South Carolina to Luperon, Part 1
that provide the books and curriculum for home schooling. Each day the student covers math, science, reading, spelling and other subjects. It is a lot of work, but most children excel with one on one teaching and move forward quickly within their own comfort level. I don't think there is such a thing as a bored home schooled student and progress is normally much faster than in public schools. The student's progress is confirmed by yearly testing. True, the child doesn't get to do a great deal of socializing with other children their own age, but there are other boats with home schooled children as well as local children to visit with in the various places we stop. Such diversity has to be developmentally helpful. Most of the children we have met during the past 7 years of cruising (and there have been many) are more thoughtful, better adjusted and more informed than their otherwise schooled brethren. Home schooling isn't for everyone and for sure we grandparents fatigue quickly from the never-ending verbal stream of consciousness and questions. However, we are happy to be part of his young years and for him to experience the beautiful Caribbean and our vagabond life. So far, Johann has shown extraordinary progress. In addition to the formal program, he is doing very well learning touch-typing, a little algebra, and his vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds.
We've lost track of the number of times Francesca has cruised the Intra Coastal Waterway (ICW), but the number is certainly approaching twenty, so with the exception of the exceptional, it is no longer very interesting to write about. Once again we visited all of the best anchorages we've tested over the years. Francesca progressed quickly down The Waterway to Titusville, Florida where our long time cruising friends Carl and Mary on the sailing vessel "Camryka" had their boat "on the hard" (dry docked) for their balancing act between boat work and budget. It was with joy that we spent some time with Carl and Mary. Mary is a superb writer and continues to have articles published in many of the cruising magazines. She writes so well that Joan and I are frustrated that she isn't writing a significant novel. Carl and Mary's boat work is nearing completion, but they have not yet decided where Camryka will go after "splash day". We hope they will be heading our way or we will meet them again in the western Caribbean when we return to the States.
Adjacent to Carl and Mary's temporary apartment their landlord had a grapefruit orchard that was left fallow. He told them to help themselves to the wonderful seedless, ruby fruit. Mary loaded us up with 8 or 10 large bags of fruit which we could eat and also distribute to cruisers as we moved south. They also loaned us their car to do some last minute shopping. Johann needed a
wet suit and snorkeling gear and our veggies were running low. Then, with improving weather, we needed to leave Titusville and get prepared for the Gulf Stream crossing to the Bahamas.
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Boat dogs come in all sizes and types, but they don't get no better than Maggie.
