- What will the kids do on the boat, so they don't get bored?
- Aren't you worried about someone falling overboard?
- What happens if you get caught in a storm?
- How are you going to have enough money?
- Aren't you worried about leaving your job?
- Do you think you will all be able to get along in such a small space?
- You haven't been sailing that long. Do you really think you have enough experience?
- What about school for the kids?
- Will you be able to get enough exercise sailing around?
- Aren't you worried about Pirates?
- Are you CRAZY?
- How many days will you be away from Land?
- How do you sail at night time? Does someone always have to be at the helm?
- Do the kids want to sail around the world or are you making them?
- How long have you been planning this?
- How did you know what kind of boat to buy?
- How did you learn to sail?
- Are you scared?
What will the kids do on the boat, so they don't get bored?
They are bound to get bored sometime. They both love to read, so we will have books. Amelia loves to scap book and craft, so there will definitely be scissors and glue on board. We are bringing Alex's guitar and Amelia's keyboard. We will have our cards on board and our laptop. Alex will have his ninetendo DS. We will have our music. We will have the kids school work. We will have dvd's. We will have some board games. Amelia and I will do each others hair and paint our nails. We will work on our website. Alex loves to draw and they both love to paint. We will COOK. Alex, Amelia and I like to bake. When we aren't on a passage, we will swim and snorkel and hike and bike and explore.
Aren't you worried about someone falling overboard?
Hmmm, we get this one alot. Yes, it does enter my mind but we are going to minimize the risk by ensuring that when we are underway the kids have their harnesses on. If Graham or I are going to go forward we will also have our leashes on. We have all been practicing our man overboard techniques. Alex and I definitely need more practice. Cross you fingers it isn't Graham who falls overboard :)!
What happens if you get caught in a storm?
Again, this is another frequent question. Graham has been studying the weather patterns, so we will be trying to minimize the risk by watching the weather. We have also been reading about storm tactics. Unfortunately, the experience of sailing in a storm will only come, when we sail in a storm. We are trying hard to be as prepared as possible. In a storm we would have the kids below and we would be harness to the boat. We have also minimized our risk in a storm by our choice in boat. We purchased a boat that wasn't to small but also wasn't more boat then Graham and I could handle. We made sure the boat was strong and sturdy. Full Keel, hung rudder. Might not be the fastest but will definitely be in the running for ability to ride out a storm.
How are you going to have enough money?
I read the other day that you shouldn't wait til you have tons of money. You should buy the boat that fits your budget. We have been planning for this goal for a number of years. We are thinking that it will cost approximately $36,000 a year and this is an overestimate. We have read that alot of sailors live on only $12 to $15,000 a year. The costs will be fuel, groceries, water, repairs, marina fees, customs and immigration and boat repairs. We have been living on less for a few years now, saving up. We live in a small two bdrm apartment, we still drive our 1996 toyota and I still have clothes from grade 10. Ok not many but you get the picture. When the money runs out we will head for home.
Aren't you worried about leaving your job?
I love my work. Graham loves his work. Both of us have never doubted our ability to find work. We have no issues with going back to school to sharpen a skill or switching careers totally. If you believe in your ability to learn and you feel strongly supported, there is no fear. Currently, we both have a ton of skills. Graham is a computer programmer and an aircraft maintenance engineer. I am working as a business analyst but have also been a project/release manager and computer programmer in the past.
Do you think you will all be able to get along in such a small space?
Moving from our house in Lacombe to the two bedroom apartment we are renting in TO was a bit of a shock but I think great prep for our time on the boat. I like having the kids close and I think it really keeps us all involved in each others lives. Right at this moment, I am sitting at the desk which is in the living room. Alex is sitting on the couch with the laptop, watching Ratatoui. Graham is cooking doubles in the kitchen (i can see him). Amelia and a friend are playing in the front hallway that we converted to a playroom by way of a curtain (i can see them to). I think Graham has the biggest issue with the tiny space and people around. As long as we stay out of the kitchen, he stays happy!
You haven't been sailing that long. Do you really think you have enough experience?
NO! Ha. Obviously if you compare us to someone who has sailed all their life, they win hands down. Graham and I have prepared as much as we could to take on this dream. We have taken some courses and have been sailing since the spring of 2006. Graham says, "We will get our experience each day we sail. So day one, we get experience, and then day two, we get experience, etc. We are going to start out slow. We won't be heading across the Pacific on day one. We will do day sailing for months before we do a long passage. We will also only do what we feel comfortable with. If it doesn't feel right we won't do it. There is always three solutions to every problem (an old friend of mine always use to say this).
