Tall Ships - Long Lines

Me and the kids went to Port Canaveral today to see tall ships with my Aunt and Uncle. 

First, we looked at the Galeón Andalucía, which is a a replica of a 17th Century Spanish Tall Ship. We didn't go aboard, but it was fun to look at, to see a "pirate ship" in real life. When they get a little older I look forward to doing a little research with the boys before this kind of trip to get some historical context. I like knowing about what I'm seeing, know some back story, it makes it more interesting.

The ship was crawling with school field trippers. It made me wonder if they did any research on the ship before their visit, will the boys' educators give them context to appreciate the significance of experiences like that? Or will they just be squeezing the trip in between FCAT practice and multiplication drills? Not that public school isn't awesome, I know our teachers do amazing work in our community, I just wonder if it will be up to us at home to really drill down into the history of places and events to really make stuff like touring the Galeón Andalucía exciting.

After checking out the Andalucía we went down the port a few hundred yards and found the Juan Sebastian de Elcano was docked and allowing visitor tours. We got in line, not knowing how long it would be. That sentence is really scary when you realize I had a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old in toe with no stroller, no sling, no diaper bag, no snacks, drinks, toys, tranquilizers, nothing an hour and a half before lunch/nap time. It was just us and them and 200 strangers waiting in line for an indeterminate amount of time. (shudder) The boys surprised me though, and held it together until we made it to the front of the line, about 45 minutes? 

Then Will listened carefully and held hands during the more perilous moments (boarding, walking near the rails, scrabbling over rigging), and Jack was content to stay in my arms for the entire tour, though, man did I miss my sling, that thing is perfect for carrying a toddler without your arms falling off. 

My Uncle is an enthusiastic sailor and was on hand to help us use lots of boaty words, like aft and yardarm. We went around the stern of the ship and around the far side, we saw kayakers in the water and waved. We went up and down plenty of ladders, with Will carefully going down backward while holding on to the rail, and Jack clinging to me like a baby spider monkey as I climbed down myself. We saw lines, and sails, and the bridge, which was very fancy. All very exciting to see up close. Once we were off I realized I may have rushed us through a bit, having the babies out there dangling over all that water was a little hard on my nerves, but maybe with practice I will be a little less spastic. 

Once we were off the ship it was back to the car and headed home. Jack was asleep before we made it out of the parking lot, Will stayed awake long enough to get some McDonald's before passing out as well.

It was great fun and gives me hope that in a few months we will have a fun time at one of the theme parks, with all their lines. The trip also reinforced that if I am going to do these little adventure trips I need to be more diligent about packing a bag. Sunscreen, and diapers, and juice boxes for goodness sake. And maybe a flask, that waiting in line thing could have gone either way.