Follow The 5un

Life by design, not by default

Hi, we are the Malishev family

Sergey, Adi, Gal, Or, and Bar.

For over three years, we lived aboard our sailboat, Grand Cru, and sailed more than 13,500 miles across 24 countries. We homeschooled our boys, worked remotely, weathered storms, and found ourselves in places we never imagined.

The sailing was the adventure, but the real goal was choice:

stepping out of comfort and learning to live differently.

Now we’re based in southern Spain, with the same mindset.

We keep choosing, redefining comfort on our own terms, and following dreams, both the ones we planned and the ones we discovered along the way.

WhatsApp Image 2024-04-02 at 14.54.45.jpeg

But we are not special...

We just made different choices, and kept making them, one step at a time.

Because our dreams keep changing until they don’t even feel like dreams anymore, just thoughts we push aside.

But if we never try to live them, we’re left wondering, what if?

If you’ve ever thought “I wish I could, but I can’t” - we get it.

This space is for the moment you flip the question to: “How can I?”

Where Do You Want to Begin?

Drone photo of a family on Mopion Island, Petit St Vincent

Read the Blog
Stories from sea and shore, the hard choices, the beautiful ones, and everything in between.

See the Places We Loved
Need some inspiration?
Here are our tips and favorite spots from the places we’ve visited.

Ready?Make it Happen. For Real.

This isn’t about the perfect plan.
It’s about getting clear on what you want, and taking the next step with the life you have right now.

We’re not here to give you a formula.
We’re here to inspire by sharing the questions that helped us, the “no’s” we challenged, and the small choices that turned a dream into real life.

And if you need a little push, you’re not alone. We’re here.

Big lifestyle shift, bold idea, or a change you keep postponing, you don’t need permission.
You need a first step.

One step at a time. Starting now.

Follow our journey on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or TikTok, and message us there.

“You made it look so simple although I know it probably never was… I’m looking into purchasing a sailboat here in Hawaii.”

"

“As someone starting out in product,

I didn’t think it was possible to combine it with sailing, having a family, and living a remote life.

You made me believe it is.״

“We’re about to fulfill a dream of our own – to go on a journey around the world, and there’s no doubt that you’ve been one of our biggest inspirations for it!”

"

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I don’t think we lose our imagination as adults, I think we are trained to calm it down.

At some point, imagination stops being something we trust and we start filtering it.
We think about constraints, risks, money, timing, how it will look from the outside.

But we never truly stop dreaming, we just learn to immediately add a “but” after every idea.

We get inspired, and almost in the same breath, we explain to ourselves why it’s not realistic.
Why it’s not the right phase of life, not right for us, too complicated, and why we should probably do what everyone else is doing.

What we call maturity is often just us learning to hold ourselves back.

This is honestly one of the best things about being a parent, you get a second chance.

A second chance to play around, to try things, to challenge yourself in ways you would never allow yourself to do alone.
You suddenly have permission to look a bit foolish again, because you’re doing it “with the kids”.
You can laugh loudly, fall, fail, try something new, and still be the responsible adult.

And somewhere in between, you remember how freeing it is to laugh without a reason.
Or how good it feels to finally do something challenging that you never dared to try before.

Maybe that’s why some movies hit us so hard - Up, Big, The NeverEnding Story, Hook, IF.
They all put a mirror in front of us.
And we get emotional, nostalgic, and then we smile and say that sentence we all know so well, “I’m too old for this shit”.

But that’s the thing. We’re not.
We can dream. We should dream.
We’re older, and also wiser.

We understand responsibility and can take calculated risks. We have more resources, more tools, more ability to actually make things happen than we ever had before.

And still, we get stuck.
Because we overthink ourselves into staying exactly where we are.

Living your dreams, whatever they are, is about getting out of your comfort zone, it’s about letting go.
Letting go of the grown-up constraints we stacked on ourselves, letting go of how it looks, and letting go of the endless thinking.

Dusting yourself off from everything adulthood taught you about being careful, and just going out there

#DreamingDifferently

Once a sailor, always a sailor.

Watching the storm from our home.
45 knots outside.
It feels calm behind walls.

But my body remembers other storms.
The tension in every muscle.
Sitting at the helm.
Anchor watch on.
Engines running. Just in case.

Living on the sea, you can’t avoid it.
These hours are humbling.
A reminder of the real power of the ocean.

Grateful for a solid roof today.
And for everything the sea already taught us.
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#OnceASailor #SailingLife #LifeAtSea #StormAtSea #FollowThe5un

How do you define home?
Is it the physical place where you live, your family, your partner?

A few weeks ago, we traveled to Cadiz, and while standing on the Spanish shore of the Atlantic Ocean, Gal suddenly said “It’s so nice, we’re back home.”

We looked at him, completely confused. “What?”

He looked back at us, smiled and said, “The Atlantic Ocean. Home.”

I had never thought of the sea as home.
But after three years of sailing the Atlantic Ocean, I honestly can’t disagree with him. The Atlantic Ocean, with its winds, currents, sea life, islands, and endless horizons, became our home.

