Seven at Sea by Erik & Emily Orton

 I saw this book on a list somewhere that praised the writing of this husband/wife team who take their family of five children on a months-long sailing adventure. It sounded like an interesting read and it was.

This family is LDS, although it's not overtly stated. You can just tell by some of their practices, and their desire to be a strong family comes through. What is most emphasized, though, is the struggle. The struggle to learn what they need to learn to make their dream come true.

There are other struggles. Erik and Emily take turns writing the chapters that tell the story. It's obviously Erik's dream to sail and take the family off on a long sailing adventure. We learn about Emily's struggle to keep her family safe AND support Erik's dream. She does a good job of making it her dream too, by enjoying the closeness that this potential lifestyle will afford their family.

It's not a sugar-coated story. We learn how hard it is to manage five children, the youngest with Down Syndrome, on a sailboat. We learn how husbands and wives can have communication problems. We see how ego can stand in the way of learning. We learn about all sorts of boat engine problems, as well as safety issues. We learn how hard it is to manage a family's needs for water and food and finding and stowing the supplies. It was often a very exhausting read for me, as I pictured what all went into this adventure. 

Yet, despite the hardships and the struggles to learn, we also see the resulting growth in individuals in the family. We also learn about the kindness of strangers and the support of friends and extended family. It's good to see how much help is given and especially how help is given freely. Overall the learning and the rewards are worth it, at least in the eyes of the authors. The epilogue describes their ongoing adventures, although they are not cruisers, per se, any longer. 

I enjoyed the descriptions of the weather and the challenges it brought, and how close living that way brings out one's character. Erik, in particular, as captain of the boat, had to rise to every challenge to save his family. It was good to watch him learn as he went, the hard lessons of leadership.