Kids first passage offshore- so long ago!
Movie offshore on Madame George
early days in the dinghy
Madame Geneva is on the hard at Spice Island Marine, Grenada. We’ve worked ourselves silly to remove all sails, lines, canvas, flush all water systems, clean every surface and pack for a salty family of five’s reentry.
Sitting at the Dodgy Dock restaurant in True Blue bay for lunch and a Bloody Mary before heading to the airport I’m feeling a range of things.
These adventures have been wonderful. It’s rare fortune that allows a family to live so closely for so long. I’ll need to reread this year’s blog (as well as last year’s and the year before) to remember all of the people, places and experiences our dear Madame has given us. The children have grown so much in every way since we first set out. I’m proud of the people they’ve become. I have been exhilirated, exhausted, genuinely frightened and elated on this trip. Kelly continues to be the other half of me. There is literally nothing more I ever wish of her. Anchors set and weigh with just a look. Sails rise and drop, reefs tie in and the boat hums along in all conditions. Kelly is a sailor. Che, Gherty and Quinn have surpassed 6,000 sea miles. I am the luckiest man alive.
We’ll return “home” tonight, spray the salt off and try to adjust (some more easily than others). There’s work to be done moving to a new house at Folly Beach and selling the old one. I’m looking forward to it though. We’re downsizing the house because we want to keep sailing and don’t need a big house back home. I suspect Kelly wanted to move to the beach so I’d have a project to keep me busy and “sane” while boatless but she insists it’s because she had such a great childhood growing up on the beach herself. There’s likely a bit of truth to both.
We’re booked to fly back to Grenada December 30th to embark on “leg-next” of this journey. Hard to believe Che will be 11, Quinn 8 and Gherty nearly 10! Kelly and I have made plans late at night to sail nearly everywhere on earth. Fun to dream, even more fun to see what happens.
Thanks to all of our friends, new and old, who’ve traveled with us on the blog and in person. We wish you all fair winds and following seas. Health and happiness.
Stay tuned. Much love.