I am waiting to get some new pictures. Our friend Clarke showed up in Mazatlan today so now everybody who will be going is there. I am sure there is a lot going on and everybody is bonding over the work. I hope. I know Tim and Will are glad to have the extra hands. I can't believe they may leave by Saturday. It will be so exciting when Vltava is here! Allison

About three years ago,our family came up with an idea to try to send or bring school supplies to a little cove up in the Sea called San Evaristo. There is a school with about 20 kids in it and it goes up to 6Th grade. After that there is no more school unless they go to La Paz. The boys go fishing with their fathers and the girls make tortilla's and food for the visitors(very few). It took us about one week to sail up there in our last boat.We walked up to the school,about a mile away from the beach,and talked and gave them the school supplies we brought.We played two games of soccer and then, with the teacher and everybody, we walked them home, seeing where and how they lived. There is a water purification plant that the government put there. It takes salt water and changes it into fresh water.only one home has a phone(only used for emergencies)and almost all the houses are made out of cardboard. There is no electricity and use solar panels to charge batteries that run their lights. on the back of the island there is a salt flat. All of the men that don't fish take care of the salt.There are huge pits dug in the sand with salt water in them. When the water evaporates they scrape up the salt with a shovel and bag it up and send it to la Paz. We're hoping that once we get the schooner we can take more school supples to other coves in the sea. Isabelle

getting the schooner

so last night at 11:00 my dad and our friend mike left for Mazatlan.And will be getting in today at 2:00 were will and Tim will pick them up at the ferry dock.Now i cant speak for them but i have been to Mazatlan and a know its,hot,humid,dusty,boring etc. so they have not been in really in a good mood.But they should be leaving on the second.And getting in la Paz on the fifth(hopefully). We have not had much excitement here in la Paz for a few years so i know once the boat is over here it will be talked about on bill and Pepys "free talk " right away. Isabelle

Well, It's been an exciting day!!!! The exhaust riser was created by our friend Billy, on yellow star. He is amazing!!!! Kevin will take it with him tonight on the ferry. We had a compass donated and also wheel all at the last moment. Than was great.We have had so much suppor it really is amazing. I am jealous that I can't be on the trip over but someone has to stay here and Kevin deserves to be on this trip! Anyway, I loved the kids entries and hopefully we will have more pictures soon that I can share with everybody. The weather is looking good for a crossing. If anyone wants to check out one of our best weather sources go to eebmike.com. the websitewill show you the weather for this area. It's what the guys on Vltava will be checking before they leave. It is hurricane season now so we have to keep an eye out. That's it for now. Allison

By now you probably know that the schooner is starting to get put together bit by bit and let me say it will be awesome once it gets here. When I first heard about the schooner I was thinking something like: oh another huge rotten boat that we are going to get and have it sit in our backyard, but when I saw it I thought it looked very cool,and it had just been completely stripped too. The picture is my mom sitting in the drivers seat and I personally think it is the best seat on the whole boat!

SAM

Hi,it's Isabelle this time.today i am going to talk about a normal every day for Sam and I. First, after getting up,we row or motor the dog to the Mogote(a peninsula)for a walk. Once we get back we eat breakfast,then get school going on.School usually goes Until 1:00. I have art on Mondays,and I volunteer at the animal shelter some Sundays, and I have had three photography classes. After school one of us goes into town on the motorized dingy to dump trash and get water jugs to put in the water tanks on the boat,and ice for the cooler where we store our food.Once we're back,and have gotten the water jugs on-board and the ice in the cooler we have lunch.After lunch if there is not anything else we could do I call my friend Mary on the radio and Sam calls his friends. Mary and I go to the beach and go swimming,we also bring our dogs. Most of the time we go home around five.After diner,SAM or I do the the dishes. Then all of us go to bed. I think once we get the schooner it will be harder work, such as sanding,painting, varnishing etc. but then again, if we do all the hard work first we can play in the end. Isabelle porter

