Day 175 A Moving Story

 

We woke up to the wind howling, and after a third look at the weather forecast, we decided to stay put in a safe place tied securely to a dock instead of making miles north. This is an example of the older you get the wiser you get.  In my younger years I would have made the decision to go north, but now that I’m over 50, I play it safe.  While taking Alli for a walk, we assisted a catamaran coming into the dock that is a family of 17 people. The mother had recently flown back to Canada with the two youngest, but we met all 8 of the kids onboard aged 6 to 18.  Yes, that means the father was on board with eight kids. They were the nicest family that we have met in a long time. The kids are so polite and respectful and they actually listen to instructions from the dad which only had to be spoken once. For example, as they were approaching the dock, seven of the eight kids were busy lowering bumpers to protect the boat from the dock. However, one kid did not want to participate, so dad, the captain, quietly, but authoritatively told this child to go clean the toilet. There was no discussion and there was no whining. Another example is when the six-year-old girl skinned her knee on the dock. The Dad calmly told the eight year-old girl to bring her younger sister to the master cabin and find the hydrogen peroxide and band-aids. Again, there was no whining and discussion or questions, the girls went and did their task. We were flabbergasted. But the best thing about this family is that the kids genuinely cared about each other. They spoke to Jessica and I with respect, looked us in the eye, and carried on a conversation with us. While we were talking to the family, another boat attempted to approach the dock and miscalculated the wind and current and sideswiped their boat. Major damage was incurred, and now the family is stranded here until a repair plan can be put into place. They are from Canada and had sailed all the way to St. Martin this season. They are on their way home and are homeschooled by the mother. So, the windy cold front that is blowing through indeed convinced me to stay at a safe spot, but you never know when others might make a mistake…. feel so sorry for this family, but they will endure. The father was not mad, but excepted the fact that this is part of boating and is looking to meet with the insurance adjuster in the days to come. Oh yeah, it is a chilly 68° on board today so we are bundled up.