A Fun Thanksgiving Week with the Girls

Both girls adapted well to the motion of the boat

Heather and Addison came to Tortola to have Thanksgiving on the boat. I know they did not know what to expect. And, frankly, I wasn't sure how they would react to this new lifestyle. It turns out that I wasn't far off.

Heather thinks I am out of my mind and cannot understand our choice to live on the boat for a few years. She tolerated the experience, but really did not enjoy it. There were too many things that drove her nuts, like hitting her head on many things, the close quarters, some of the smells (one of which was a problematic head), the tiny galley, etc. She admitted that she is a Ritz girl and she was not speaking of crackers! I give her credit for being a good sport so Addison could have a fun experience.

We built many sand castles this week.

Addison was a little more enthusiastic, but then she loved swimming and playing on the beach.

 She and Grand D were quite a pair in the pool. She thinks he is the best swimming instructor in the world! He had her putting her face in the water, floating, swimming across the pool and even the length of the pool without swimmies. I had her jumping into the deep end and even doing a racing dive, which was more like a belly smacker, but she was very pleased with herself. She advanced her swimming skills greatly this week. 

First night in the top bunk.

They both declared that we are going to strangled each other before we are done with the trip around the world! I don't think so.

We watched movies before bed each night. The girls played musical beds like Goldilocks until they found one they liked - sort of!. They started out with Addison in the top bunk in the crew cabin with her mom below. She had been asking to sleep on the top bunk for sometime.Heather hated the closed in feeling of the lower bunk. The next few nights they moved to the settee in the saloon -both of them sleeping at right angles to each other. Finally they ended up in the V-berth. I even offered our king size berth to them but they declined. 

Our youngest skipper sailing with Flat Stanley!

When it came to dealing with the boat, Addison was a natural. She quickly grasped the "one hand for the boat, one hand for you" rule and became an instant pro at getting on and off and moving around. Heeling overdid not seem to bother her either. She took a few turns at the wheel, was great at getting in and out of the dinghy (which I still haven't mastered with grace), and going up and down the companionway. She understood the reason we go down backwards. Actually, I had her practice that on our attic stairs at home before we moved.

She fell in love with this little island doll.

We sailed from Nanny Cay, Tortola to Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke and anchored out for two nights. A day on the beach with lunch at Foxy's was the highlight. Unfortunately, we had too many daily  and overnight showers this week. When it rained, it poured! On our sail back to Nanny Cay, we experienced a downpour with winds in the 30-37 knot range on the nose. I sent the girls below. Not pleasant, but like most squalls here, it was heavy but quick. Heather got tired of the nightly "Chinese fire drills" to close the portholes. It seems that her bed always got wet. She much preferred being in the marina with the air conditioning running and the hatches and portholes closed.

The beach swing under the almond tree was a hit.

We declared Addison a real sailor when she took a buff shower on the aft deck in daylight! I haven't been that brave yet - or maybe I am just choosing not to shock other sailors! We loved watching her write about her experiences for homework each day. On the page asking about the best thing about her vacation, she said "seeing her grandparents." That's enough to make your heart melt! I am so glad she was able to spend time with us here so she can have a visual of what we are doing. The hard part was saying goodbye again. She wanted to stay with us or have us come home with her. Not seeing the little ones for a year will be tough on all of us.

And so was the hammock - even though it dropped a nut on him!