Kitty Love

Our cats, Provo & Caico have taught us that we are their people and we are to act accordingly. We try to make sure they are comfortable, that they are getting enough exercise, eating properly and enjoying plenty of naps. These cats are so much a part of the family that Gia considers them her sisters. She would love nothing more than to dress them up and tote them around town but instead she takes photos of them. Here are a few montage's she has created. Gia has an insatiable desire to help the animal kingdom, I think she may even turn into a cat lady someday.

Gia's montage of Provo & Caico

Provo is so photogenic!

Brown Bagging It!

Our furry friends are now 7 years old. They have traveled with us in 3 boats, numerous plane rides and just a few car trips. As hard as it is having pets aboard (vaccinations, documentation etc) we wouldn't change a thing.

Make Bottom Painting Fun!

Definitely my #1 - Favorite Boat Yard Thing!!

It was all GR's idea. We began this tradition years ago with our first boat, a  1981 42' Pearson in Daytona Beach, after we painted the bottom a royal blue he suggested we grab a can of white paint to decorate the keel so that when we were snorkeling and swimming in the amazingly clear waters of the Bahamas we could reflect on the fun we had working on our boat. It was a great project that we all had fun doing, we put paint on our hands and made hand prints, we wrote our names and drew little fishes.  These memories  allows those "blood, sweat and tears" moments associated with many bottom jobs fall by the wayside and replaces them with these magical memories of creating artwork with your family. It's like a visible time capsule!

So of course, this boat was no different. The more practical side this project is that we cover every thru hull and highlight every transducer and/or grounding plate and zinc, that way they are easy for a diver (or us) to locate. Tide and time dictated our splash time so I wasn't sure if Gia wanted to participate in this tradition since she was technically supposed to be in school. "Of course, I want to Mom!! It's a family tradition!!" She said and my heart welled up with joy because maybe, just maybe she still loved all this boating stuff after all!!

So with dirt under our nails and paint on our hands and knees we hunched under the belly of this beast and painted our little hearts out! We had a blast and we can't wait to swim under Felicity in the Bahamas sometime soon!!

The End. Thank you!!

Playing with Our Toys!

Two Kayaks, a Kneeboard & Two Livingston

It's taken me a week to even post this! We had great weather and friends visit from Daytona Beach during Spring Break and we took FULL advantage!! It seems like we have just been hunting and gathering all the toys, and not really using them so getting over to Lake Sylvia with the kids and towing them around was a BIG step in the direction of fun.

We Adopted not One but Two!

 Caico & Provo 

2007 - present

Provo:

Grey Tabby

Green Eyes

Lazy Lover & Keeper of the Food Bowl

Alias: Fat Cat/Grey Cat

Caico:
Black Tortoise Shell
Green Eyes
Fierce Huntress & Loner
Alias: Skinny Cat/Black Cat

We adopted Caico and Provo from the Turks & Caico's SPCA in 2007. We were on our way North from Grenada and the weather just seemed to have us pinned in Sapodilla Bay. We knew we were headed back to our lives on land. San San was for sale and we were looking forward to moving back into our home but in the meantime we had been longing for some "new addition". A boat cat seemed just right.

The Turk's & Caico's SPCA was big on "Potcakes" this we knew but decided to take a chance and ask about kittens. As we walked through the door the woman at the front desk sighed, " We don't have any dogs at the moment." To which we cheered, " Great! We are looking for a cat!" We learned, oddly enough, they just received a litter of 5 kittens along with the mother, a stray, and were just getting them vaccinated. We were escorted to the Veterinarian's Office where we could take a look at our choices for a new shipmate. There were 5 tiny (4 weeks) kittens meowing and climbing all over this cold, metal cage.

I immediately fell in love with Caico. I've always had a thing for black cats and she had a little orange spot on her head - pumpkin head! Once in my hands I was smitten. That day we brought her home by way of a 7 mile walk and a short dinghy ride. She was incredibly small in comparison to our already sparse living quarters. All that night I kept thinking about Caico's poor siblings left behind and begged G to let us get another one.

