59FEBRUARY2016cruisingworld.comof water ballast on the wrong side. But it
was the fi rst time with the family aboard.
“Is everyone all right?” James asked.
Fortunately, Tormentina and the rest of
us were safe in the berths before we laid
over. Everything was in place; nothing fl ew
anywhere. James had quickly fl ipped the
switch to turn all the electronics back on.
I looked at him and said, with a wink,
“Yes. We trust you.”
We couldn’t fully open the compan-
ionway hatch, but James cracked it a few
inches and turned on the fans. Then he
got on his foulies, boots, headlamp and
harness and re-entered the world in which
he feels most comfortable.Aft er
30 days at sea,
we arrived safely
in Fremantle,
Western Australia. Looking back, I see
the voyage was one of the most challeng-ing things I’ve ever done — a huge test of
physical and mental endurance. It’s like
being in labor, but as a sustained eff ort
for 30 days straight. I gained huge respect
for anyone who has sailed down south
— solo, shorthanded or fully crewed. It’s
an intense place to be, with an immense
amount of pressure for perfect perfor-
mance.
I’m typically seasick the fi rst three days
of our voyages, but throughout this trip, I
was unusually nauseous even when condi-
tions were smooth. I thought that perhaps
I wasn’t cut out for this type of extreme
sailing. Then I found out, a month after
arriving in Fremantle, that I was pregnant
during the passage.
James was a pillar of strength during
the journey — never complacent, always
up and out in the elements and dealing
with whatever variables came our way. Nomatter how tired he was, sail changes had
to be made, water ballast adjusted, bat-
teries charged, water made, all systems
maintained and, most important, love and
attention given to the kids.
Our children adapted to all the condi-
tions we experienced. In our one-month
passage, the kids and I were on deck liter-
ally four times — for a sum total of about
an hour. When seas were smooth, they
were allowed to go on deck wearing a full
body harness, tethered to the boat. Down
below, we did art projects and puzzles,
made blanket forts, blasted music from
the iPod, sang, danced and played games.
They watched for dolphins, whales, alba-
tross and other marine life. They fought
and had tantrums and timeouts, just like
they did on land.Raivo was just starting to talk, and his
favorite phrases throughout the trip were
“treats,” “boat,” “loud” and “Wow, big ka-
boom!” accompanied by a clap of his hands.
Tormentina got over her seasickness
once we were out of the Agulhas Current.
She kept busy constantly drawing, fi lling
an entire sketchbook with her artwork.
She searched every night for the fi rst star.
When she found it, she would make a se-
cret wish, and afterward she was allowed
to watch movies. After a big wave washed
over us, she would climb up the com-
panionway steps to see if any squid came
aboard.
When the seas were very aggressive, ev-
eryone was berth-bound, sometimes fortwo to three days at a time. The kids both
had a good sense of the changes in the
boat while underway and were instinctive-
ly mellow when they needed to be.
The most amazing thing is that the
kids never once asked, “When are we
going to get there?” Nor were they ever
scared. They felt safe because Anasazi
Girl is home to them, and we were with
them full time.
Voyaging is like a time capsule for our
family. It is a very special period, when
everyone is completely together and com-
pletely present. Life is simple. We sail
from point A to point B. Everything we
need to live is essentially in one space. We
don’t think about money or work. We have
no meetings, schedules or other people to
interact with besides our kids. Our chil-
dren receive our undivided attention.
In the Southern Ocean, the water was
clean, the air fresh and the rainwater tasty.No sunrise or sunset went unnoticed. Ev-
ery morsel of food we ate and every drop
of water we drank was valued. Every sec-
ond we were together was priceless.
This sailing life has been such a gift for
us and for our children.Somira Sao, James Burwick and their children
are currently living on Navarino Island, Chile,
where they are working on replacing Anasazi
Girl’s rig. Follow along on their adventures at
the family’s website (anasaziracing.blogspot.
com).complexity and simplicity. All the subtle changes of the environment — sea
the excess noise and drama of the land taken away.
In settled weather, the kids would
spend time in the cockpit (opposite).
Tormentina (left) checks out the
South African coastline on the hori-
zon. During the day, James does all the
sailhandling (center), while Somira
takes care of the kids.