On February 28th, 2015 Cameron, the girls and I all moved from our lovely home, Blossom Creek Farm, up in Calistoga, to our lovely home, SV Banyan.  Happy Cruisversary to us!

Lots of cruisers, some of whom we have met, entered the cruising life only to realize that it wasn’t really their cup of tea.  There was always that chance with us.  Happily, we are very happy in our new life afloat.

Highlights from the last year overflow.  Its rather hard to pick and choose the most impactful moments.  So starting from the beginning, here is a little recap, and some photos that didn’t make the cut for previous posts.

Our Bon Voyage party was a blast.  There were more attendees than at our wedding – I was a little stressed!

Living in the San Francisco Bay was cold but a really good trial run.  

Settling into life afloat wasn’t too bad.  Poor Isa had a tougher time.  She spent  most of our sailing days initially wedged in the companion way refusing to come above decks but too sick to go below.  She is much more comfortable now… thank the Lord!

Morro Bay and Monterey is where we decided that we were just going to take this whole thing a lot slower than originally planned.

Point Conception was where we saw hundreds of whales, thousands of dolphins, got to take off our foul weather gear and really began enjoying the sailing.

The Channel Islands…well, we just kept coming back to them again and again as we criss crossed the southern Californian waters in the summer time.

So Cal was pretty fun.  Adelaide got to really sink into her sailing boots during her weeks in Long Beach.  Fiesta Week in Santa Barbara was a blast and San Diego was full of work and play as we did our last prepping to head south, had family and friends visits and met some great cruising friends.

The Baja Ha Ha was a major highlight.  We met so many wonderful people who we consider to be life long friends.  The sailing was fun and the community was even better.

Once in Mexico, swimming, beach time and being with friends became the order of the day.  Life slowed down.  Spear fishing, snorkeling, paddle boarding and exploring has been the focus.  Of course there is work too and I have had my trips back to Napa and Canada and I have had to pull a few all nighters with my computer on my lap in my berth… but it’s so worth it.

The best part about this life so far has been the time, the time together as a family.  You might know a bit about our personal health history and if you don’t, you can read about it on the US page.  Time together is a premium because you just never know how much you have left.  We have read more to the girls, cuddled more in bed, slept more, held hands more, cooked more meals together, had long walks (mainly because to get anything done you have to walk there), struggled more with things that might have been swept under the rug at home.  We have had to work together as a family, make compromises for each other and really understand each others perspectives.  We have had to find common ground, learn when to push and when to back off.  Well…we are still learning all these things and it appears to be a never ending journey.

The sacrifices have been real.  My sink is too small to fit a normal sized dinner plate and obviously – no dishwasher.  Showers are something that we might get every 4 days if we are feeling lusty with our water supply.  Sometimes we just can’t leave the boat due to a rough surf landing.  Meeting other cruisers whom you come to love is awesome, but inevitably you have to say goodbye.  No car… so, lots of walking.  Sometimes you just don’t want to be that physically close to one another… space can be a good thing.  Worrying that your house might sink while you are at dinner is a real concern.  Being a weather junky is not entertainment, at times it can be life or death.  Maintenance… constant maintenance.

I don’t say any of these things to illicit any sympathy, it’s just our reality and some of the reasons why this life isn’t for everyone.  For us, the joys outweighs the challenges ten fold.  Especially now while our kids are young and we can build a foundation for our family.

Adventuring with our kids is a life we believe we will always live no matter where we are or what we are doing.

And Now…  a few more photos that just didn’t “fit in” anywhere else