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

by Erik Orton, Emily Orton

Overview

A New York City family’s remarkable story of how they gave up their urban life, packed up their family of seven, and braved the difficult conditions of the Atlantic Ocean as they sailed more than 2,500 from New York to and around the Caribbean.

They thought of all the reasons why risking everything for 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?

After all the deliberations, one thing was clear: their children would either be an excuse or a reason. They chose to set sail.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629737416
Publisher:	Deseret Book Company
Publication date:	03/04/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

ERIK ORTON is an Emmy Award-winning writer and former-Broadway tour manager. He was raised in Germany and the suburbs of Washington D.C. He has produced various musicals Off-Broadway. His original musical Berlin won an Emmy Award as well as a CINE Golden Eagle Award and Bronze Telly Award. In 2018, he climbed El Capitan—the tallest granite cliff in the world—got scuba certified, and learned to surf.   
 
EMILY ORTON is a former English teacher turned homeschool mom. She speaks and writes about living with purpose. Her writing is featured in Dare, Dream, Do by Whitney Johnson. Curiosity has led Emily to become a rock climber, a sailor, a scuba diver, a world traveler, and most recently a surfer.
 
Erik and Emily continue to learn, grow and travel with their five children. They love to gig as a family band when their two oldest children are home from college, and occasionally post music videos to YouTube. They are currently traveling Europe by sailboat and VW van with their younger children. They blog together at fezywig.com and make their home in New York City. 

Editorial Reviews

"They will persuade you that ‘unconventional’ is a synonym for ‘individual’ and have you contemplating why you would accept an off-the-rack version of your life, when you can tailor-make your one. You’ll finish Seven at Sea daring to seek a discovery-driven voyage to your dream life, or the dream-of-a-lifetime. A fun, inspiring read."
 

Whitney Johnson - Bestselling Author of Disrupt Yourself

"The Ortons storytelling of their particular path guides all readers – not just those who dream of seafaring – through lessons on living, loving, and life. They share their hurdles with candor and warmth, and just enough discomfort to remind you they’re real: stretching beyond their comfort zone in the joyful and daunting extremes of life on an adventure. The way that Erik and Emily consider, evaluate, and take on challenges they face is instructive for all, and required reading for those who dream of on adventuring as a family."

 

Behan Gifford - Author of Voyaging With Kids - A Guide to Family Life

“We don’t need more stuff to be happy... we need less. The lessons of love, determination, and dreaming big wait for you in this adventure on the sea. You will find yourself sailing through each page, lost in the beauty of this family’s voyage. It gives you the courage to do the same in your own life’s travels.”
 

Chester Elton - NYT Best Selling Author of The Carrot Principle and All In

"Fascinating real-life story. They skillfully show that is it is possible to live big on a shoestring budget while giving their family astonishing education in adventure, creativity, purpose and grit. With great intention they embraced risk and some pretty breathtaking adversity which changed and refined them all in ways that will leave the reader full of admiration and wonder.

Linda and Richard Eyre - NYT Best Selling Authors of Teaching Your Children Values

"Many people, at some time in their lives, dream of sloughing the day-to-day and traveling the world; Erik and Emily Orton actually went for it, not letting the fact of five children or a lack of wealth stop them. Pulling up stakes required years of planning, so Erik honed his sailing while Emily learned how to home school their children, the youngest of whom has Down syndrome. Scrimping, saving, and creative financing finally allowed them to purchase a boat. When they finally shove off on their new catamaran, Erik establishes a timetable. Fate, however, has other plans, and they spend the next three-plus months sidelined with a broken motor while they wait for workers to diagnose and fix the problem. They meet two other families, picking up valuable tips and enjoying friendship while they wait for their adventure to begin. The book is distilled from journals Erik and Emily kept during their trip, which give honest accounts of their difficulties and triumphs. Readers looking for a vicarious sailing experience should try this."

Booklist

"Many people, at some time in their lives, dream of sloughing the day-to-day and traveling the world; Erik and Emily Orton actually went for it, not letting the fact of five children or a lack of wealth stop them. Pulling up stakes required years of planning, so Erik honed his sailing while Emily learned how to home school their children, the youngest of whom has Down syndrome. Scrimping, saving, and creative financing finally allowed them to purchase a boat. When they finally shove off on their new catamaran, Erik establishes a timetable. Fate, however, has other plans, and they spend the next three-plus months sidelined with a broken motor while they wait for workers to diagnose and fix the problem. They meet two other families, picking up valuable tips and enjoying friendship while they wait for their adventure to begin. The book is distilled from journals Erik and Emily kept during their trip, which give honest accounts of their difficulties and triumphs. Readers looking for a vicarious sailing experience should try this."

Booklist