Today’s Chemistry lesson: Making charcoal!
Written January 6, 2016
Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou
I’ve been asked by a few people back home in Canada what a typical day on the boat is like. So here it is — in glorious technicolour. I should warn you though, it is quite routine and there are not nearly enough rum and sodas involved. If anyone thinks we are on holiday, I can assure you we are not. We are simply homeschooling (my job) and fixing the boat (Moss’ job) in exotic locations.
~7:30 a.m. Wake up, make coffee. Wake up others.
8 a.m. Breakfast, kids wash up.
9/ 9:30 a.m. School day starts. Typically 1 hour of French for both kids. Then we break up and each does their own work. Blake does he distance learning program, and I teach Niamh’s grade 8 Waldorf curriculum.
11:30 a.m. Start prepping lunch while Niamh does independent work.
~12 p.m. Lunch, kids wash up.
1:30 p.m. Kids finish up school work and “homework”, aka “Unsupervised Psychological Drudgery” according to Niamh.
2:30 onwards FREETIME.
Kids find other boat kids and hang out, swim, find free wifi and surf web, play D&D, sneak coffees way too late in the day.
Moss works on boat throughout the day. He also naps.
Anne writes blog, plans lessons, plans meals, swims and plays shabado (which you may know as Soduko), attempts accordion.
~ 5 p.m. Sundowner and start prep on supper.
6/7 p.m. Supper, kids wash up.
Evening Read, play cards, watch a movie or TV show reruns on the salon laptop, Pass out from exhaustion.
Not every day is filled with this much excitement. Some days are different. There are days we do fun things like scuba diving or sight seeing or hiking to waterfalls. There are days we do provisioning, which is basically a mega-shop at a bulk-type store where we stock up for the next few months. And finally there are passage days — when we sail. On all these days there is no school or boat work. We eat breakfast, wash up and go!
We like these days.