Here are some pictures of me in the Galley and me looking into the chain locker. These were taken in October of last year, when Kevin and I went to Mazatlan to survey the boat. That's when I really fell in love with her! We have gotten some great feedback on the blog. Keep the comments coming. Some people have asked how they can help. Well..... at this point we can take any help we can get. We can use donations of time, money, and supplies. We'd also like to start collecting more school supplies for this next year and San Evaristo. Any monetary donations or supplies can be sent to Allison Porter c/o Peggy Joyce, 10708 Madrona dr., Anderson Island, WA, 98303. At this time all we can give you for your donation would be a big hug, A tee-shirt(when we finally get some) and a promise of a sail on Vltava whenever you are close. We are hoping to get our 501 3c and then all monetary donations could be tax deductible. We also need help with Marketing and accounting. Also if there are an lawyers,or friends of lawyers, that would be willing to advise us on the legalities of everything. As yo can see we pretty much need everything to get this ball rolling. If you have an idea of how you could be involved we would love to hear it!!!! We are not to proud to beg. This is a group effort and a possible dream come true. We're really looking forward to the opportunity of expanding the programs we have become so attached to. Thanks ahead of time for helping this all come together! As far as progress goes, Tim and Billy are already working on the exhaust riser in their perspective cities. We will know today who gets to put it all together. It looks like Kevin and Mike, from the sailing vessel Aquavit, will be heading to Mazatlan tomorrow night(Tuesday,29th- Kevin birthday) To make the final push and get Vltava moving. We are hoping that they can leave Mazatlan by the 2nd of August. Our good friend Clarke is meeting them over there on the first so we have a good crew for the crossing. I can't thank all these guys enough as they are doing this all for free and they are still smiling. We also want to thank the people who have sent donations and supplies already , the minute they heard our news. It is really amazing the support we are getting and I just can't thank you all enough! Okay enough mushy stuff, I may start crying! Thanks, Allison

Okay, so I figured out how to rotate the picture. The boat is really beautiful and classy and I can't wait until she gets here. Tim and Will managed to get the steering working yesterday. We are coming up with ideas for a wheel, temporarily. Will has thought of a bicycle wheel and my suggestion is a big Pan with handles. There was a beautiful bronze wheel there before the pirates got to it. Tomorrow our friend Billy and I will go around town organizing the parts for the exhaust riser. Billy says it's easy to make and the parts are easy to find. Tim will work on the Mazatlan end of it and Billy will try to get it together here in La Paz, and whoever gets it done cheaper and faster will be the one to get it finished. We really need to move this boat quickly as the weather gets more unpredictable as the days go by. Also our generous, FREE, crew needs some sort of schedule.(key word is free, there) Anyway, I am excited about the possibilities in our future. We have dreamed about this for so long and all the pieces seem to be falling into place. It's a great feeling! Allison

Here are some pictures that were sent today. I can't figure out how to rotate the boat pic so bear with me. Will is having a good time even though he isn't very comfortable. ^0 knots of wind blew in last night and dmped a ton of rain. This allhappened about 2:30 am. Good thing they were there to pump the bilge! Will has also been working hard in very humid conditions. He says he has been eaten alive by mosquitos. All that is left to do on the boat is to find an exhaust riser. It is the part of the engine that keeps the salt water from coming back in to the engine through the exhaust. I am going to help our friend Billy make one. Kevin will take it with him when he heads over in a few days. I will let you know how that all goes on Monday. Allison

Update on Vltava

Well we woke up this morning to find that we still need the alternator and exhaust system for the engine. When the mechanics said it was functioning they meant turning over. Tim and Will have managed to get the water pumped out of the bilge and a light on. Will says there are not a lot of cockroaches left but they are not ALL gone. I will keep updating regularly when news comes in.
Allison

Sunbreak Educational Adventures

We are finally getting ourselves organized and with the new schooner coming to La Paz we have a lot to write about. To recap our past 4 years we have been working with a few water access only communities in the Sea of Cortez near La Paz, where we live. We are a family of five on a 36 foot sailboat. We have been supplying school supplies, books, art supplies and backpacks to the schools in San Evaristo and Coyote Island. Our kids are the idea people each year and decide what our project will be. We have recently acquired the 86 foot schooner, Vltava, and hope to, eventually,not only bring school supplies to more communities, but to also offer sail training and environmental and marine education. We have our oldest son Will and our friend Tim in Mazatlan right now getting the boat ready for the trip across the Sea of Cortez. It had been left in Mazatlan and had been stripped of key equipment needed to move the boat. Namely parts off the engine and the gears and wheel for steering. Needless to say we have a long road ahead. the boat is very sound and only about 40 years old so she has a lot of life left in her. I am excited for the challenge. We hope to spend the next three years fixing her up and making her pretty and then we will try for the Pacific Tallship Challenge 2011. We would love comments or suggestions. We are looking for donations to help with the cost of maintenance. W are trying for our 501 3c status and will keep you posted. Allison