The next day we went back for another little kitty! This time Gia picked, Provo, was tiny and quiet. She appeared quite content to stay huddled in the back of the cage but snuggled up to us quickly. Caico immediately presented herself as the "Alpha" when Provo approached the food bowl. We laughed out loud as the tiny black kitten growled at her sister. The two of them slowly sniffed each other, realized they were friends not foe and began to frolic and play together. Our hearts were overwhelmed with love for these two, little love bugs that brought new life to our humble little boat.

There are many changes that must be made once you have cats on board I'll discuss them in another post. Right now, let's just savor the romantic idea of having a fluffy little kitten aboard. You'll have plenty of time to think about responsibility and liability, blah blah blah!

Here kitty, kitty, kitty!!

Click on the monkey's fist to read others bloggers on this topic.

Home is Where Our Boat is

This scenario happens daily. Generally, after the introductions comes the "where are you from" or "where do you live" question.

"You live on a boat?!" they sigh dreamily. "Oh, I've always wanted to do that."

"Really?" I ask, as wrinkles appear on my forehead. "I'd never even heard of people living on boats!"

I'm from South Jersey and the only boats I'd ever been on were *rough* little Whalers. We'd catch crabs with chicken on a hand line. The only boats I'd seen that looked decent enough to live on were, well, tankers! I know, I know, how the heck did I end up living the "dream"? It's all HIS fault!

When I decided to leave my land life behind I had only been dating GR a little over 10 months. Yes, with toddler in tow, I sold what little I owned and told the landlord I was leaving! We had already purchased the boat together, cruised from South Carolina to Daytona Beach and done a shakedown sail to Abaco, Bahamas. I was sun-kissed and sold on the idea of life aboard with sun-downers at sunset!

Yes, my family and friends thought I was crazy. (not that they didn't already know) They had plenty of well meaning things to say, but I've never been one to listen to them. (this they also know) I always jump into things, especially when I'm in love. Full speed ahead, no regrets, just learning experiences. Fast forward seven years and we are still together AND we still live on a boat. Granted the boats have changed, we are on our 3rd if your counting, and I can't imagine life any other way.

It hasn't always been easy, or glamorous, but the sacrifices we make to live this way don't really feel like sacrifices anymore. I've learned more about different cultures and languages during our travels than I had in school. I became a part of an incredible community of men and women who live aboard.  Everything we own is floating around with us; our cats, our daughter, our precious few material items. We don't own anything else except this boat, our bikes, our car and the scooter. No land. No house. We have been living this way for the past 4 years. We pay for everything (almost) with cash. We try to keep our kitty (living expenses for "cruising") separate from our living expenses while attached to shore (jobs, school). Our plan with Felicity is to 1) fix her up 2) cruise the Bahamas for the full cruising permit time allotted and 3) come back to the US and cruise the East Coast.

Before I lived on a boat, I was not who I am today. Leaving behind the "known" for the "un-known" was the only way I found myself. My true self. I think we are all the best version of ourselves when we push each other to seek out our dreams. Sure, it was his dream to start out but it's our dream to continue.

Beautiful Things

I just love this song and wanted to share it with all of you! Hope you like it as much as I do! Namaste.

What's the Reward?

Image found here.

Best Buy. Winn-Dixie. Pet Smart.

All have what in common??

They all have a rewards system. Who doesn't these days, right? You only need to open your wallet to see the tiny plastic cards plastered with brand names. There seems to be the idea that everything bears a reward. Especially things we spend our money on! So when dreaming of sailing away someday on a boat you don't often think of all the working time you will spend; covered in grease, grim, or paint. Using your boat helps you appreciate all the time you spend working on her. It seems for the past, well, year and a few months, we haven't gotten to do very much playing!

Well, today we went ahead and cashed in some of our rewards!! We needed a change of scenery but we won't be docking anywhere else, anytime soon, so we flipped Felicity around! Funny, how such a small adjustment can turn a the stench of routine into the spark of adventure! We are now looking out over the canal. I can hear the sound of a wake as it slaps under each dock before it gently rolls Felicity in her slip. I needed today something serious!

I'll never forget the first time I sailed out of that first inlet. Lake Worth. I was so excited and nervous I was glued to the port side railing the whole trip. In the morning as the sun blinded my bloodshot eyes, I saw dolphins in insane blue water. It was precisely that moment when I realized I would suffer that pain again in a second (if given the chance) to make this memory one more time!! That is the reward my friends.

