Breakfast

When Oma took a shower at the marina bathroom in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, put on her same smelly clothes and exclaimed, “I feel so clean,” I knew she had become a true cruiser. Oma recently spent 17 days with us, joining us on our journey out of El Salvador to Nicaragua with a stop in Honduras. Not only did she see three countries, swim in the crater of a volcano, sail the overnight watches, drive the dinghy, and play continuously with Maya and Kai, but she also got a dose of life on Kamaya.

She says breakfast was her favorite time and in some ways it might signify one of the biggest changes of boat life versus our land life. Back home in Hood River, mornings were rushed. Mornings were my least favorite time of the day. Tim usually left the house at 6:30 to teach and that would leave me to lure Maya out of bed and to school by 7:30. I usually let her sleep as long as possible and that was probably a mistake as then I would hand her an English muffin with peanut butter for her to eat in the ten-minute car ride to Mosier. She was usually late for school despite our many futile attempts to change. She even went to bed wearing clothes, but her night owl habits continued to make mornings challenging.

After leaving Maya at school, I would drive back home and get Kai up and to school by 9:00 o’clock. He had a more leisurely morning, including a fifteen minute scenic drive through the countryside to New Vision School. For me, mornings meant lots of driving, rushing, and going back and forth and little time for a good relaxed breakfast.

In contrast, boat life for Maya and Kai means that they usually wake up when they have finished sleeping. Kai opens his olive eyes around 8:00 in the morning. He routinely rolls out of his bunk, walks up the companionway, goes outside, pees overboard (something he and Tim relish about boat life) and then plunks himself back into the main salon and announces that he’s hungry. Sometimes he claims he’s starving. Maya usually stays in bed and reads her book before her stomach starts to grumble. Then she leaps out of bed and makes her way -- a whole ten feet -- to the breakfast table.

Breakfast is a slow affair. When we’re not at sea, we gather around the main salon, talk about whatever is on our minds, play a quick game of boggle, yachtzee or cards. I make crepes, oatmeal, sourdough pancakes or Tim prepares French toast or egg in the holes. Maya likes her eggs firm and Kai likes them runny.

“It’s always a Sunday breakfast!” Oma remarks.
Boat school starts around 9:00 and I don’t have to shuttle the kids.

It's Monday morning - music