An Introduction From a Boat Kid by Hannah

Hi guys, I have decided to give blogging a try. My name is Hannah, I am 14 and the middle kid on my boat. I have been sailing for about 3 years and living on my boat for the last 1.5yrs. My first thoughts on living on a boat and cruising around the world were that it was "interesting" to say the least. I didn't think that it was totally crazy but I also didn't feel that it was totally sane either.  My questions about living on a boat went something like this "How do they get food?" "How do they go to the bathroom?", "What do they do to entertain themselves?" and more stuff like that. Its funny to think about that now because the answers just seem so obvious. When we left with the Baja HaHa it really hit me that living on a boat was my new life. Definitely while we were on the Baja HaHa it didn't give me that "I really want to do this" feeling. I think it was because of the weather we encountered and because of the places we stopped at. But once the Baja HaHa finished and we went on our own at our own pace things started getting much better. Especially when we got to La Cruz where there were lots of kids. At first I didn't want to socialize with any of the kids because I was very shy but after I met Nina from sv Shawnigan I regretted not talking to them sooner. I think that the boat kids I became friends with made my boat experience 100 times better.

In La Cruz, one of the things I did with my friends that I enjoyed was releasing baby turtles, that was probably one of the highlights on our trip, we got to hold and name them and then wish them luck for their upcoming journey. They were so precious I still can't get over them! What I also liked in La Cruz was just how many activities there were to do, especially for the kids. For example we ran a restaurant (which was a lot of fun), had a talent show and a sleepover on the beach that I would hands down do again. La Cruz also has a market that happens every Sunday which we went to each week. It has a wide variety of items from food and really yummy drinks to jewelry and clothes. Its a good way to spend your Sunday. I also enjoyed going to the nearby beaches for surfing and swimming.

Currently life is kinda lonely since Empyrean is in a yard in Puerto Peñasco for hurricane season. She has been under some construction for the last couple of months and now is almost ready to go in the water. We have changed the cabinetry in the galley and added a bookshelf
and she has gotten a makeover in the galley, dinette and in the forward head. She looks so good I'm really impressed on how she turned out. Next we we will get a fresh coat of bottom paint and then it will be time to splash her.  Once we put her in the water we will travel through the Sea of Cortez, heading to La Paz for Christmas. In the Spring we are planning to Puddle Jump to French Polynesia. I really am looking forward to meeting up with more boat kids soon.