Back to School! (and so much more)

The first day of school! But with it surfaced LOTS of emotions for this homeschool/boatschool momma. This was also likely the last first day of homeschool for us…the last first day of boatschool…and perhaps even the last time the kids start the school year by waking up on the boat.

I am beyond excited about this upcoming year of travel we have planned (or at least loosely laid out!). I’m even pretty excited about all the possibilities facing us when we return, which includes a possible shift to a real land home for the remaining schooling years for our kiddos (but maybe back to the boat…who knows!). But that doesn’t mean that I won’t wax poetic about all the amazing memories I’ve collected while living aboard since 2009 and while cruising since 2019.

Why would we consider leaving this lifestyle and perhaps the boat? Well, it’s simple—the kids asked for it. We made a lot of the choices we did over the years so that we could truly enjoy time with them before they flew off to adulthood. It’s made better if they are enjoying themselves, too, and they are quite curious about what “normal” is like! We have the ability and flexibility to pursue it, so we will.

We have more questions than answers right now about what exactly awaits us when we return from South America sometime next year, and while that pushes some of my anxiety buttons just a little, there’s a bit of excitement about seeking the next adventure together.

Much, much, more to follow!

~Jo, soon-to-be former 1st Mate/soon-to-be CLOD/something of a nomad/chick just trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up 

Summer boat chores (to prep for a crazy winter!)

Now that we have been back at the boat we have been busy knocking out routine maintenance and also getting ready to put the boat on the hard for the year. It's weird for a lot of reasons, but one of the most striking is that since moving aboard in 2009 we have NEVER had to winterize the boat and now we will have to!

We kicked things off with a solid flushing/de-jellyfishing of the air conditioning system. It's a constant battle here in the lower Chesapeake Bay, but a/c is soooo nice!

A VERY clean strainer; the "to-do" post-its; picking up packages and parts with my partner.

Some of the other boaty things we've done:
- changed engine oil filter, fuel filters, Racor filters, v-belt, impeller, cleaned intake strainer
- changed transmission oil
- flushed and replaced coolant
- conducted outboard maintenance and lay-up
- topped off batteries
- lubed shaft seal
- washed and waxed the deck and cockpit

- applied a coat of Semco seal to the teak
- polished stainless steel
- cleaned the dinghy

Teamwork makes the dream work! The kid crew has been SUPER helpful in our endeavors!

A cleaned/waxed/sealed cockpit!

This next week will be spent purging as much as we possibly can, emptying the galley of all food, and prepping to move the boat down to Deltaville, VA at the end of the month. I am SUPER excited about our next adventure, but my heart breaks a little as I think about leaving our girl on the hard.

Love our home!

~Jo, 1st Mate (for at least another week!)

French Invasion 2022

July was so...much...FUN! We had Katreina's host-sister from France and a friend with us for just over three weeks of Americana all over the mid-Atlantic U.S. How did we do it from a 39' boat during the hot, swampy, Chesapeake Bay summer? Well...we didn't stay here! We made this magic happen with the help of family, friends, AirBnB, and Hilton points.

First stop was the Washington, D.C. metro area where we picked up the girls and stayed with family in the 'burbs. We would actually make their lovely home our base for the three weeks and can't thank Fawn, Darrell, and their kids enough for sharing their home (and a big vehicle!) with our party of 6. We toured around downtown D.C. on a super hot day, visited the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, hung out near our old marina with Katreina's old school friends, and had teen/family time. We also took the girls to a Washington Nationals baseball game--so fun!

Washington, D.C.-area fun

We took advantage of Navy Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) ticket deals and free Hilton rooms to check out Hershey, Pennsylvania! We visited the Botanical Garden, Chocolate World, and the kids got a few hours in at the park before a major thunderstorm ripped through the area--no big deal as we had a pool and foosball back at the hotel! The next day the kids were at the park from open to close, hitting both the waterpark and ride sides of the park before we got them back home. (The adults quite brilliantly spent the day at cafes and breweries, taking walks, and reading!)

Hershey, PA was a hit!

