Baybeach – Monday August 11, 2009 Part 1

Monday we took the kids over to the bay so they can go for a paddle with grandpa in his sailing canoe.  I have to admit I was extremely nervous. Especially at their insistence on taking Katherine – just two years old and not very good at listening (I wonder where she gets that from…) – out in that. Her life vest was too big for her and I just didn’t feel she would be safe if she went overboard. But both daddy and grandpa insisted she’d be fine. I think I greatly annoyed them with my constant nagging to make sure she is safe and sitting still and that an adult hand is on her at all times! And I really wanted her to sit in the bottom of the boat and not up on a seat. But – I’m the mom and I had the right to be extra nervous.

They did have a lot of fun and all came back safe and sound. Here are some great pictures from that:

Samantha and Samuel (Sam and Sam) trying out a seat and getting their life vests fastened:

Grandpa talking to Katherine and showing her the different things in the boat.

The kids and grandpa are settled in, somewhat:

And they’re off!

 

Of course the sail didn’t go out because the kids would have been in the way of the boom and not safe.

 

They really went far out there - down to the end of the pier and back. The bay really wasn’t very deep even out there so if a kid did fall in at least they’d be plucked out pretty fast before they even knew what happened but just the same. I'd rather not think about that. (Can you tell I was nervous?!)

Can you see the speck where they are?

   

There they are at the end of the pier. My camera has great zoom!

And some video just for the fun of it. This one is of Alan trying to get into the canoe. I caught the tail end of it. This was his, oh, 4th or 5th try or something. I had been watching him in amusement and it didn’t dawn on me to record it until this point. You can hear Katherine fussing when he gets in. She was a bit crowded out by daddy’s rear!

In the next video they are trying to set off. You can tell it’s not very deep here and they are still pretty close to the shore because Gabby is out playing in the water next to them. You can see Katherine helping Alan paddle. Very cute. And Samantha is somewhat afraid. She is sitting on the floor of the canoe right in front of Grandpa. Smart girl. Jimmy and Samuel are in the middle just enjoying the adventure.

And here they are moving at a good clip heading back to shore.

This is it for now. More on this day later.