Cruising with (more) kids

Life aboard Pesto is already quite intense having two young kids aboard.

But for 20 days or so, we experienced a whole new level of intensity with the arrival of this lovely little one:

 

At the age of 4, Luisa is less than half the age of her cousins Paulo and Raquel. (In fact, having her around made us remember of times gone buy, realize how much our kids have grown up already, and cherish the fact we are spending such quality time with them while they still are … well … kids. But I digress):

 

But she packs enough energy to keep up with them:

 

Well, at least while she was awake – which was often between Dawn and Dusk:

 

The fact is that arithmetic does not work when it comes to kids’ headcount, and as every parent knows, 1+1+1 can add up to much more than three !

For the 20-or-so days she was here, they spent almost all the time together:

 

Sometimes watching something quietly on an electronic inside Pesto’s cabin:

 

Others playing catch frantically on deck, making the boat vibrate and bang like a drum:

 

 

Of course, being together 24/7, at such high revs within the confines of a boat’s cabin and deck would eventually lead to overheating.

And overheat they did:

 

Not just Raquel, pictured here, but all three of them (in fact, each one of us had one of “those moments”).

But when this happened, they would take a little time off to cool down. Each on their own. Paulo would go out paddling:

 

Raquel with her books:

 

And Luisa, well, she would wash Pesto’s topsides (that was quite handy indeed!):

 

And soon they would be out and about again, on a roll:

 

And together, they did a lot on those memorable three weeks. They spent time with their mothers on Pesto’s deck:

 

Went on dinghy rides to observe the beauty of places visited … Alamitos Bay, Avalon and Cat Harbor:

 

Played with Roberta on the board:

 

Made activities with Adriana in Pesto’s cabin:

 

They flew the kite:

 

Splashed their feet on mud:

 

Played with the swing:

 

Observed bison in natura:

 

And carried Luisa around:

 

But as all things good, their time here eventually was up, and they signed Pesto’s guest book before bidding us bye-bye at the airport on a cold rainy day here in San Diego:

 

With Adriana and Paulo also gone some days, Raquel and I stayed behind and all of a sudden Pesto felt large … almost too large.

And as we gradually resume our regular activities onboard, and prepare for the next step of this trip, we look back and rejoice on the sweet memories that were left of this so special visit.

Thank You Roberta and Luisa for joining us on Pesto and being part of our Journey !