The reward of cruising varies for everyone. What are some of your favorite rewards of cruising?
The perfect tan.
Cooking with native produce.
More family time.
Bonfires!

Kids4Sail - Where Cruising Kids Come First!

Site is actually now, Kids4Sail.ning.com

Raising kids on a boat is something I had absolutely no idea about until I had to do it! Even now, that I have done it, I consider myself no expert!
Plenty of people email and ask me questions like:

How did I plan?
What was it like homeschooling?
How did the kids respond to cruising?

My answer is this; with all the rum punches in between the whirlwind of cruising over 13 different countries, 3 different boats, 2 adopted cats and 4 school grades I don't know how it went but she turned out awesome so... I'd say it went pretty dang well!! My blogging has morphed quite a bit since we began this journey and unfortunately I have no old blogs to refer to our child rearing experiences aboard; only my memory holds the little tricks I learned along the way.

BUT if you are planning to raise your kids aboard someday have I got the website for YOU!! Kids4Sail is an incredible way to meet other cruising families. The website is a host for blogs, read their blog, photos, videos and even has a forum for kid related topics such as homeschooling and activities aboard! I "met" Erika Lelievre, the administrator/organizer of this site online through a mutual friend, a cruising mom, and joined the site as a way to keep in touch with the many children we've met while cruising. The best tool we've found is the "Member Map", it's been great for planning to arrive in an anchorage with some kids and scheduling play dates or home school dates! For you, it can be a veritable gold mine of information to help push you into (or out of) a pending decision.

Our little site has grown in leaps and bounds and we are hoping to gain at least 100 MORE cruising kids to our list so please, please, PLEASE JOIN or PASS the website onto a cruising family you know! Be sure to check out their Facebook page too!

**Seriously, though if you have specific questions about raising kids aboard or any topics for that matter, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to dust off the cobwebs from my memory!;)

Traditionally - Nontraditional

Yup, it's *REAL* and it smells soo good!

This year things are a bit different around here but then again every year has been kinda different. I mean that each year we have celebrated the holiday we have been in a unique location generally in the midst of gearing up our boat to head off cruising. We haven't really kept too many "traditions" of our own aside from the usual - wake up Christmas morning with presents from the Big Man and then eating an incredible breakfast. This year GR and I sitting back admiring our super-cozy, floating home all light up and sparkling and said to each other, " So what will we do for Christmas Eve this year?" I was literally speechless. Here in "the real world" we don't have an anchorage full of close friends planning a list of activities for us. We're going to have to come up with something on our own. (scoff) *Also, although we are in Florida, we are still about 4 hours from our "old hometown" full of  family and friends. (We may get the chance to sneak up there at some point but not Christmas week, driving and Christmas just don't sound fun.) So, this year, like many others will be traditionally nontraditional. We picked up a *real* tree, a real BIG, Douglas Fir at that (with the car). She's about 5' tall and smells heavenly. Gia picked the color scheme of our ornaments; silver, blue & white. Reminiscing about where we've been over the years was fun, here's a list of our crazy, mixed up Christmas's as liveaboard boaters.

Christmas over the Years 

2007 - Warderick Wells, Exuma, Bahamas -  Anchored out, dinghied into the park headquarters for a "Proper" potluck (Turkey, Ham, Potatoes, Pies all free) hosted by the park ranger. We had a construction paper tree taped to the bulkhead. Santa called us on the VHF and dropped Gia's Christmas presents on the deck of the boat from his sleigh. (Pearson 424, San San)

2008 - Ponce Inlet, Florida -  We moved back into our house in preparation for the final liquidation of our property. We bought a 12' tree from a guy on Craigslist and didn't have enough ornament to make it look quite right! We invited many family and friends over to celebrate with us while we had the "big" house one last year. Gia got a boombox for her room. (Recently boat-less and in the market)

2009 - Marathon, Florida, Boot Key Harbor -  On a mooring surrounded by totally cool liveaboards our cockpit donned LED, multi-colored lights and handmade decorations. Several friends got together on various boats for different gatherings, that community was the best, lots of kids around! We picked up a tiny, table-top tree and made most of our ornaments by hand. It was a cold, cold winter that year and we actually had to buy a heater! YES, in Florida! (36' Ericson, San San)

