From Horses to Catamarans

We have a small problem. My wife of two decades has fallennfor horses as hard as I fell for boats back when I was a kid.

Now we have to figure out how to move a horse farm with 8nof our horses, 15 boarded horses, 65 lesson students andna 12 stall barn onto a boat.

You see, the two boys, Ian 15, and Ryan who just turnedn 9 want to go sailing on a catamaran. Ian was born in
Tortola British Virgin Island and spent his first five nyears aboard our thirty-six foot aluminum sloop NAIAD.

He has dim memories of jumping off the ste
with a waistninflatable ring tied to a long rope. I have vivid memories ofnwatching the tidal currents snatch him at three or four knotsnuntil the rope came up tight and I would haul him back innto do it all over again. And again. And again...
If that rope ever broke...

Ryan knows nothing about boats, but has the urge fromnlistening to us tell stories as we flip through the gazillionnphotos we took back then. Remember when you actuallynkept the pictures somewhere other than your hard drive?

As the boys have always been homeschooled we decidednnow was the time to go back to sea. Ian might not be withnus that much longer as the fumes will soon get him.
Per-fume and car fumes that is.

Mom agrees but what do we do with the horse farm? Wencan't leave the horse business in someone else'snhands. I can see it now. I get an emergency messagenby bottle in the Sea of Cortez that my farm manager hasnabandoned the horses and we have to save them. Not.

Still, Mom is upset already. She understands we neednto find a catamaran and go, but it certainly doesn't makenit any easier. With much research - (sheesh I wish we nhad internet the first time I did this!) - we have agreed na catamaran about 40 feet is the way to go.

Boys on one side, us on the other, dogs and cats wherever.
I am drooling over the possibilities with a forty-two inchndraft.Think of all the places in the Bahamas we could never gonwith our previous six foot fin keel. We used to call it STK-nthat stands for Shine The Keel. And it was shiny I promisenyou!

So lookout! We are coming back! It has been ten yearsnsince we sold NAIAD and moved back ashore. Collectingnthe junk we have was easy. Getting rid of it all will not be.

I am eager to teach my boys as much as I can about thencruising life. I cannot think of a better way to completentheir education into men.

And have a ton of fun doing it!