sv evi

We met Taylor, Brad and 4yo Rex while they were cruising their boat, Pangea, in New Zealand. Instant friendship developed and we connected often over the next year in idyllic anchorages of NZ and Fiji. 

When Hannah received an invite to visit Taylor for her 40th birthday in Hawaii, well…how could she say no?!?  We were all ecstatic for the opportunity for mama to get away and have some solo girl time and also knew she would be missed. 

The dynamic of 5 people spending the majority of their time together, for 2 years, in a few square meter space… it will be noticeable when one of those bodies are gone for almost 2 weeks, especially when it’s mama! We have fallen into a groove onboard and Han bears the task of most of the homeschooling and almost all the food planning/cooking/shopping. So I think the kiddos thought we might starve and have a 2 week school vacation. Not so, we managed to maintain body weight and stimulate some brain cells in her absence. That being said, there is no replacing what she does for us and we are forever grateful, missed her dearly and are so happy to have her back on board!

I had grand plans to get evi out of the marina and explore some surrounding islands for a few days while Han was gone. We could swim with some sea life, have some beach time, do some boat chores at anchor and rejuvenate our souls but alas, it just didn’t happen. Mostly the kiddos wanted to stay and reap the rewards of many ‘kid boats’ in the marina, including their regular playmate, Vetle, directly across the dock on Escape. I admit, it is convenient and I felt a little guilty for not breaking away, so we had a good time at Royal Langkawi Yacht Club. 

Constant revolving door of boat kids!

At the night market with dozens of vendors, Jade and Luz (vegetarians) ecstatic after passing many stalls offering only a variety of meats on a stick. Tomu and I ate an entire brood of chickens, stick by stick.

Luz’s hair before mama departed….. after below!

Luz asked me for a haircut daily, to surprise mama… and papa finally delivered!

Our crew and neighbor Vetle in a serious Harry Potter tournament.

Jade’s schoolwork assignment was Scottish Shortbread. So we spent the morning baking. Imagine edible PlayDoh. Fun and yummy and we ate them all immediately! Made a double batch again for mama’s return day.

Trying to be a good parent and keep up with mama’s standards we did school almost everyday and keeping on track with studies. I managed to sneak in a few random, unsanctioned papa lessons like music appreciation, knot class, astronomy and even a little refresher in tool school. Tool school was born out of necessity because I often found myself halfway under the far side of the engine and needing a specific tool. Now I can yell from any uncomfortable crevice, “Bring me the red handled pliers” or “I need a 10mm box end wrench” or “My favorite screwdriver, please!” And someone delivers. There are many tools to learn and the kiddos are not 100% knowledgeable yet and that’s why we have tool school!

Luz polishing stainless steel. She is a very diligent deckhand.

Luz with a collection of our record longest shavings!

Luz has been helping me with many boat chores during this time. She always asks if she can help when I’m fiddling about on evi and is very keen on polishing stainless steel, which she did. She also assisted in the tedious project I started of ‘shaving’ the teak deck caulking, which is a little proud. The teak naturally wears down, especially in the tropics and the caulk becomes exposed in small ridges, which isn’t too nice on the feet. I figured it’s over 1/2 kilometer of caulking on the deck, cabin top and cockpit and it’s all shaved with a sharp chisel on hands and knees. Thanks Luz for the help, you make that job enjoyable!

Quotes from the crew.

Luz. “I was sad mama was leaving. Then I got to meet new boat kids and help papa with his projects, which is fun.”

Jade. “I knew we would miss mama and I thought we would get behind in school. It was fun having papa as the main teacher every day and doing things a little different and still keeping up! Also, new boat kids to play with!”

Tomu. “Because of so many boat kids in the marina we often played very late into the night!”