“It’s all about the boat” dance party on S/V Shawnigan. There is never a dull moment on S/V Shawnigan with these kids aboard. Well, maybe it’s us parents too.

The boat was quiet and peaceful, and it seemed like we all needed to get some energy out, so Christian and I decided it was time to put on some music and see how the kids responded.  Ever wonder how we pass the time on the boat in the middle on nowhere? This video pretty much sums it up.

“Wait”, you say, “I thought they left already!” And “Quitting from a $$$ digit income”, you might be thinking, “are they insane?!”

We say, “No, just fortunate to be able to have budgeted to take time off work and share the world with our kids!” We have chosen a lifestyle which enables us to live on less income, which is allowing us to sail away for a while. It’s not for everyone, but it works for us.

I was approved vacation time for August, so we decided to make the vacation time part of our departure. It enabled us to leave earlier in the season (August 20), take our time sailing to Morro Bay, and get paid vacation while doing so. We took almost 3 weeks to get to Morro Bay, and spend time there for a whole week before I had to return to work.

I think I like this going slow thing. This is our first time going down the coast of California and not having to sail back up.  It’s really a great feeling. I,  however, had 9 shifts (have 8 now) to work before officially being done with work.  My parents, who I’m so grateful for, drove over from Bishop, Ca to drive me back up to San Francisco. While Christian stays with the kids and boat in Morro Bay, I am cramming all 9 twelve hour shifts in a 16 day timeframe.

Most people would think that 9 shifts would not be worth coming back for. For us it is. Three weeks worth of work is almost a half of year in cruising money! No exaggeration. And it will provide us with health insurance until we get to Mexico. Totally worth it!

Plus, I love my work at UCSF. I get to spend a few more weeks loving on sweet little babies in the ICN (NICU) and hanging with my work mates before possibly not seeing many of them again.

Christian’s Dad will be driving me back down to reunite with the family afloat in Morro Bay on the 30th. He will then join us for the next leg of our sail. We plan to leave Morro Bay October 1st to make our way to the Channel Islands off of Santa Barbara. We’ll probably stay out at San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz for about a week before we head in to Santa Barbara. We’re looking forward to some warmer water free diving!

Here are some pictures from the last week around Morro Bay:

Morro Bay : Sept 7 – Oct 1

Grandma and Grandpa Kiddoo visit

Bbq’n at Tidelands park with Dave, Angie, DJ, Rebecca, and Ellamae’s Papa Jason. Check out Jason’s sailing project!

Taj hamming it up with his TTO glasses.

boatschooling in the mornings on the hook.

Morro Bay’s skateboard museum.