After a little more time in the 'burbs, it was time for a girls' trip to New York City! We joined Katreina's aunt and cousin as guests of Maria and William in a beautiful apartment in the city for the three nights. It was amazing! Our NYC adventure got off to a great start with a free disco night at Lincoln Center! The next day six of us took the subway to Battery Park and embarked on a trip to the Statue of Liberty (thanks, France!) and Ellis Island. It was a long, hot day, but after recharging with some NY pizza, I took the four teen girls out to Times Square...on a Friday night! It was CRAZY and so much fun! The next day, just my little crew rode bikes through Central Park, visited the World Trade Center park, and shopped in Times Square before joining the rest of the ladies for a birthday celebration at a trendy restaurant. Somewhere in there we had lots of ice cream, fruit, and hot dogs from street vendors, and we ended the trip with a NY bagel breakfast!

The girls had a blast in NYC!

After the excitement of NYC we rejoined the boys and shifted gears completely with a week in an AirBnB bungalow in Nags Head, North Carolina. The house was so perfect and cozy and had all you need for a fun time at the beach--volleyball, corn hole, a fire pit, a hammock, a grill, beach chairs, three cozy king-sized beds, and a big, cozy couch for relaxing. While we were there we visited with Grandma Sue, hit the beach, shopped, visited the aquarium, went mini-golfing, went go-karting, threw some axes, and the kids even rode in a monster truck! And as a treat for the world's best brother, Trent got to go on a Cessna flight where he actually flew the plane for a bit!

Nags Head, NC (a.k.a. the Outer Banks or OBX)

On our way back from the beach we actually did visit the boat! We wanted to show the girls how we actually do live so we all stayed aboard for a night. The kids hit the bowling alley on base for some fun and as there was no wind (and it was really hot! they went out on a dinghy ride for a bit. It was just a slice of our life afloat, but I'm glad they got to experience it.

#boatlife

Having Margaux and Jehanne here was great for us, too.  It was great to see what they thought of some of our cultural norms and foods and activities. I'm so thankful that they (and their parents!) have adventurous spirits and were up for the range of activities we wanted to do. And I'm happy that we were able to have the time to do this with them. I definitely teared up as we said goodbye to them at the airport. I think I was sad to see them go, but simultaneously excited about when we will all meet up again in the future! The girls are already plotting for summer 2023...

Absolutely LOVED hosting these girls! "French Invasion" was an absolute joy and we can't wait to do it again!

~Jo, 1st Mate turned nomadic CLOD

Kicking summer off with some more travel!

And just what have we been up to? Dirt-dwelling! Ok, that's not entirely accurate. We did spend a few weeks on the boat after returning from France, but we mostly shuttled kid #1 around to see friends and knocked out LOTS of appointments for the whole crew. And what are we up to now? Hosting some friends from France! For the next few weeks we will be between DC, NYC, the Bay, the Outer Banks, and everywhere in between to share bits of Americana with our friends.

Enjoying life OUTSIDE of the park on one of our fun stops for the teens.
(BRILLIANT, if I must say so.) More to come on these crazy weeks...

Somewhere in there before our guests arrived we actually also squeezed in a week-long car trip to Illinois to visit with my family. It was a rapidly planned and executed trip, complete with car tire/brake drama, family time, fireworks, hiking, and lots of laughs. I needed this trip more than I realized. We didn't get to see everyone I wanted to, but we made the most of the time we had.

Sister time! This was so much fun! I'm the baby. ;)

On our stop in my hometown to see my folks, we made a day-trip to Starved Rock State Park. I love it there and was so happy to share it with my family!

~Jo, 1st Mate/Travel Boss

Recap...FRANCE!

We had an epic journey to France to pick up Katreina! It was my first time back in the country since I was in high school (and that's been a hot minute!), and Frank and Trent's first trip to France. We were also joined by Grandma Sue who was on her second trip there. 

The main purpose of the trip was to get Katreina and meet her family so we spent a few days in Tours to do just that! I really like the town and can see why K was so happy there with her amazing host family. We visited her school and favorite stores, began our diet of fresh croissants, and walked miles along the streets with their charming mix of old and new buildings. While we were in town, we explored a few nearby sites of the Loire Valley--Chateau Villandry and Chateau du Clos Luce--but most of all just enjoyed staring at the face we haven't seen in person for 10 months.

