Kids, what kids?

Hello :)

What a quiet day on the boat. The skies were grey and heavy, the wind was steady at 20-25 kts, and even the 27 deg air temp felt cold and distinctly non-tropical. It was the perfect day for some boat jobs (Max) and writing school reports (me). We saw the kids briefly for meals (and provisioning for another night ashore), but otherwise they were completely occupied ashore all day. They took particular delight in competing against each other in a 35-item scavenger hunt (boys vs girls) created by Deanne & Tim on Exodus (thanks, guys!). The final tally came down to a nail-bitingly close 3-point difference, and the girls won it (something about a palm mat woven by Victoria ...). I went ashore with the other parents as the scores were being counted, and it was evident that everyone had had a lot of fun.

As for the boat jobs, Max is hunting for some leaks in the watermaker. He is in touch with the company, because it seems to be related to a pump we had overhauled in NZ. So far, I am relieved that it continues to make water, and we will keep a close watch on it until it is resolved. On the school front, I have made a dent in the report writing. Every year, I swear that I will keep better daily records of the learning I observe... thus far, I am still working from memory, blog posts, and photos. Soon we will be on to another year :)

The kids are camping ashore again tonight. It is probably much quieter there than here, as the wind is whistling by the boat and rattling the rigging (25 kts as I write). The palm trees shelter the kids on the beach. The consensus amongst the moms in the late afternoon was that everyone had some schoolwork to do tomorrow, so I think we will retrieve them after they finish Victoria's oatmeal and biscuits in the morning, and let them loose again after lunch. (School assignments aside, I can only begin to guess about the learning that has been going on for the last few days in leadership, communications, teamwork, self-reliance, diplomacy, negotiation, etc, etc). Fun.

Short and sweet. Love to all,

Elizabeth

PS - Nav-Table Philosophy (since we don't have an armchair) ... I have been continuing to mull over the ideas I was mentioning yesterday about how we can gravitate towards people who are living the values (eg simplicity, family, time freedom) that are important to us. One dear friend described it in an email back to me as "if you see a log burning bright like you want to burn, roll up next to it, and soon you will have caught fire too." I love that image, especially because it applies at home in the same way as out here in cruising-land. One of my favourite writers asks her clients what they want to *feel* like in the future, and what can they do to create those feelings now. All of a sudden, it is not about living in a house or in a boat, in the city or in the country, in an adventurous or subdued manner (which are not always quick things to change), it is about finding our voice, choosing our perspective, and being conscious and mindful in all that we do. This can apply anywhere :) As many of you know, I read Anita Moorjani's book (Dying to be Me) just before I left New Zealand. Her ideas have really resonated with me - she came back from a near-death experience with a message to "Live Fearlessly" and "Be Love" ... what more can I say?? E
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At 6/8/2015 7:52 PM (utc) SV Fluenta was 19°09.03'S 178°32.48'W
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At 6/8/2015 7:52 PM (utc) SV Fluenta was 19°09.03'S 178°32.48'W

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