of light". Hours later a friend of ours, Krista Shields, prayed this very idea over us. Putting this concept into practice begins within the five of us as we are experiencing the essence of the definition 'city' (humanity intensified). Five people in tight quarters learning a completely different schedule or pace to life. The rhythm of island and boat life is unhurried and there is no problem to any task. As layed back as we thought we were as a family is nothing compared to participating in this culture every day and night. We are all in and ready for each experience. But the learning curve is steep. We would prefer the ease of learning through correct training as opposed to constant mistakes. This is a life lesson for anyone.
So Sunday night as you all sleep soundly in your beds think of us as we cross the beautiful ocean to St Marteen. Keep cheering us on as your encouragement and well wishes keep each of us grounded and connected.

Another day in paradise...

h

A Day In The Life

            Hello there world. Its Cody today writing to you from the beautiful Cooper Island. This is the same island that we were "stranded" at last January and in the 4 days we were here I fell head over heels in love with this island. It is a small island with a population of maybe 75, barely. It has one main bay with a great little beach restaurant and a small boutique. The restaurant is framed by a vibrant green hill rising up sharply behind it. The southern side is a large hill with rock cliffs facing the sea. Me and William are hoping to go climbing there later today if we can finish all of our school work in time. The north side looks the same as the south side just a bit smaller. This little slice of heaven was worth the trip over from Peter Island earlier this morning but it was no slice of pie getting here.
            We had quite the day yesterday when we made our first attempt at anchoring and found that the anchor had not been used in quite some time. At first glance the chain just looks very rusty, but then as we began to let it out we discovered that after about 100 feet parts of the chain had become so rusted that they began to stick together. So we had approximately 100 feet of chain and multiple lengths of chain that had rusted into huge knots. What better way is there to fix something than to pound the living day lights out of it with a hammer? There isn't one. After an hour of pounding and oiling my parents finally got another 50 feet out of the thing. We then proceed to actually drop the anchor and get it to catch. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I cleaned the algae off our left hull and will being cleaning the right one at some point this weekend, got a hair cut from my mom which looks pretty good and we all had some great chicken caccitore (catch-a-tori). It will forever amaze me how my parents can create such great food anywhere in the world and with any size kitchen. That was our night.
           We planned to leave Peter around 8 this morning but due to our battery's running low and an alarm going off in the middle of the night that didn't happen. But the battery's running low also meant that we had to run the generator that is right behind my bed. Now this generator is not a gently humming type deal. This thing is LOUD. So when it promptly kicked on at 5 in the morning, I promptly sat bolt upright in bed and thought we were going to crash. After I realized what was actually happening I rolled over and tried to catch a few more z's before wake up call. We ended up leaving at around 9:30 and headed out to open sea. Today was our fist chance to actually get our sails up and it was quite the adventure. When we got out into some good wind me and my dad headed up front to put up the main. Well after some serious pulling and cranking we got it up. Only to realize that our very bottom cleat was not attached to the sail which made the bottom part of the sail flail around instead of being tight on the mast. So we reefed it, which is just putting the sail up 2/3 of the way. Then we put the jib out, which is the sail at the very front of the boat that is a bit smaller than the main. Well our jib seems to have a personal vendetta against me. We got it up no problem but then when we were tacking it got caught on some loose rope on the main. I jumped up to free it and when i did the rope snapped back and whipped me right along the back leaving a huge welt and a little bit of blood. It hurt. A lot. But its one of those things that hurts for a bit and then goes away so I'm fine now but it will be leaving a rather large mark. We made it to Cooper without any other problems which was great.
           Now I don't want this to sound like a list of all the bad things that have happened to us so I will say that all of these things have taught us how to be better sailors. We are learning from our mistakes and enjoying our victories. If there's one thing I have learned so far it is that when bad things happen you must learn from those things and move on. Otherwise you will get caught up in all your failures and never accomplish anything. So there's your dose of daily wisdom. Don't focus on the rope that seems to want to end you, focus on grabbing that sucker by the throat and tightening that sail.

Arrival

Planes, taxi's, ferry's, customs, provisioning, unpacking, organizing Hakuna Matata, reorganizing and finally bedtime....
Travel days are always exhausting but ours was exceptionally easy. We seem to adapt to island time easily and the further south we travelled yesterday the more relaxed and layed back we became.

Upon our arrival in Sea Cow Bay Manuel Reef, Tortola, BVI we set to unpacking and loading our thirteen various sized bags. (The customs agent in Road Town began a thorough search until he realized how many bags he was committing to. With that he gave us a nod and a wave goodbye).
Brian and William called our favorite taxi driven by Lisman who took them to finish provision at the local wholesale and retail grocers.  William made quite the impression as he quizzed Lisman about his 20 years in the taxi business and all the changes in population, crime, traffic, etc. that have come to Tortola. History lessons from the locals are always best.
Kaylee, Cody and myself worked like a fine tuned machine unpacking all our gear and setting the kitchen and living room areas in order. If any of you know me well you understand the importance of a well equipped and organized galley! Of course, all the cups and plates were placed just out of my reach in the cabinets above the freezer. The galley and eating area are now well stocked, cleared of clutter and in working order for captain and crew.
Our overnight at the dock was quiet, restfilled and peaceful.

I will take just a few lines here to boast about Cody 16, William 15 and Kaylee 13. We have seen them adapt to a variety of environments.  Brian and I are overwhelmed at the "all in" spirit in which they have approached this particular adventure. As we began dreaming and planning this Seabattical in 2010 each of them voiced their opinions and concerns but have always embraced this dream. We are grateful to them for not just tolerating us and our dream but choosing to participate in every detail.

This morning is rainy on Tortola but perfect weather for hanging at the dock waiting on a cushion repair, generator maintenance, boat orientation and anticipating the always important Beverage delivery from Tico.

Keep praying for our family and cheering us on as we continue to learn and grow in our knowledge of this great big world.

SHINE,
Kelli and Crew

The Smaller Story

As we have promised the Gone Sailing Blog has begun. We are calling this "The Smaller Story" as we desire to let the "Larger Story" of our dream Seabattical unfold as we go. 

Currently the Gatewood Family is ten hours away from the first leg of our trip. Here is a flexible itinerary:

February 5th Indianapolis to North Carolina to St Thomas by plane, St Thomas USVI to Tortola by ferry. Road Town Tortola to Manuel Reef, Sea Cow Bay by Taxi. 

It is a Big day of travel but we will be happily settled onto Hakuna Matata at Manuel Reef by evening tomorrow night! 

Over the next week we will sail, get acquainted with our new home Hakuna Matata, and practice anchoring throughout a few of the British Virgin Islands. From the BVI we embark on our longest overnight sail to St Marteen. Following a couple weeks around St Marteen and neighboring islands we will head further south through as many Leeward Islands as we are able. The goal is to be back to the BVI by March 22. We have friends joining us along the way in St Marteen and upon our return to the BVI. 

Our family is so grateful for all the encouragement and excitement surrounding this dream of ours. We are continually overwhelmed by all of you that have cheered us on. Please continue to spread the word to those that may find interest in our little dream of sailing for nine weeks with our kids. Our someday is here and now.  We are grateful for every door that has opened and allowed us this opportunity. 

More to come.