Sailing Family Separate

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Things feel very official now – sailing family separate. Two days ago Simon and I went to the boat and offloaded the few remaining things that signified Britican as a family sailboat. Watching the Christmas tree and festive collection bag leave the boat felt poignant. It wasn’t much, but it provided years worth of monumental memories. Each ornament and trinket tells a story.

Sienna’s pre-school ornamental photo with, “Buon Natale,” inscribed by her Italian Teachers. Our first ‘winter’ on the boat was in Sicily.

Then there’s the little Christmas mouse Sienna and I made while crossing the Atlantic Ocean (age 5). The big orange South Carolina bauble from our dear dock friends when we lived in Charleston Harbor Marina (Sienna, age 7). The list goes on.

So many handmade charms – all holding exquisite memories of distant places and loved friends.

In June, the start of project sailing family separate, Sienna and I removed our clothes from the boat. In July, we took off Sienna’s toys, books, and almost nine years of tiny keepsakes she collected throughout her travels. During this past visit (October), I removed the few books that have travelled with me for thousands of miles.

It’s been a year since my step-father died and six months since Sienna and I moved in with my mom.

We’re helping mom to stay in her home and mom is providing Sienna with the opportunity to realize a dream. Sienna’s dream was to experience land life – air conditioning, carpet, hot showers, Amazon deliveries, friends that stay put, stationary surfaces, school social life, fast food, and young love.

For all the reasons that the sailing life is amazing, it also has some gaps; especially for a pre-teen/teen.

So..one chapter closes and another opens. But what about Simon? What is he going to do? Watch the video to get the full scope!