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Taia (English): April 2014
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The Extraordinary Adventures of Shambala and Taia in the Jumentos Cays and the Ragged Islands. 8220;What kind of fish is this? 8220;It's a parrotfish.”. 8220;Is it edible? 8220;No.”. 8220;Fuck.”. I utter that last line of dialogue under my breath, for I'm talking with a six-year-old. This is an endearing boat-kid who obviously has much to teach me about fish and fishing. He's probably sailed more miles than me, to boot. He's 6. I'm 41. Young crews of Shambala and Taia. Sharks. Bull sharks. The ki...Extra...
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Taia (English): November 2014
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A random act of kindness. According to Wikipedia, today is World Kindness Day. I think it's such a beautiful concept that I decided to talk about this in school. We talked about being kind and what that means. We also watched this video, that I find very sweet, about random. Paul and Shari: Thanks for helping out with the boat projects and working alongside us. Thanks for spoiling the kids endlessly. Thanks for driving us for Matias's doctor appointment and for bringing mommy juice. Myron and Dena: Thank...
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Taia (English): June 2014
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Hot and Rainy days in the Abacos. Ernesto: Yes, but it's not going to last, it's only once cloud. I keep going through this sophisticated dialogue as the water keeps pouring more than 3 hours later. But I don't say anything, because you never question the captain. Ever. Except maybe to make fun of him. Which I did. The beauty of the squalls is that they don't last long. They go as fast as they come. Afterwards, the sun shines again and life keeps going as if nothing happened. We stayed three nights. ...
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Taia (English): February 2015
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Haters be Hating the Trades, Sailors be Loving Them! Exhilarating," Paul said. He had a good point, I could hardly deny that. It was around midnight and we were somewhere between the Turks and Caicos and Hispaniola, rapidly approaching Luperón, our destination in the Dominican Republic. We were screaming. 59 knots that passage. Exhilarating indeed. The harbour in Luperón. Great protection, but beware those moorings! The north shore of the Dominican Republic. Good morning Puerto Rico! While Paul stayed ab...
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Taia (English): July 2015
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At last, in Grenada! Ernie, just waking up from for his watch at midnight: “What did you do? Nati, with her I-din't-do-anything face: “Umm, nothing.”. Ernie: “Why is our speed less than 3 knots? Nati: “I'm not sure”. Ernie: “You should've let out more sail”. Nati: “OK.”. Ernie: “Oh, we have the current against us now.”. Nati, huge smile on her face: “See, it wasn't my fault.”. Our time in Bequia, the first of the Grenadine islands, was relaxing. It's a small island with a beautiful beach, where the k...
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Taia (English): August 2014
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The Boat Bum Socialites We Have Become. The month of July was a fun sequence of social events intermingled with homeschooling and boat projects. We spent it at Ortega Landing Marina, where we were able to meet with old friends. People whom we met in December/2013, and who have made us feel right at home since the first time we met them) and new friends. There were plenty of activities for kids and grownups, all of them fun and picture worthy. The two graduates with Mrs. Beautiful and Mr. Muscleman. It wa...
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Taia (English): At last, in Grenada!
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At last, in Grenada! Ernie, just waking up from for his watch at midnight: “What did you do? Nati, with her I-din't-do-anything face: “Umm, nothing.”. Ernie: “Why is our speed less than 3 knots? Nati: “I'm not sure”. Ernie: “You should've let out more sail”. Nati: “OK.”. Ernie: “Oh, we have the current against us now.”. Nati, huge smile on her face: “See, it wasn't my fault.”. Our time in Bequia, the first of the Grenadine islands, was relaxing. It's a small island with a beautiful beach, where the k...
svtaia.blogspot.com
Taia (English): May 2015
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Ever since we got to the Caribbean, I wanted to visit a volcano. Our first chance, after having skipped Statia and not having enough time in St. Kitts, was Nevis. I have to say I'm very proud of the kids. Even though they were tired and it wasn't always easy, they didn't complain and just kept going. Repelling to see a cascade. On our way to Plysmouth. At the far end of the picture, you can start seeing the ash-covered beach. Looking at the ash. Starting the hike to the volcano. We made it to the top!
svtaia.blogspot.com
Taia (English): April 2015
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Look, mom, there's mangoes! Oh, and kiwis. Mom, there's strawberries! How much are they? It's $5 per pack. Can we buy them? There's something to be said when adults and kids get over excited at the size of a supermarket and the stuff you can buy at relatively good prices. After spending so much time in the Bahamas, where food availability is often an issue and finding good prices is even more rare, finding a good grocery store is a real treasure, for both adults and kids,. When we got to St. Martin, ...
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Taia (English): March 2015
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I live on a boat! We swim there for about an hour and after that we go to the closest beach, rest, have a snack and maybe swim a bit. At 5:00 pm we go back to the boat and eat dinner, go to bed and the next day we do about the same thing. Links to this post. Now that I no longer consider myself a n00b cruiser, I can speak from experience about a few of the things that have worked well aboard Taia. Note that I say from experience. Which does not necessarily mean I'll speak intelligently. Last year we went...