2010 -  Miami, Florida - On a mooring at Dinner Key Marina, we still had our table-top tree and our cockpit decorations with lights. This time, I worked ALOT and so did GR. We were so focused and had Guatemala on our minds! (36' Ericson, San San)

2011 - Miami, Florida - New boat for us, the start up with this one was hard since we sold everything we owned (yet, again) with San San . Thankfully pulled into the slip a few days before and grabbed a Rosemary tree from local market in between trips to and from work. New boat, new $kitty$! (50' Hatteras, Felicity)

2012 - Fort Lauderdale, Florida -  Docked, covered in lights, nice tree and working but not TOO much! All three of us are home together and will consider this one of many years that we are super blessed. Gia will make the cookies for Santa all by herself this year. (50' Hatteras, Felicity) 

It's fun to think back on all the places we have been and where we "think" we are heading but the truth of the matter is all that counts is where you are right now and loving every minute of it! Happy Holidays to you wherever you may be, from all of us on Felicity.

Home for the Holidays.....Or Not.

Happy Holidays!!

When was the last time YOU were home for the holidays? Cruisers, yachties and many others such as ourselves are often subject to spending the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even New Years in unique locations surrounded by *new* faces. It can be fun and exciting to dine "potluck" style and to be introduced to new traditions but it can also be hard for families to cope without their loved ones.
 
Being in the yachting industry (or any service industry for that matter), holidays and weekends just aren't the same. Typically, we ("yachties") work every weekend and every holiday; it's just expected. It just comes with the territory. We work for people who work hard and want to play hard with their families aboard their *awesome* yachts, can you blame them?! Thankfully, owners' are using their boats. keeping us working and keeping us in the green. A recent study by The Triton, a local yacht crew publication shows crew perspective regarding working through this time of year. Some don't mind, some hate it but either way there's no getting around it.

Through the years we have found ways of getting around the separation.
You could celebrate at another time of the year when time off is more acceptable.
You could celebrate in unique ways like by using modern technology to be a part of your family party via Skype or Facetime.
Or you could just quit your job and go home! (At your own risk, of course)

Seriously, this year we are super thankful to both have great gigs that allow us more freedom during the holidays, meaning we will both be home on the "big" days. All three of us will go to sleep on Christmas Eve and wake up together to open presents, eat an incredible breakfast and spend the day playing with our new things and just plain enjoying ourselves. This year we are doing it right!

Forward and Reverse

So I know I've been blabbing about how awesome it is that we don't have a car and haven't for three years (2009). How we love the exercise and how we never live too far from anything...well, that has all ended. In Miami public transportation was a breeze but in Fort Lauderdale things aren't so easy.

On one hand, I really wanted a car, like in the way a little girl really wants anything! I wanted it because I felt I was "too old" to be riding my bike 20 miles a day and arriving any/everywhere looking like a sweaty, disheveled mess. I wanted to be able to bring our daughter to play dates and help out the other Moms who so graciously traveled both ways in order to make up for our lack of transportation. I wanted to be able to sneak down to Miami and visit GR when his boat moved from one marina to another to await the arrival of owners. I wanted to be able to drive up to Daytona Beach for the holidays and see my Grama and other friends we miss so much! I wanted to hop in the car and drive to work when it was raining and/or cold, not bundle up into a bunch of layers and then shove all the extra clothes in my backpack because by afternoon it's back up to 80 degrees here!

On the other hand, I hated the idea of spending money on said car, a very temporary item, at least for us. In our bigger view of our future we do not have a need for a car. We will have the scooter, 3 bicycles and our dinghy (soon to come) but definitely -  NO CAR! I hated the fact that most of the reasons for getting the car were "wants" not "needs". Mostly, I hated that I was putting money towards something that wasn't going to accelerate our cruising "shove off" date. Yet, I made the decision anyway.

