Friday, November 17, 2006

We sailed for two days. This is the first overnight transit with just Mandy, Vianne and I. Mandy and I worked out a decent watch schedule allowing each of us to get some sleep and still take care of Vianne. Having a baby on board brings a whole new element to a cruising lifestyle. Having such a perfect kid makes it all the better. (Not that I'm biased) Mandy and I worked out a watch schedule that allowed us each to get a decent amount of sleep, sort of, and it followed Vianne's eating and sleeping schedule. I take the late night watches, Letting Mandy sleep till Vianne wakes up for her midnight feeding. After she eats and goes back to bed, Mandy relieves me at the helm and I get about four hours sleep to relieve her for a couple hours sleep before Vianne needs to eat again. Vianne will stay up in the morning for an hour or so and then take her morning nap. Depending on who needs the sleep more, Mandy or I will take the nap with Vianne. During the day we trade off duties of kid, food, playtime and sailing. It's going to take more practice, but I think we are starting to get a hang of this cruising with a kid thing. It is very difficult trying to balance out all the needs for Vianne, the boat and mom and dad. The first day at sea is a little rough, trying to get everyone used to new schedules. However, we all adjust quickly and by the second day, we seem to be able to get a decent sleep pattern. Vianne seems to like hanging out in the cockpit with mom and dad, and seeing the birds and water. Her favorite toy while under way is any rope she can get her hands on.

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