Vivo O Sonho

Aaron and Heidi were both raised by sailing fathers and being on or around water is as natural as walking on a sidewalk for landlubbers for them. Their prior spouses both enjoyed boating … at a much faster speed than sailing generally allows. And definitely not on a full time basis. So, neither got as much water time as they craved until they bought me. Now it’s water-time all the time!

Heidi’s children are naturals in the water; lots of time spent at pools and the Twain Harte Lake and both took junior sailing classes. (They even owned a 34 ft sailboat for a short time when the kids were young, but Heidi was the only one who really enjoyed it so they sold it and Heidi eventually bought a little Ericson 23 that she could singlehand.) As adults, Meghan and Harley are great swimmers and comfortable on boats but it’s not their first choice for spending their free-time. Meghan, who served in the Coast Guard Reserve, tends to seasickness and definitely prefers sunning on the deck to heeling with rails in the water. Harley lived onboard me with Aaron and Heidi for several years in his early teens and I think he’ll have fond memories of the uniqueness of the living arrangements someday … at the time he wasn’t so fond of the lack of privacy and my small spaces. He is good at helm when he does go out sailing with us and enjoys staying the night on our “guest boat” (Aaron’s dad’s Freedom 32 down the dock from us) with his friends, but his passion is in all about motorized land–based vehicles.

Aaron and Heidi have lived aboard me for almost nine years now and their GrandBoys only know a Nana and Papy that live on a boat. To them it’s completely normal to get rides in dock carts, play hide and seek on my deck, make popcorn on the stove because we don’t have a microwave, and snuggle into a bunk for bedtime. They know that they can pull out their box of Legos for play on the table and then must clean up before meals. We’re teaching them to respect and love the intricacies of boat life.

They love riding in our (and Auntie Jeannine’s) motor dinghies and have been sailing on both Sonho and Cool Change but they’re a few years away from really enjoying a full day on the Bay without being bored. They jump at the chance to go for an Estuary jaunt in the little sailing dinghy and Cody is learning to take helm. Both love kayaking and Cody (aged six years) will be ready to kayak in his own boat next to Heidi later this summer. Matthew (aged three) is fearless and takes everything in quietly. He’ll be the one that will go up my mast for us when we need work done aloft some day! By the time we hit the South Seas, and definitely Australia, the Med and Ireland, they will be ready to fly in and meet us for long  visits in these foreign ports.

These GrandBoys have saltwater in their blood and we expect their soon-to-arrive sister to be no different. As Jimmy Buffet sings,

“I’m just a son of a son, son of a son,
Son of a son of a sailor.
The sea’s in my veins, my tradition remains,
I’m just glad I don’t live in a trailer.”

Vivo O Sonho … Living the Dream!