Traveling around Gunar's schedule has created an interesting oppertunity. Instead of moving every few days as we had in the past when we were cruising through the Bahamas, I have a set period of time that I have to hunker down with the kids. It gives us a chance to immerse ourselves in the place where our dock lines land and get to know the pulse of the town. Each is so unique.
We have never planned where we stop to date on this journey with REFUGE. We simply watch the calendar and make the best option in marinas when the time comes to do so. I like to scour the area when we know it's marina time and read through Active Captain* reviews to come up with what I think is our best fit. (*There is a network for boaters that amongst other things has an extensive review and reccomendation component that details others experiences online). Not every marina will work for a sailboat with three youngish boisterous kids and a chihuahua. I do my best to try to score something with a pool. The more sailboats there, the better: sailors like us more. More on that at a later date.
Once Gunar has to take off, I take distracting the kids very seriously. It's not ideal that Daddy works apart from us, but it does make this lifestyle
possible for us.
I figure if I keep everyone busy, the time will pass faster until our family is once again intact. I set about googling the town for an events calendar/things for kids to do and come up with a game plan. From presentations to classes to vbs to crafts, etc, I sign up my people to be a part of what is happening. The local library becomes a frequent stop. It doesn't take long before we become part of the community and people start to know us. Then Gunar rejoins us, we move on to new waters, and the entire process begins again in a new spot.
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