We are like, totally FAMOUS!

Back in August, we entered tiny Tenant’s Harbor in Maine.  As soon as we dropped anchor and hooked up to the local wifi, we got an email from Bert Whittier, a vacationer staying at a house on the harbor.  He had seen our boat as we came in and googled us due to our Harry Potter-themed boat name.  He found our blog, read a little bit, and reached out to us.  We have enjoyed a lovely new email friendship throughout the rest of our journey and we gained one more website follower.  Well, not just one more….

As a teacher, Bert was eager to use our voyage as a tool in his classroom.  His students began following our website and were given the assignment to write an informative article based on our 1,440 mile passage from North Carolina to St. Thomas.  The resulting essays show an excellent grasp of writing, editing, and comprehension.  I am pleased to share one of the student’s writing pieces with you.

Many thanks from our whole family to all of Mr. Whittier’s students for following along with our journey.  We look forward to hearing about your own adventures someday!

“I’m glad I chased my dream, and encourage you to pursue yours.  As you do so, remember that no matter how much you prepare for the worst, there is simply no way to guarantee that things won’t turn out to be absolutely perfect.”

–Dean Abramson, in Sail Magazine, July 2012, in an article about his long-awaited and diligently-prepared-for first overnight passage (which went perfectly)

Anna, our budding reporter!

Eight Days, One Hour, Fifteen Minutes

By Anna

It is hard to imagine what it would be like to go on a boat with my family for a long period of time. I think I would feel seasick the entire time and would not get along with my siblings well at all! The Conway family is on a year-long journey, but first they had to survive sailing for eight days, one hour and fifteen minutes from Beaufort, North Carolina to St. Thomas. This was a complex trip. The Conways accomplished it because they had a plan and they were prepared. The parents already had experience with sailing and they used key strategies to help them get along while working. Earlier, Mr. and Mrs. Conway had gone on a trip for a week with their friends and that inspired them to take this incredible trip with their family. They made it happen!

To prepare for their vast journey, they needed to be ready for any possible circumstance or glitch. First they got their boat, Patronus. It had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and other spaces in case they needed alone time. Second, they planned their schedule and route, deciding not to stop for this leg of the trip. Due to their experience in sailing, Mr. and Mrs. Conway knew they could handle many days at sea. Chris had already completed the Trans-Atlantic race, and Erica already had experience in racing. Finally, they needed enough supplies because they weren’t stopping for up to ten days. The Conways brought 220 gallons of water and enough food to last that long. They prepared and froze food so they could easily heat it up for hot meals. Also, they had medical supplies, even things like seasickness patches in case they got seasick. Life jackets were mandatory. In addition, they needed school supplies for the children’s boat-schooling. After all this preparation, no wonder the Conways had a positive outcome to this part of their trip.

In order to sail from North Carolina to St. Thomas they needed to plan every step of the way. Everyone had jobs to do, especially the adults. Erica and Bruce, the grandfather, took turns steering, with four hour shifts. Chris was available to fix anything that broke and steer the ship when the seas got rough. The children’s job was mainly to stay occupied and not get in the way. No boat-schooling was scheduled because Erica was busy steering the boat and because of the intense seas it was too hard to write. Instead, to keep the children engaged during this journey they gave them a gift every day. For example, one day they got a puzzle, another day they got colored duct tape. The Conways needed strategies to make the supplies last up to ten days, with water being the hardest to conserve. A sign was put up at the sink saying, “STOP! 220 gallons of water, 6 people, 10 days!” Wipes were used for washing hands whenever possible. Salt water showers replaced fresh water showers. Even though it was a long eight days, they were successful because of their plan.

This long stretch of their tremendous journey taught them many things, not only about how to live on a boat but how their family works as a team. They got through this 1,441.08 mile journey by helping each other and working together. They survived ten foot waves by entertaining each other with skits about mutiny and even had costumes! Erica writes about her extreme pride for her children for cooperating and playing together without complaining. Each family member had equal responsibility to help make this trip a success. This part of their venture wasn’t just a vacation but work filled with challenges they had to overcome. Conserving water, food and electricity, not having a washing machine and crammed space for eight days in a row all made it challenging. However, nothing beat the sight of the beautiful Caribbean mountains, which made every hardship of the trip worth it.

Sailing from Beaufort, NC to St. Thomas was a success for the Conway Sailors. They anticipated any problems that would happen on this long, difficult journey and with their plan in place they made the best of it. Thanks to their endless supplies and careful preparation beforehand, their trip went smoothly. With the help of some special strategies that they had in place such as a job for everyone and having things to keep the children occupied, Erica and Chris Conway and their children made this a triumphant trip. Though it was demanding it was worth it because now they can say they have been on a “real” ocean passage. Their family has sailed one thousand miles without stopping, which means they qualify for the Ocean Cruising Club! This will definitely be a trip the Conways will remember and cherish forever.

Thanks again, Anna, and all the students who spent time writing about our family’s journey!  We loved reading your articles!

Peter and his dad, Tyler, aboard their chartered catamaran

No matter how far we sail, we are constantly reminded that the world is indeed a very small place.  Last week, we were hunkered down in Soper’s Hole, Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, getting ready for our passage to the Bahamas.  One day, a catamaran took the mooring right next to us in the very large, boat-filled harbor.  One of the people on the boat saw the name of our boat and recognized it from Harry Potter.  She pointed it out to the teenage boy on board and he said, “That’s the boat we’ve been reading about in Mr. Whittier’s class!”  Sure enough, young Peter is one of Bert Whittier’s students.

We paddled over and had a lovely conversation with this super family.  They had just finished ten days sailing all over the BVIs on a chartered boat, a long-time dream of Peter’s father.  They had ducked into Soper’s Hole for a few hours to get out of the strong winds en route to Norman’s Island.  It was really something else to make this connection down south in the Caribbean, to a friend we made all the way back in Maine.  The few moments we shared with this family will not be forgotten.  We were happy to meet them and thrilled that they enjoyed a wonderful time together in the beautiful Caribbean!