SUMMARY

Erik and Emily Orton, parents of five children and authors of the new release, Seven at Sea, explain “why a New York City family cast off convention for a life-changing year on a sailboat.” Together, these parents plan a way to bounce back from a career failure while also creating kids with character who are armed with lasting family memories. Leaving their two-bedroom, one-bath apartment in New York City, this audacious, courageous family of seven buy a boat they name Fezywig. If they waited until "the time was right," the opportunity would be gone. So, the Ortons set sail from New York to and around the Caribbean--more than 2500 miles! As a result, they learn more than how to sail together; they also learn to live together—joyfully and simply.

KEY POINTS

• Because the whole family is involved in making plans, the dream moves forward.
• The Ortons learn to genuinely like the small spaces of New York City, and, in fact, feel lonely and overwhelmed by the work inherent in big houses.
• Living “vertically” in New York, helps them adapt to living on Fezywig where space is minimal.
• “Earbud cocooning” – a strategy for creating personal space and privacy
• Easy ocean access gives the Orton kids a natural playground as well as room to stretch and grow.
• Beach walks give Erik & Emily a place and space for private conversations.
• The work of sailing and living on Feziwig creates real confidence and character-building experiences.
• A three-day supply of water takes the entire family five hours to ferry.
• The Orton family emerges with three kinds of confidence: competence, credibility, and calm.
• As parents, their credibility is on the line: would they be doers or just talkers?
• They share meals and swap stories with other “cruisers,” unexpectedly making lasting friends.
• One daughter learns to feel “more comfortable with being uncomfortable” and showed her how to dream big and have the tenacity to hold on to a big vision.

QUOTES FROM THE ORTONS

• “When the people you love need you, you show up for them.” - Emily
• “We realized we liked being in close quarters. And, yes, it does lend itself to a certain kind of friction and tension, but it also lends itself to a certain kind of coziness and connection.” – Erik
• “Once we got out there, we realized we were the biggest family on the smallest boat.” – Erik
• “What is the ratio of things we say we’re going to do versus things we actually do?” – Erik
• “I know that all of life is a risk…but, at the end of every day that we were illness- or injury-free, I felt grateful. I tried to take it just one day at a time.” - Emily
• “The main difference [to making friends on the water] is time…you’re all open and vulnerable. You need each other!” – Erik
• “I was really interested in trying to expand time…by having unique memories [of the same experiences].” – Emily
• “We knew we only had our children for a certain amount of time…and we realized this window was small and getting smaller. And we could wait for a convenient time; we could wait to have more money on hand. It would just be easier if our kids were older…but they would be gone!” - Erik
• “We knew if we made this investment now, it would compound over time, and it would only go up in value.” – Erik
• “[Home] is the feeling of connection we have with each other.” – Emily
• “What my family and husband all wanted from me was to know I was hearing them, and seeing them, and encouraging them. They just wanted me to be an emotional touchstone, and that’s very mobile.” – Emily
• “The memories that last are the ones we carry with us, and we’re very grateful to have a lot of those.” – Erik

BUY Seven at Sea: Why a New York City Family Cast Off Convention for a Life-changing Year on a Sailboat

RECOMMENDATION

Strengthen your family in your own way:

• Look in each other’s eyes.
• Eat dinner together.
• Sit around the kitchen table together and talk about what’s important to you.
• Go on a walk with your spouse.
• Create questions that will bring you closer.
• Strengthen faraway children by complimenting them or by just listening.

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Special thanks…

• Music Credit
• Sound Editing Credit