Here she is ... I'm calling her *Mellow* mostly because she looks like a marshmallow and slightly because I need to be reminded to just - be - mellow. I know this decision will turn out to be beneficial (Christmas tree hauling by bicycle would look quite funny) and there's always the fact that we will sell her before we do take off, because we will. Eventually.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying expressing gratitude for the ability to work hard and get the things we want and experience the freedom of a longer range of motion that "Mellow" provides in forward and in reverse!! ;)

Stopping to make our mark

Gia is growing so fast...

The saying goes, "growing like a weed" but I venture to say Gia is growing "like a tree", strong and tall! We walk past this park everyday in a bit of a hurry on our way to get home and throw down our bags and our cares from the day . Yesterday, something inside me made me just stop and throw my bag down right there at the park. "Let's just hang here," I said.

We sat in the park and chatted about the events of the day. We reflected on the way time flies and the beautiful sea grape tree leaves that surrounded us. We talked about what it must be like to be a tree, having seen so much change happen around you. At that, I told Gia how much I loved her and that many things in life will change but that will not. In this crazy, busy, uncertain life we lead our impact on the world around us is like that of falling leaves. Someone will see the leaves we have left behind and gauge who we are as a person by them. What kind of leaves are we leaving behind?

We decided to make our mark on some ofthe leaves that surrounded us. Gia took a moment to leave her mark on some leaves.

Sign Says

Sign reads: Welcome! My shop is nicely priced and you will find cool stuff! Warning, I do not have change so bring the right amount! Love, Gia

Parent to Parent

"I prayed God would give me an awesome life; I think he just made me famous!" - Gia

Okay so, after yesterday's post and comments I have to say that not only is Gia awesome, (I mean I am a little biased) but all boat kids are awesome. I got to thinking and every single one of our best friends live on boats. There's Sebastian on Jamoco, Maya & Finn on Tranquility, Arias on Necesse, Jade & Marc Antoine on L'Eau Dace 4, Storm on Cat and many many others I forgot to mention. We keep in touch with these kids through an awesome website, kids4sail.org run by an incredible boat mom as a way to foster play dates and get the kids to keep in touch with their friends even after they sail away!

Kids that live on boats have more responsibilities, they are more aware of their surroundings and learn nautical language as well as boat handling skills on top of their every day studies. Since the sailing lifestyle includes a lot of travel they are able to adapt to change and make friends quickly helping them to fit in anywhere. I'm so happy that we were able to share our lifestyle and education choices with the South Florida region through WSVN Channel 7 and hopefully even further by sharing the link with our sailing friends from all over the world!

Please take a minute and view the video. If you' d like to share it with someone that is interested in learning more about alternative education or sailing with children please do.

Click here

Kudos for Gia!

Gia has been looking forward to being in public school for a long time. She remembers what school days are like; frolicking on the playground, eating lunch with her peers  and even spelling tests. Since 2006 we have been combining a bit of home-schooling with a bit of public schooling while we continued to "live the dream" and cruise on our boat. Popping into a town long enough to register into a public school but not long enough to complete a grade; kind of like 6 months public, 6 months home-school. I think it's been the experience of a lifetime but to Gia, it's just life. She sees us leaving her friends at school and missing social engagements although she knows how much she loves to snorkel and hike and meet new friends in other countries.

For the past 3 months, Gia has been attending Coconut Grove Elementary and I have had nothing but glowing reports! She is definitely in her element now, all that practice we had done by ourselves in the comforts of our little sailboat are paying off for her in big ways! On Friday Gia competed in her first Spelling Bee. She gave an incredible effort and displayed confidence as she spelled out; garnish, butterflies, kitchen and twitter. Her first "real" report card came home with all A's & B's. She was given a free movie pass for completing the most Accelerated Reader comprehension tests of her class and I also received an email from the teacher acknowledging her hard work using an online component offered by the school for assignments in all subjects. It has been a great couple of months for Gia as most of her hard work and efforts are being recognized on such a bigger scale. We are so proud of her.

I meet many people that ask if I was afraid of home-schooling or the moving around that comes with our transient sailing lifestyle. I always respond with, "No I think it's a great experience." Gia has proven that she is resilient and can easily go with the flow of our ever changing lifestyle. She is able to pick up where she left off with friends and neighbors as well as the rigors of public school, uniforms and standardized testing. At a Christmas party in the Grove, a friend introduced us to her mother, Dr. Val. Dr. Val was taken by Gia's charms and amazed at her eloquent speech. She expressed a general interest into our boating lifestyle and alternative way of schooling Gia. She told me she had a TV show and her producers would be in touch. Sure, I thought. Well, 3 weeks later we had a producer and photographer out on Felicity interviewing Gia and me. Gia swore her life was changed forever and soon movie producers would be knocking down the door.

