More questions from the audience.

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How are you and Reid financially supporting you and your new baby? Is there a fund established for those that wish to make donations for the baby?

I read somewhere that life on a boat was “an exercise in minimalist living.” There is limited space on a boat and that means one can’t have a lot of stuff. There is simply nowhere to put it and when you’re on a three year voyage with no re-supply, you learn to conserve everything as much as possible. When I left the schooner, I took those techniques of conservation and minimalist living with me. I think many people would be surprised to learn just how little a person needs in order to survive, though there are tons of stuff that one may want. So with God’s grace and the kindness of family, the baby and I are doing great and have all that we need for now. There is no fund set up for donations to the baby, but if you wanted to, you could contact me to arrange something.   

Do you plan to write a book about your experiences at sea?

I would love to write a book about what it was like to be at sea for hundreds of days at a time. I started to earlier this year, but put it on hold when the baby was born. I think I would be able to pick it up and put a more concentrated effort into it if I had either a literary agent or publisher who was interested in making the book a reality. However, finding an agent or publisher would take a lot of research and time that I am not sure I have at the moment. Sometimes, I would write when I have a particularly vivid memory that comes to mind, but not at a rate that would create a book anytime soon.

After your experience, if you had the ability to go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice about living at sea, what would it be?

This is a tough question. I don’t have many regrets about how I handled being at sea. Perhaps I might tell myself to spend a little more time on deck than I did. Then again when I think back to the conditions that were present, I’m not sure I would have done it differently anyway. Being outside meant accepting that your skin and clothes would become saturated with damp salt, and salty clothes don’t dry very easily. Salty skin feels permanently sticky and there isn’t a huge amount of fresh water available for washing it off often. It was also often windy out and that sometimes felt more like an assault of the elements rather than a welcoming touch. Below decks, it was dry, quiet, and pleasant. Many people have wondered how one can limit themselves to 70 ft of space, but I was perfectly content to keep myself to about half that amount for almost a year. Of course, I did go out when I had to and on nice sunny days, but for the most part I preferred to be below. 

When your little boy grows a little more and starts asking you to tell him the stories about your adventures, what story do you think will be his favorite?

Every child is different and has different interests. I’m not sure if my son will want to know how Daddy fixed the bowsprit with a hacksaw and some chain or will he be more interested in how a whale came to play with us or how the albatross fought over the scraps of rainbow fish we threw overboard. I don’t know what he will be curious about, but it will be fun to tell him all about it.

Thank you everyone for all of your congratulations. I read all of them and it great to see how many people care and are still following our story. Itʼs been busy since our son arrived as any mother of a newborn can attest to, but he is a wonderful healthy baby and both Reid and I are aware of how blessed we truly are. I am in close contact with Reid and he always asks about the baby wanting to know all the details. Having a son is a new experience for him too. There are many reasons why Reid is still out at sea, too complex to describe in a short blog, but I fully support him seeing the 1000 Days through to its completion. While a part of me wishes I could still be out there with him and the mahi-mahi, another part is totally thrilled with having a little baby boy to take care of and watch grow with each passing day. We are both on a journey of a lifetime, physically separated but spiritually united and time doesnʼt mean very much in the large scheme of things. The now is where we both reside and our task is to live it exquisitely, baby, sail sewing and all!

Soanya