The Trip So Far - by the Adelaide & Annika

 
The very morning we were going to leave for Alaska, we found out that a rope was tangled in the propeller! When Dad got his wet suit on and was in the water he also found that we were sitting on the bottom of the marina! So, between both of those we had a late start.

When we got onto the bar we went down the river a bit so we could put up the sails. When we were in ocean we were in full sail, the sea was about three to four feet. We all went out and played on the fore deck eating crackers and cheese. Dad let Adelaide go up the mast to the first spreader so that she could untangle the flags. Then it started to rain so we all went inside. The second day was more rough and Mama and Daddy decided that we should go in to Neah Bay for more fuel. Today we are heading back out. We will write more at next stop... 

Surprise from the Office - by Annika

Yesterday mom and dad said the office wanted to see us. We thought that it was  normal because we usually visit them. We were surprised when they pulled the presents from the bag (mom and dad knew about it the surprise). They were sweatshirts printed with Port of Ilwaco. Mine was pink and the other ones were  everyone's favorite color. We tried them on to see if they fit, then we took a picture. Michael was taking a nap back at the boat, so he wasn't there.

Swimming-by Adelaide

The first time we went to the dunes bible camp swimming pool, Anna was at  grandpa and grandma's for the week. Dad and mom went with us and we all were very excited . We took the 10:15 am bus, we got there at 11:15 am. The diving board was broken the first few weeks, so while it was getting repaired Caleb and I dived off the wall. We got rings we threw in, diving nine feet to the bottom. It was really fun! Once the diving board was back in we jumped off it all the time. The 10:15 am bus started getting tiring for Mom because Monday we all had to wait out side until it opened. So we changed it to 11:45 am. We did not have so much time in the pool (35 minutes instead of an hour) but we were able to go there more times a week.

Once Anna was back she was very excited about going. When we got there she was in the pool in no time at all. The boy's are still getting used to the water, Micheal likes it I think, Gabe I am not so sure about. I think my favorite thing to do is dive and get rings from the bottom. Today we are not going because we have a lot of work to do. Tomorrow I hope we go!

(written quite awhile ago but wanted to post anyway)

Up the Mast - by Adelaide

Thursday evening we put up all three sails. The foresail Caleb and I can put up by ourselves. Caleb ran some spray up the mizzen mast so that it would go up more easily, because it always gets stuck half way up. The main mast, which we have not put up before, the rope got stuck on some rungs, so I went up and untangled it. While I was up there mom took a picture of me.

In the Water - by Adelaide

The big day had arrived! We had breakfast in the boat and then we sat on the deck to waited for the workers with their truck to come. After it did we were in a rush to get down from the boat so they could put in the water. Annika and Katie were still asleep when the workers got there so I went and got them. We climbed down as fast we could. Eager to have them start, we watched them from the side of the loading dock. Mom took some pictures of them putting it in before we went over to where it was to dock. The harbor tug pushed us over to the dock, the tug is a motor boat that pushes boats around the marina. We where in a hurry to get on the boat.

Painting - by Adelaide

The day we started was sunny. The first thing we did was clear everything away from the boat. Then we all, except mom and the two little boys, started doing primer. Dad would grind places then we filled them in with paint behind him. After it dried we put black paint over it. Dad did the high parts while mom did the low parts and I followed with a paint brush to get the places they missed and places they could not get. Afterward while the others watched a movie. I had a Dr. Pepper after it was all done.

Hauling - by Adelaide

The next day mom looked around at storage and where to put things. After she decide where they would go, she asked us to bring them up. First she wanted to clean the storage places before she put them away. Almost every day, mom said that we had to haul ten things up before we could go paddle boating or kayaking. Although sometimes we would try to do five things then go, hoping she would never find out. We would just tell her we wanted to haul more when we got back. It never worked, something always happened and she found out what we where trying to do.