Family Sailing: Red Water Blue Water Salt Water — A Story of Cruising Together

Many people assume that once they start a family their cruising dreams must be put on hold. Todd Scantlebury’s experience proves otherwise. In the non-fiction book “Red Water Blue Water Salt Water: a Novel about Sailing Away as A Family” (BookSurge Publishers, 2008, $20.99), Scantlebury recounts taking his wife and two young daughters aboard a Catana 40 catamaran and setting off on a true family adventure through the Caribbean. Their 7,000-mile voyage over approximately two and a half years in the late 1990s offers a clear example of how family sailing can be a deeply rewarding way to live and travel together.

Scantlebury’s narrative moves beyond the mechanics of seamanship to paint a vivid portrait of life on board with children aged six and nine. Bopping between Cuba, Belize, Panama, Venezuela and Puerto Rico, the family navigated not only the waters of the Caribbean but also the practical and emotional challenges that come with living in close quarters while traveling for an extended period. The book focuses on what it means to slow down, prioritize relationships, and appreciate the journey rather than rushing toward a destination.

One of the book’s strengths is its honest portrayal of family dynamics at sea. Readers encounter the routines, compromises, and small rituals that allow a family to flourish aboard a small cruising boat. Scantlebury explores how daily life—meal preparation, schoolwork, maintenance, and play—takes on new rhythms when your home is also your means of travel. Rather than romanticizing every moment, he addresses the real work of parenting and partnership while underway, showing how challenges can become opportunities for connection and growth.

Practical Lessons and Lifestyle Choices

While the book is a personal account, it contains practical takeaways for anyone considering long-term cruising with children. Scantlebury illuminates the importance of planning, flexible expectations, and a willingness to adapt to changing conditions. He shows how a balance of structure and spontaneity helps families maintain sanity and joy while living in close quarters and encountering unfamiliar places and cultures.

Another theme Scantlebury emphasizes is how alternative family lifestyles are not only possible but can be deeply fulfilling. The narrative encourages readers to think creatively about family life, challenging the assumption that conventional routines are the only way to raise children successfully. Through the family’s experiences, the book demonstrates that meaningful education, strong relationships, and rich life experiences can all be part of a cruising family’s reality.

Author Background and Perspective

Todd Scantlebury is a long-time contributor to Cruising World, having written for the magazine since 1996. His background as a sailing journalist and storyteller gives the book an informed yet approachable voice. After years at sea, Scantlebury and his family eventually settled on a small farm in central Arizona, where they continue to live. That transition from cruising life back to land informs the reflective tone of his writing—he writes with the perspective of someone who has lived the adventure and then looked back on what it taught him and his family.

Readers who are drawn to stories of family travel, small-boat voyaging, and thoughtful lifestyle choices will find Scantlebury’s account engaging and informative. The book’s blend of personal memoir, practical insight, and candid reflection makes it a useful read for experienced cruisers considering children on board, for parents curious about alternative family living, and for anyone who enjoys stories about exploration and family resilience.

This article originally appeared in the Home Waters section of the November 2009 issue.