Namaste is floating again
after a summer hiatus in Kailua Kona. Chris dropped her back in the water two
weeks ago, and has been busy upgrading and installing new equipment, including
solar panels and a wind generator.
Isabel and I arrived 10 days
after him, and he is still elbow-deep in grease and projects. Cruising is
currently best described as fixing our boat in an exotic location. But that was
the plan in bringing Namaste north from French Polynesia last spring.
Isabel is blossoming into
quite the first mate, although she often times acts like the admiral.
The terrible two’s take on a
whole new level when your toddler is on a boat. We’re embarking on an 8-month
long journey with Isabel around Hawaii and French Polynesia. When she was six
months old and we could plop her down anywhere, cruising with her was a nice,
steady breeze. But now, it’s more like a hurricane. And she is at the eye of
the storm.
But we’re all adjusting to
our “boat home” fairly well, considering she is sweaty all the time and the
mosquitoes love her as much as they love me. Our life is all about the hammock,
beach, puzzles, tea parties, dinghy rides, and scouting for crabs and dolphins
and turtles – yeah, her life is pretty rough.
We originally planned to
spend Thanksgiving in Maui, but a generator issue has kept us on the big island
through the New Year. Luckily, our craving for family time at the holidays will
be filled when my brother, sister-in-law, and their kids join us for Christmas.
More to come as the fun increases and the work decreases (yes, that does
eventually happen on a boat!!)
