The Bean Family Chronicles – Favorable Winds and Stifling Humidity (or, sailing in the south)

At one time in our lives, every second of free time was spent surfing.  This was before kids, before houses, before pets and school and work, ect., ect.  Times have changed, but it’s still important for us to keep our kids (and ourselves, for that matter) connected with the water.  While the ocean isn’t really that far from us (only about an hour), more often or not, we find ourselves taking advantage of our proximity to the river instead of making the haul to the beach.  A couple years ago, Austin and his dad found this great sailboat for a super good deal, and they made an arrangement together to buy it (his dad) and maintain it (us).  It has been a great treat to us and a way to bless others to be able to use the boat and spend time on the water.

All that to say that, today, we went sailing.  Being on a 28 foot boat with 3 kids is both joyous and tumultuous at once.  Noakea is great onboard.  He is helpful, interested, and overall a good first mate.  Avenlea, too, is pretty chill underway, for the most part.  She fusses here and there, but she is pretty genial as long as she has somewhere to crawl and stuff to get into.  Banyan, though… well, our 2 year old has a way of making a sailing voyage of any length feel like a Pacific crossing.  He complains.  A lot.  He’s hot.  He’s hungry.  He’s tired.  He wants mommy.  He wants daddy.  He wants to swim.  He doesn’t want to swim.  And on, and on, and on.  I tell myself that one day we will look back and be glad that we went through the hassle of taking young kids on board.  That day is not here yet.  But, we do it.

All these pictures came off my iphone, so don’t critique them too hard.  I’m too scared to bring my DSLR on the water, because i’m a clutz and it wouldn’t be cheap to replace….

Post-swim naked time.  It felt so wrong to let him swim in that cast, even though I know it’s waterproof.  95 degree heat, however, left us no other option but to jump in!

“I have to pee!” – Banyan

My brave son (total sarcasm there) clung to daddy for fear of getting bitten by crabs.  That live at the bottom of the river.  10 feet below him.  Sigh.

Little Mamma <3  This rascally thing slept for about 40 minutes of the voyage.  She spent the other 2 hours getting into everything she could get her hands on.

The sailing portion of our morning was cut a bit short when the captain ran over a crab pot and got the buoy hung up on the rudder.  Good thing Mr. Bean is a champion breath holder and untangler.

Watching Daddy work, pre-swim.  

Is it still a selfie if she’s in the picture too?

The boat is named “Dad’s Dream.”  Do they look like dreamers?

Looking introspective as he sits in time out…..