The joy of helping dreams become real

Feast your eyes on this:

And this:

And this:

This one too:

I’ll be honest with you—never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the words that Behan, Michael, and I wrote would come together to look as beautiful as those pages. When I first saw the proofs that came over email from our publisher Lin, tears literally came to my eyes when I saw the gorgeous book our words have evolved into.

But while we started out as a team of just the three of us, the number of people that have become involved has grown to a team of literally hundreds of people: our families of course, our publisher Lin, our editor Tim Murphy, our designer Steven Horsley, our proofreader Michelle Elvy. But it also could not have happened without the contributions of words, photos, and ideas from over 65 (!) voyaging families and former cruising kids. I may be biased, but I think taking your kids sailing is one of the best ways to parent and a lot of other people think so too. But it’s not the easiest, that’s for sure. Which is the reason our book exists.

The thing I love most about cruising is how the people who live this life are always so eager to share information with the ones following in their wakes. Whether it’s specific anchorage information, weather advice, or just general encouragement, helping others with their cruising dreams is half the fun of this life. I know we are incredibly grateful for the advice our own cruising mentors gave us when we were just starting out (and will be looking for more when we head out again!). A lot has changed in the world of voyaging—boats, social media, satellite phones, iPad navigation—but not this. Helping new voyagers set off on their own brand new adventures is just as exciting as heading out on our own.

So to have been involved in a project of this magnitude is simply thrilling. The book is on the presses as I type this and we’re putting the finishing touches on the interactive eBook. Six more weeks before our baby is in my hands—and hopefully yours. I can’t wait to hear about the family voyaging dreams—and lives of living intentionally, together—that become real because of it.

For more on the book, visit www.voyagingwithkids.com

For earliest printed book delivery, order directly from paracay.com

Print and ebook preorders now available on Amazon.com