"Wow - you are going sailing for 10 days with two children under the age of 3 - do you have a captain and a crew?"
"No, its just the four of us and my sister..."
"Well - I am sure that you guys get plenty of practice sailing together in Seattle?"
"No - this is the kids' first time on a sailboat."
"Huh.  Your wife must be an accomplished sailor."
"She's been out a couple of times."
"And your sister must be experienced as well."
"I think its been a good 15 years since she was in a sailboat..."
"Oh my..."  (actual conversation between Stuart and guest at Fort Recovery)

Stuart briefs the boys on their responsibilities aboard the sailboat (above).  Before we headed out on the open ocean, the team went to dinner to celebrate our upcoming adventure.  There, Lyell met Thuma, a Norwegian girl exactly his age who is spending a year aboard her parents boat "Elna", sailing from Puerto Rico back to Norway.  Sort of put our trip into perspective.  :-)

Originally, we were scheduled to take a 36' boat named Buck Passer.  But she was in for repairs, so the charter company upgraded us to the vessel you see below.  She is a Jenneau Sunsail 44.5 named Vosgienne.  We hopped aboard and here you see her moored at our first stop - the Bight!