We are beginning to get used to the new normal. For anyone interested, our routine goes something like this:
-Coffee and some kind of reading first thing in the morning
-Jay starts the generator and watermaker, Tanya rotates ice bottles from freezer to cooler/auxiliary refrigeration
-Breakfast
-Jay goes downstairs to work, or to fix something that has suddenly broken
-Tanya and kids do school (Grammar, Bible, History, Read Aloud)
-Chores
-More school (Writing, Math, Drawing, Independent Projects)
-Lunch
-Outing/Free Time
-Read and Rest (out on the trampolines “under the tent” –in the shade of an awning)
-Smoothie Time, Tidy Up, Dinner Prep
-Games, Swimming, Free Time
-Dinner, Read aloud, Geography “I Spy” or Crossword Puzzle
-Quick cool-down shower in the cockpit
-Bedtime for kids
-Galley Clean-up for Tanya, Project for Jay
-Writing/Reading and Bedtime for grownups
-Fire Drill at 2 a.m. when it starts to rain (grown-ups run around naked on deck
closing all the hatches)
When we are traveling, all bets are off. No matter whether it’s a weekend or weekday, while underway, my job is to keep the good snackies coming while kids entertain themselves by playing, reading, napping, watching movies, building with Legos, etc. I also help with sailing, keeping watch, tidying up and playing gopher. We usually end up playing dominoes for many hours in the cockpit. We tried cards, but they blow around. Dominoes seem to stay put in a stiff breeze!
The cats have their own routines. When underway, they find a comfy spot and stay there until we arrive at an anchorage. That may mean 24 hours of staying put. They seem to be very patient, especially when the children give them extra attention. After we arrive, they come out of hiding and behave normally. During the workday, Spice naps in a secret location, while Sugar keeps Jay company, fills his workspace with cat hair, and tries to eat his lunch. At night, they prowl around and meow at us if we don’t pet them enough.
The week rotates around finding food (a dinghy ride to the dock, a walk to the store and a taxi and dinghy ride back to the boat), doing laundry (some things washed by hand, some taken by dinghy to laundry facilities), and keeping the bread baked and boat clean. Weekends are set aside for slow breakfasts, family “church,” resting and finding fun things to do. We go to bed exhausted every night, but with a real sense of satisfaction. That’s life afloat in a nutshell!