Tonight on Channel 7, WSVN will feature our segment on Parent to Parent between 5 and 5:30 pm. Soon after we will post the link and video so we can share it with you. I am so excited and proud of our little girl she has brought so much happiness and light into our lives and she really makes this lifestyle worthwhile. When we see the learning taking place and then applied in real life there is no better reward in parenting!

We ARE family!

Meet Marianne, my littlest sister. Last year my middle sister Roxanne joined us aboard S/V San San, on our trip to Central America. We had specific cruising plans at that time but right now we are pretty content just hanging out. Marianne, my youngest sister, is 21 years old. She has been here almost 2 weeks now and so far she's checked off a couple of boxes on her list of "firsts" including 1st Dinghy Ride and 1st Boat Ride! Marianne is a budding traveler eager to get more stamps in her passport. Her first trip was to Ireland with some girlfriends in November 2010. 

Being the fair skinned, red head that she is, it's taking her some time to soak up the sun. I've warned her to take it easy because in this Florida sun one can be fried in a matter of minutes. There is nothing worse than seeing the European tourists walking around like lobsters, sporting odd splotches of red on their thighs and/or backs. Generally speaking she's here for a vacation but in about a month she's going to look for some work around town.

Gia is really enjoying having her Aunt around and I am so anxious to get her to the beautiful Bahama waters to show her what cruising is ALL about! I know how lucky I am to have been able to have this kind of sister time, not once but twice! Slowly but surely it is my goal to corrupt my WHOLE family until they are all "hooked" on boating! 

(Commence Evil Laughter) Mwah ha ha ha ha!

 

In The World but OUT of the Stream

The view from our world...

Once again it's been a long time since I've published anything. In fact, it's been a long time since I've actually  sat down for more than 20 minutes other than dinner time. Dinner time at our home aka -  the floating palace, is a special time where we come together and share what went on in our lives while we were apart. Last week, I noticed I was going through some sort of withdrawal from my loves! I missed spending time with them and felt that school and work were taking there toll on us.

Having been separated from North America for the past 10 months I see not much has changed. I notice it in my customers' actions. They come into The Bookstore in a rush practically shoving their credit card in my hand or rushing their children to "hurry up and select a book" because they are double parked. It pains me to see. Recently, a product came in called, "Today I..." It's a game of conversation starters for families so that they can get a dialogue going about their day. When I saw this my gut reaction was, "Really?" I am so thankful our family doesn't need a game to tell us how to talk to each other. In fact, I heard someone say they were trying to have at least one family meal together each week and I thought, "Wow, is that enough?" What could be so important that people don't have enough time to sit down each night and have dinner?

Cruising/ Living on board has afforded us tons of quality time, time to cook together, talk about our days events and just bond. GR and I both agree that as children our families spent every night eating dinner together until we moved away from home. Even with all the after school sports and activities our families felt compelled to create an environment where talking, sharing and spending meal time together was imperative. It's not about the food it's about the gathering. Studies show that kids from families that spend meal time together are less likely to smoke, drink underage, swear, consider suicide and are more likely to have table manners, use better vocabulary and do well in school.

Now, we are living on the boat but we are citizens in the "real" world. I hold onto the sanctuary that we have created aboard Felicity. As we dinghy out to the boat I slowly feel the chains of land life lift off my shoulders. As we approach the stern of the boat, I feel the excitement and relief that comes with any homecoming. We throw all our backpacks and bags down and congregate in the galley. We make dinner, do home work and share the load of daily stresses.Our little "island" in the Bay offers the most incredible view of the "land of plenty" with out all the taxes, anchors and commitments. If we really wanted to we could throw off the lines and take off to any other place but here! We are secluded and separate in more ways than one. In that way, I love being a cruiser/live aboard in the world but out of the stream.

In what ways do you stay connected with your family?

With Peace & Love for You Today.