Family at sea
by Erik Orton, Emily Orton
Category: Biography & Autobiography

A New York City family's remarkable story of how they gave up their urban life, packed up their family of seven--the youngest, a six-year-old with Down syndrome--and braved the difficult conditions of the Atlantic Ocean as they sailed more than 2,500 miles from New York to and around the Caribbean. They thought of all the reasons why risking everything for a year at sea was a bad idea: They could go broke, get injured, be stranded at sea--maybe even die. More than likely, the only thing they would accomplish would be to embarrass themselves. Besides, only rich people sailed the world, right? Not a NYC theater family with five kids who would serve as the ship's entire crew. After all the deliberations, one thing was clear: their children would either be an excuse or a reason. They chose to set sail. Their journey proved to be a life-changing experience as they grew closer as a family and explored the world in a new way. They traveled to twenty-three islands, spanning eleven countries and territories, and got a hands-on global education while meeting new people and appreciating a variety of cultures. They experienced the beauty and fragility of the earth as well as the vastness and power of the sea. Working together as a family and a sailboat crew meant learning how to tackle hard challenges together, helping each other improve their skills, and exercising patience when difficult conditions emerged. Seven at Sea tells the story of a family learning to live together, simply and in harmony with the natural world. In doing so, they learned that giving up control can sometimes lead to amazing adventures. More importantly, they discovered how little they actually needed to be abundantly happy.