During the winter our boat feels so small. We press our noses against the hatches and count the days until spring. Yet during the summer we suddenly have all the space in the world. A couple of weeks ago our dear friends the Taylor family came for a visit, all five of them. Had it been January, I would have said no way! But because they are a fabulous family and because it's summer, two adults and three 12 year olds seamlessly came aboard and stayed and sailed and it was no big deal sharing essentially 325 square feet between 9 people.
So away we went...
Of course it's all so easy when everyone on board knows what they're doing as far as boats go, and even better can help with chasing Naia and making food happen. Each big kid took a turn at the helm at some point or another...
And Naia was not going to be left out of the action... of course.
What was funny was that for the first time probably ever... Doug was able to take a snooze while underway on the boat. We've been in kid wrangling mode since buying this boat, always short handed while chasing someone small, so he's always on duty in some form or another either at the helm or with a kid. But with our guests eager to take over and sail the boat, Doug actually got to relax and doze off underway. When he woke up he remarked, "Wow, this boat is really so smooth!"
We anchored out up the Chester River and met up with our marina neighbors. At one point we had 13 people aboard for dinner, but it never felt crowded. Food was the only time the kids sat still for more than 5 minutes. Other than that they were a blur of swinging, swimming, dinghy riding, kayaking, and general summer mayhem.
That's our trusty
Mantus Anchor holding both boats in place!
And there is nothing quite as sweet as having somebody who is not you get your little one to go down for a rare nap. Thank you Wendy!