What about school for the kids?
We will be homeschooling or boatschooling the kids. We will be following the Ontario curriculum. Graham and I have always been really involved in the kids studies. We will follow the material provided and submit assignments and tests to a teacher in Ontario. They will receive Ontario report cards. We might consider enrolling them for a few months in New Zealand when we are there. We are playing it by ear.
Will you be able to get enough exercise sailing around?
We all really enjoy snorkelling, swimming, hiking and biking. When we aren't underway we will be partaking in these activities. Everyone we meet who sails seems really fit. There are no couch potatoes in the bunch. You always seem to be moving.
Aren't you worried about Pirates?
Yes, check out our piracy links under the "Links" page. Definitely enters our mind and we will have to have a strategy if we are boarded (ie, where the kids might hid, sound signalling device, protection??). We are still reading about whether to have protection on board or not, pluses and minuses to this, obviously. It seems that most of the pirate attacks occur in indonesia and near the red sea. It will be a few years before we hit these areas. I think there are dangers everywhere. We live in Toronto. We do all we can to be safe but at the end of the day if a bad guys chooses us as his target, we just won the unlucky lottery.
Are you CRAZY?
Definitely NOT. This is not a goal that only a crazy person could dream up. Graham and I are very normal people. We love to travel. We love new experiences. We love the idea of doing something totally different. We love to challenge ourselves. We love goal setting and planning. We love spending time with the kids. This dream or goal allows us to travel with our house and achieve everything we love. A crazy person might just jump in and not think of the requirements or consequences. Graham and I made a list of what would be required to achieve this goal and then we set out to complete it. This list doesn't just get shorter either. The more you learn, the more you learn that you didn't know! The lists seems to get longer. Luckily we are only a year away from the list that begins with us on board our boat in Venezula. So CRAZY we are not, dreamers, goal setters, planners, we ARE!
How many days will you be away from Land?
The Pacific crossing is about 23 days in total. We are targeting to leave on this leg of our trip at the end of March 2009.
How do you sail at night time? Does someone always have to be at the helm?
Someone always has to be on watch when the boat is underway. There will be an auto pilot but someone still has to be on watch. We will take turns, maybe 4 hours on, 4 hours off. We may even get Alex in on this rotation, although his rotations would be shorter and only when weather and circumstances are good. Amelia would really like to also do a watch and we will see as the time goes by what is possible. When someone is on watch they will be harnessed into the boat for sure!
Do the kids want to sail around the world or are you making them?
The kids are as excited about this trip as we are. We have always approached this as a family goal. They are as proud of our family accomplishments as we are. If they ever hear us speak of the trip and forget to mention their contributions they are quick to chime in. This is most definitely a goal that we all share equally and a goal that appeals to us all a bit differently.
How long have you been planning this?
We began activitely working towards this goal by moving to Toronto. This was in the spring of 2005. The first time we sailed was in the spring of 2006.
How did you know what kind of boat to buy?
insert answer here
How did you learn to sail?
We learned to sail at Humber Sailing College. We took their basic keelboat course to begin. It was about four weekends I think. We took this course in the spring of 2006, in April/May. The weather was pretty rough. It was a really good course and a great introduction to Humber Sailing club. We then bought a family membership to the club and we were able to sail throughout the summer and use the boats at the club. We enrolled in a coastal navigation course through National Yacht club and took a few different weekend seminars at Humber. In April of 2008 we did a bareboat charter in Antigua, and our confidence was totally built. The kids sailed all summer 2006 and 2007 with us. They also took their whitesail I last year with QCYC and they are taking their whitesail II this year.
Are you scared?
As the day that we depart Toronto gets closer, I can actually start to feel the feelings that we will have as we walk away from our home. Each time we take that leap into something new, something unknown, I do get an uneasy feeling but it isn't fear. I feel not quite normal and a bit unbalanced but eventually this passes. I wouldn't say I am "Scared", I know that we will only do what feels safe, we will take it day by day. I would say, I am nervous. You have to remember though that balancing the nervous feeling is excitement, happiness, and anticipation. I let you know as the departure day draws nearer if i am scared.
