Sailing Aussie Style
by Twinas' Emma
(Find her under the "Welcome" tab)
We are extremely excited to announce that we have a new addition to our family! A 32-foot Lexcen sailboat. We really wanted a lifestyle change, one that would add to our family, bringing endless memories and joy, which we have found aboard our new sailboat. I am so excited to share our up-and-coming adventures, as well as photos of our first amazing trip together. Wish us luck sailing in the Gulf of St. Vincent, South Australia!
First up we needed to get our boating licenses, so we started studying every night. Study involved Yev reading out loud, as I slept, so I knew I would need to step it up before the exam. We knuckled down and both passed it, the first time! Thrilled that this step, towards our new family adventure, was complete, we laminated our licenses, and may even frame them.
Next we set out to find the perfect family boat. While looking to purchase this new addition, we became obsessed with the research, and continuous dreams-of-sailboats filled every waking moment. The first boat we saw, we loved, but went on to see many more, wanting to make sure we had done our research.
After a few short weeks we went back to purchase the first boat we originally looked at, as we had connected with the couple who owned it. It was called the "Skinny Dipper", however we are changing it to the "Believe and Achieve" (our new business name). So all of you out there thinking we'd have an 18-day Christening ceremony with Poseidon and 100 wild friends, dancing naked around the boat, can rest easy.
Our new sailboat has became our 4th child, and you can probably image the excitement of taking her out for the first time. We were so elated! I was in awe, first because this was now ours, and second because I felt I was meant to do this for the rest of my life. I just loved it, and have never felt more relaxed. 
We now have dreams of sailing around the world, and are excited about simplifying our lives. Of course we will need a bigger boat to do that, but for now this is the best practice boat ever. We feel such a pull towards the water now. So much so, that we sleep on the boat when we don't have the children, just to hear the pinging of masts, and water lapping beneath us. It is truly magical.
So after a few practice trips, we decided to venture out further, and cross the gulf about 30 miles (6 hours by sail boat). It turned out to be a dream-come-true. We set sail on a beautiful day, and with 3-8 knots of wind, it was a perfect day for our first adventure.
We had time to play at shaping the sails, and I was fascinated while learning how to get an extra .5 knots of wind sheer from them. After 3 hours we were welcomed by a pod of dolphins, and I became quite emotional as these majestic animals swam beside our boat for nearly 2 hours of the trip.
One dolphin stayed with us the entire time, while others joined in, swam off, and then came back to us again. It was an experience I'll never forget. I felt as though these kindred spirits were welcoming us to their ocean, and it was a surreal dream-start to our early life of sailing.
It took us 9 hours to get to Pt. Vincent, on our first sail, and we felt so accomplished. We will do this same trip a few more times to build up our skills and confidence in all sorts of weather. But for now our new sailing life has started out extraordinarily!
Won't you join us on a sail, over to the Fiji Islands, for our upcoming Believe-and-Achieve Retreat, in August, 2017? We would love to meet you there! #BelieveAndAchieve
One dolphin stayed with us the entire time, while others joined in, swam off, and then came back to us again. It was an experience I'll never forget. I felt as though these kindred spirits were welcoming us to their ocean, and it was a surreal dream-start to our early life of sailing.
It took us 9 hours to get to Pt. Vincent, on our first sail, and we felt so accomplished. We will do this same trip a few more times to build up our skills and confidence in all sorts of weather. But for now our new sailing life has started out extraordinarily!
Won't you join us on a sail, over to the Fiji Islands, for our upcoming Believe-and-Achieve Retreat, in August, 2017? We would love to meet you there! #BelieveAndAchieve
