Wanderer: Boat Kids

Before leaving for this trip, we all wondered how we would do without our friends. Dave and I have each other and the kids have each other, but unlike our pioneering ancestors, we are used to more contact.

We shouldn’t have worried. It has been a true joy to meet other cruising families – to find “boat kids”.

We’ve been blessed by three families in particular for the time we have had with them: S/V Stochastic, S/V Apropos and M/V Adagio. The funny thing is that we often don’t know each other’s last names. We’re just Mr. & Mrs. “Flying Squirrel” for example.

We first met S/V Stochastic during the Baja Haha and because their daughter is between our kids’ ages, the three get along well. They spent time together in Cabo San Lucas, La Paz and now Paradise Village. The girls even had a sleepover – quite the luxury!

S/V Apropos, while preparing for the “Puddle Jump” – a Pacific crossing, spent time at Paradise Village with their 8 year old. We’d met them on the Baja Haha as well, but really got to spend time together recently. The three kids discovered a mutual love of MineCraft (an app on their iPads) and play that together. They also played more traditional games like Apples to Apples for Kids.

We met M/V Adagio during our first Paradise Village stay. Their son and daughter are about the same age as ours and get along extremely well. We played a game of tag so to speak with them as we motored or sailed to anchorages between Nuevo Vallarta and Barra de la Navidad. In Bahia de Chamela, the two families spent a day at one of the small islands – eventually building a sand arena for about 100 hermit crabs that the kids collected. At the next anchorage, Tenacatita, they all knee-boarded (which also included standing) and both families took their tenders out to explore a path cut through the mangroves. That was quite the treat. We saw colorful crabs clinging to the mangrove roots, many herons and zero crocodiles. As you can see below, the “trail” was just wide enough for a tender. In several places, we had to maneuver more by pushing at branches and roots than using the motor.

We look forward to meeting other cruising families as we start heading back.

Yes! We enjoy boogie boarding together.... Thanks M/V Adagio for the picture!

our son and his new friend plying the waves

Our daughter finishing a wave

Our daughter and her Adagio friend at the Paradise Village pool

Kids from three boats the morning of a sleep over (thanks M/V Adagio - the only boat big enough to sleep that many kids!)

The MV Adagio parents with the boys

Look at those smiles! They were breaking off the mangrove roots that snaked down into the narrow channel we motored through.

This is the fabled mangrove marsh of Bahia Tenacatita. We passed a couple other boats as we toured the long path. We motored from our anchored boats in the bay, through a somewhat treacherous mouth where the brackish water meets the bay and into the calm waters of the mangrove stream. It was full of birds and crabs.

These bright colored critters were everywhere. I tried, but did not succeed at capturing a picture of one using its claws to appear larger.

Thank you to MV Adagio for capturing us as we motored with the boys. When we reached the pond at the end of the stream, the girls switched to our boat and vice versa. They were disappointed in how slow we were with our little 6 hp motor.

MV Adagio tender ahead of us with the girls.

All the kids making a hermit crab arena on Isla Colorado in Bahia de Chamela.

Our daughter trying knee-boarding for the first time

And then she switched boards and learned stand.

Our son for his first time knee-boarding

Or son showing his wake-crossing style

The dads taking a break from pulling the kids around. Steve controlled the boat and Dave watched for falls. If someone spilled, he would raise the orange flag.