I always dreamed I would
When we are young, we dream many big dreams, not ever expecting them to all come true. I didn’t grow up on boats but always dreamed of sailing, with a partner, with my children. We took small steps, first learning as a couple with friends, then sailing alone, then adding the kids into the mix. We don’t live on a boat, but we get more and more adventurous in our boat journeys every year. It seems cliche to say our dreams came true; we took small steps that eventually made our dream a reality. Everybody has different dreams. The path to attaining them always starts with one small step in that direction. Take that step!!
The Crew (in their own words)
First Mate/Mom
I grew up in the midwest. I signed up for my first overnight sailboat learning trip when I was pregnant with my oldest child. The timing was everything; I didnt know what it was like to leave my little one for 8 days then. She stayed with her grandparents and it went just fine, which gave me the courage to go on more sailing trips to learn enough that we could take the kids. Over the years we have sailed alone, with friends, and with family (a girls trip with my mom and her sisters). I was deemed “Bow Dancer” by friends on our first trip. My goal is to captain a boat.
Captain/Dad
Johan grew up in Stockholm, Sweden, where he spent summers on a power boat with his parents in the many lakes of Sweden as well as the archipelagos (there are 30,000 of them!). He once had a goal to swim with the top 10 most dangerous sharks in the world and he actually did swim with 3 of them. He only started sailing as an adult, but has many of the baseline boat skills needed on a boat. He was deemed “Safety Pup” by our friends on our first trip and keeps that name today. Outside of sailing, he enjoys making videos of our trips, tennis and golf.
Second Mate
Annika was 9 years old on her first sailing trip and she really enjoys helping with the boat. She loves the water, the sound of the waves and the wind blowing through her hair (even though it tangles her beautiful hair). She is crazy about skiing - including snow skiing and jet skiing. Outside of that, she loves being crazy with her friends and taking care of animals. She wants to be a marine biologist or an interior designer when she is older. She rarely loves her brothers.
Deck Hand
Alex went on his first sailboat trip when he was 7 years old and he loves to swim and do crazy stuff. He always loves to try new things. When he is somewhere with coconuts he always wants some because we don’t have palm trees in Ohio. He enjoys sushi and is always up to an adventure and loves to fish. He always forces us to go deep sea fishing. Outside of sailing he likes to play soccer and play with his friends and loves FC Cincinnati.
Entertainment
Rory went on his first overnight sailboat trip when he was 2 years old. His favorite thing about sailing is swimming with sharks, not having to listen to his brother and sister when they tell him to jump off the side of the boat, and getting to decide where we go in the water each day. He wants you to know that he loves soccer, but not Messi because he plays against his favorite team, FC Cincinnati.
