s/v Sila: We've Come a Long Way, Baby!

June 20 marked the end of our second year living and traveling on Sila. To commemorate this milestone, we thought it would be fun to post some pictures to highlight just how far we have come.

This was our first meal on Sila, just hours after arriving in Tréguier on June 20, 2013

Just a week later, we took Sila to an anchorage off Isle d'Er and dried her out for the first time

July 17 was our last day in Tréguier. During the first month, we enjoyed small trip and returned numerous times to Tréguier to work out the various kinks of a brand new boat.

Before adding a table to the cockpit, we had many wall-sit competitions while underway.

Isle de Batz- an island in France where we were able to dry out, right on the edge of town.

July 26 on Isle d'Oushant where we had an incredible day on rented bikes riding around the entire island, followed by a close encounter with a dolphin who came right up to the transom.

The first "gopher-holing" as the boys discovered they could sit in the forward cabin without harnesses on and still enjoy the view

August 6, our last day in France, tied up to the wharf in Isle d'Yeu. This is memorable for us because it was the first time we had so many boats rafted up to us and also because we learned some valuable lessons about how Sila maneuvers under power in tight spaces (you need the centerboard down and the dagger boards up!).

August 12, 2013: a fantastic visit to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

The end of August at what was believed to be the end of the world: Cape Finisterre, Spain

This was a fabulous hike we did in the Rias of Spain, specifically up Pico La Curota

The Cathedral at Santiago de Compostela

This photo was taken on Porter's birthday, September 19, during a very enjoyable hike all around Isla de Cies in Spain

Dinner on the sidewalk at Restaurant Stop in Lisbon, Portugal. This out-of-the way restaurant, recommended to us by Uncle Bub, will forever be remembered as an outstanding meal.

Snoozing while sailing off the coast of Portugal, to avoid seasickness.

Dolphins were a common sight off the coasts of France, Spain and Portugal- and one that we never get tired of seeing

In mid-October 2013, we found another American boat- Abracadabra- from Colorado no less! The boys especially enjoyed several days of playing with Annaleize and Jabez in southern Portugal

Molly and Jack enjoying an early morning in the cockpit up the Guadiana River between Spain and Portugal where we watched storks fishing along the shore

Celebrating the half-way mark on our first big offshore passage from Ayamonte, Spain to the Cannaries

November 10 found us enjoying a terrific hike on the volcano, Mancha Blanca on Lanzarote in the Canaries.

December 2- Mary's arrival in the Cape Verdes. We were all excited to have her join us and her arrival marked the start of our first crossing of the Atlantic

Fish!

A successful Atlantic Crossing. December 18, the crew of Sila just before arriving in English Harbor, Antigua

Christmas Eve in Antigua

January 23, 2014. Much of our time in the Caribbean was spent in the water

Part of what made the British Virgin Islands so fun for us was the time with guests, such as our great friends David and Gina Lasky…

…and Sam Frykholm and his dad Peter (not pictured)

Anyone who has spent time with Porter in the last two years knows that The Cruiser's Guide to Fishing is the most-quoted book on Sila. And given how much Porter reads- that is saying something!

February 26- flying the asymmetrical on our passage from the BVI to Turks and Caicos

March 7- Porter catches the biggest mahi mahi to date. Yum!

Uncle Kevin coaching Porter to steer a straight line instead of "cheese-doodling" around on our passage from the Bahamas to Florida, notable for having no engine.

Sila coming out of the water in Ft. Lauderdale to repair the engine and paint the bottom

May 5, 2014- Jack and Porter convince Chef Rob to give them a complete tour of Jimmie's Chocolate Factory

Learning about lemon sharks at the Cape Eluethera Institute

May 25- Jumping off the bow in the Bahamas (in the day's vernacular: #nofilter)

June 7 found us exploring Casco Viejo in Panama City with our fantastic hosts- Danny Icaza and his family

Entering the Miraflores Locks in the Panama Canal

The view from Sila as we were about to exit the locks

July 4, 2014 and the odometer ticks past 10,000 miles

The Galapagos

Blue Footed Boobies in the Galapagos, July 2014

August 8th found us posing with the Ahu Tongariki on Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island

Pete and the famous Hippo Ball on the passage from Rapa Nui to Puerto Montt

The rainbow on August 18 followed the biggest wind we had yet seen on Sila with sustained Force 8 wind and gusts into the 40s overnight. Notice that the main sail still has three reefs in. While that was the first time, it would certainly not be the last!

When we took this picture on August 30, we did not know that this sculpture in Puerto Montt had a song associated with it. The song and the memory of the sculpture took on a life of its own on Sila.

September 30 found us working our way south into the Chilean Channels. This waterfall, inEstero Quintupeu was one of the best we saw and soon after this photo was taken, we anchored and set up our very first of many shore lines.

The end of October found us tied up to some fishing boats in Caleta Suarez as we waited for favorable wind to cross Golfo de Penas

November 21- a particularly fun morning of dolphins just north of the Magellan Straits

The end of November, anchored in Caleta Breaknock, one of our favorite spots in the channels

December 3- the glaciers of Tierra del Fuego

The farther south we went in the channels, the more spectacular the experience

Big Jack and Porter prepare the Centolla, or false southern king crab- a delicacy that we enjoyed numerous times in Chile

December 5, 2013. This was on our hike above Estero Coloane. Behind us, you can see the brazo sudoeste of the Beagle Channel. This particular hike, when we got onto a knife ridge above 5 different glaciers and the Beagle, stands out as one of our all time favorite family hikes.

December 28, 2014: a perfect day to round Cape Horn, which you can see in the background

Of all the marinas that we have visited, the Micalvi in Puerto Williams, Chile, is our favorite

Porter and Jack sailing Optis in Puerto Williams with the mountains of Argentina visible in the background

January 12, 2015- Standing near the planet, Uranus, on our solar system hike in the Falklands/Malvinas

While we had seen Galapagos Penguins in the Galapagos, and swimming penguins in the channels, this was the first time we got close to the magellenic penguins, also known as the jackass penguins, near Port Stanley.

January 29, we drank a toast to Sir Ernest Shackleton at his memorial near Grytviken

A gentoo penguin and the Ernest Shackleton supply ship at King Edward's Point

Our memorable South Georgia dinner of reindeer steaks, Patagoinian toothfish, and dandelion salad in Husvik, South Georgia

February 5- anchored for a few hours off of Salisbury Plain…

…where we had close encounters with penguins…

…and enjoyed walking around a colony of 300,000 king penguins

South Georgia was not all penguins, fur seals and albatross. We also had several nights on Sila when we needed to stand anchor watch. This photo may look like we are sailing but it was taken at anchor in Elephant Lagoon where we experienced williwaws up to 50 knots.

Porter watches as a wandering albatross soars by

February 28, 2015 found us in the midst of a big blow as we sailed north to get out of the furious fifties and roaring 40s. Later on during this gale, we would have big breaking seas in addition to Force 9 winds. Thankfully, the 4th reef and the staysail were just right and by the time it got dark, things had settled down significantly.