So happy to see our French student!

Tours was a beautiful city!

Chateaux Villandry and its beautiful gardens.

Chateaux du Clos Lucé, final home of Leonardo da Vinci.

The five of us piled into our rental car, left the Loire Valley, and headed south toward the Dordogne River Valley. Along the way we stopped at the Village des Martyrs in Oradour-Sur-Glane to witness the horrors the Nazis inflicted on this country village on June 10, 1944. We spent a few days in the Dordogne exploring prehistoric art in the Cro-Magnon caves and enjoying the old town of Sarlat-la-Canéda. We visited Lascaux IV, Grotte de Rouffignac, and Grotte de Font-de-Guame, which was a real treat as only 78 respiring humans are allowed in each day and we somehow secured same-day entry. This region has much more for us to explore in the future!

"Remember" Oradour-Sur-Glane

Cro-Magnon Caves!

Sarlat-le-Canéda was such a great little town!

We spent a few days on the Brittany (Bretagne)/Normandy border in the cutest little carriage house as our base for a journey to the Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, great dining on the Bretagne coast in Cherrueix, and a visit to the fortress port city of Saint-Malo. It was so cool watching the fisherman drive tractors out onto the sand at low tide to harvest mussels, clams, and oysters along this coast and the seafood was delicious!

Mont-Saint-Michel was unreal!

The Bretagne Coast and out cute neighbors at our AirBnB!

And we finished our trip in Normandy. As Trent is really into WWII history we stayed in Bayeux for a few days so that we could take our time and visit the historic locations. We visited the village of Ste-Mere Elise, Utah Beach, Pointe Du Hoc, the WWII Normandy American Cemetery, Longues-Sur-Mer Gun Battery, Omaha Beach, Port Winston artificial harbour, and the Battle Normandy Museum to learn about Allied and German planning and execution of D-Day and the war that continued afterward. Driving across Normandy really gave me a better appreciation of the geography (and the spread of our airborne forces). While the landing beaches are of great significance to the history of D-Day, on a hot weekend in June they were crowded with happy families enjoying the cool water--it was nice to see that such carnage could be replaced with joy. While in Bayeux we also checked out the Bayeux Tapestry which details William the Conqueror's rise from duke of Normandy to kind of England (and does so with some pretty graphic needlework in some spots!) over 70 yards of stitched scenes that were completed so the illiterate masses would know the story.

Ste-Mere-Elise, Utah Beach, and Pointe Du Hoc

Port Winston, Longues-Sur-Mer Gun Battery, the WWII Normandy American Cemetery, and Omaha Beach. These days were so moving and educational!

Bayeux was a beautiful village and we were able to eat a really good meal out!

We wound down our trip in the port city of Honfleur for no better reason than it looked like a cool, walkable port town with lots of good restaurants. Our group split up some for the day, but came together for one last wonderful dinner.

LOVED this little port village! As a sailor, it was great to be back near the water.

Driving in France wasn't so bad, even with our midsize car. They drive on the right, they love roundabouts (and as a former New Englander I was cool with that), and people actually only drive in the left lane to pass! Brilliant! Highways were easy, but narrow roads in some small towns were a little exciting! Parking in the cities and old town areas was tight, but we managed. The only real challenge was the stupid "AdBlue" emissions additive that we apparently were low on from the minute we got the rental. After some fabulous translation by K and the purchase of 10L of AdBlue and two funnels, we were good-to-go and wouldn't have the car shut down on us for the rest of the trip! (It's an EU diesel thing--you've been warned.)

We had one unplanned adventure on the trip--COVID. It got us all early on and while it definitely impacted the amount of time I spent at cafe tables sipping French wine, I am thankful that we all had only a day or two of minor symptoms and had nice, roomy AirBnBs to quarantine in. We were able to limit our contact with others, lay low, and make decent meals (and the grocery had great 3 euro wine!). Since most of our plans had us outdoors anyway, we only had to cancel a winery tour and tasting and we had plenty of flexibility in our trip to adjust. 

Yep, it got us. But at least our symptoms were mild and our quarantine spot was lovely!

~Jo, 1st Mate (or is it Lead Travel Agent???)