I have to admit, I was a little nervous about Mack’s 7 day sailing adventure which is weird coming from the girl who lived on a sailboat for the first 18 years of her life. My mom brain thought of every possible thing that could go wrong while Mack was sailing in Seattle and I was working in Niagara Falls. My mom assured me everything would be ok and she had everything figured out since she had done this before. All the same rules applied from when I was kid. These are the basics:
- Before stepping foot on deck, the life jacket must be on.
- Always have one hand for you and one for the boat.
- NEVER get on our off the boat without an adult.
- Always hold a hand while on the dock.
Mack surprisingly obeyed every rule somehow knowing they were life or death rules. To alleviate some worry, my mom made a jack line that he clipped into on deck (see below). He had a handle on it so he could carry the “leash” and keep from tripping over it. The jack-line ran from the hatch (where Mack is standing) to just shy of the bow.
Down below, Mack slept in his tent under the table. When Andy and I arrived, Andy slept in the Bjorn porta-crib, Mack in the tent and I was on the “couch” with the lee cloth up (to keep me from rolling out of bed).
Mack had an amazing time sailing the San Juan Islands with his Gogo and Grandpa. I’sure this is the first of many sailing adventures he will go on. He loved spying sea lions, jumping fish, harbor seals, and all of the sea planes coming and going throughout the islands. As you can see below, he was quite comfortable with the whole thing!
airplanemama 