Moving between towns, islands, and new places was our routine. We didn’t feel like we were constantly “passing through.” We were just living.

Once, home was our apartment. Familiar objects and walls we had marked with our life. When we left on our journey, home became us and the boat. And eventually, wherever we were, as long as we were together, that was home.

And since settling down again, home has expanded with friends and a community. We learned how to take almost any physical house and make it feel like home, not because of the furniture, but because of what we pour into it.

And Gal taught me something else, that home can also be an ocean. A living entity of its own. A space that breathes and changes, not something fixed or tied to one specific place.

Still, alongside the pride, there is always fear. How will this shape them in the long run? Home is also about roots, isn’t it? And our boys are more like air plants right now. Able to survive almost anywhere, even without soil. It’s beautiful. It’s strong. And sometimes, it’s also scary.

The thought that my child sees the ocean as home showed me that we succeeded in teaching them that the world isn’t divided so sharply into “here” and “there,” that borders are not as clear as we, as adults, like to draw them.
The world is something to explore, belonging doesn’t depend on walls or a permanent address, and that sometimes movement and change can actually create a deep sense of safety.

Maybe home, in the end, is not a point on a map, but a feeling.
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#Home #NomadLifeStyle

Norman’s Cay is the perfect example of why timing is everything in the Bahamas.
We learned this the hard way on a previous visit (that is a story for another time), but this time we got it right.

If you arrive at Norman’s Cay during the slack tide when the water is low, you get about 30 minutes of perfect conditions. The water is shallow enough for easy access to the plane and there is zero current to fight against.

It turns a challenging swim into a peaceful exploration.
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#followthe5un #lifebydesign #normanscay #exumas #bahamas #sailingtips #snorkeling #boatlife #travelwithkids #navigation #explore #Lagoon400

When fresh produce is hard to find (and expensive), you grow it. 🥬

Fresh greens are a luxury in remote islands and long sails. Between the seasonality, the limited supply, and the high prices, we had to find a way to stay self-sufficient.

Finding the right kit allowed us to grow our own with almost zero work. High nutrition, only 2.5 cups of water, and fresh greens on the boat for every single meal.

I am all for simplicity and this was a huge value for effort win.

If you're all for simplicity as well, check out ⁨@ZestiGreens⁩ .
(This is not a promotion, just a product I love).

What made your life easy?
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#followthe5un #lifebydesign #boatlife #microgreens #sailingnutrition #simplicity #bahamas #offgridliving #worldschooling #selfsufficiency #zestigreens

TikTok #boatlife #microgreens #lifehacks #sailing #offgrid #healthyeating #simplicity #bahamas

I remember exactly how it felt when this life sounded impossible.
Before the boat, before we became "that family" you see on your screen.
I would look at others already out there and feel a mix of awe and ache.
I thought there was a secret manual for people like that, and I didn’t have it.

In the spirit of the new year, I want to talk about claiming that dream life.
If you've been whispering "someday..." to yourself, here are the 5 shifts that actually moved us to the middle of the ocean:

1. Write down your "Honest Why"
Not the poetic one you tell people at dinner parties, the real reason you’re craving change.
Write it down. The honesty will be your anchor when things get hard.

2. Name three specific dreams.
Vague dreams stay dreams. Specific dreams become plans.
Think of a place you want to wake up in, a voyage you want to take, and a lifestyle that keeps calling you.
Let yourself want it, even if you don’t know how to get there yet.

3. Say it out loud.
The moment you speak a dream, it gains weight.
For us, it was a handshake between the two of us. A pact.
Once we started telling family and friends, it stopped being a fantasy and started being a project.

4. Inspire yourself with the channels that make it feel possible.
I followed other families who were already doing it.
I didn’t follow them to compare. I followed them to normalize the “crazy.”
Today my feed is full with possibilities and the "normal" life is looking like the strange one.

5. Stop saying "No" and start asking "How?"
This is the shift that actually put us on the water.
Your brain is designed to keep you safe, so it will tell you “that’s impossible”. Don’t argue with it. Just pivot. When the doubt hits, ask: “How could it be?”

For us, the "how" ended up being a boat. We bought it instead of a house. We weren’t ready. We definitely weren’t “prepared” by anyone’s checklist. But we had reached a point where the risk of staying the same felt greater than the risk of changing.

Even if the answer is just a shrug for now, asking how shifts you from a closed door to an open window.

And once that window is open, everything changes.

👇 Care to share your dream?
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#DreamBig #LiveYourDreamLife

Who doesn't love beach bonfires?
(Except for the smell. And the sand. And needing a proper shower when you finally get back on the boat.)

But still… worth it. Every single time.

So yes, we had as many bonfires as we could. And here's the thing - if you saw a fire on the beach, you could always join. No invitation needed. No awkward "are we intruding?" moment.

That's the sailing community. Always welcoming. Always celebrating. Always happy to share the fire.

#SailingFamily #BeachBonfire #BoatLife #NomadicFamily #OurJourney #IslandNights #TravelWithKids #Lagoon400 #LiveYourDream #FollowThe5un

If there's one thing we've learned over the past few years, it's this:
Life has no rules. Only the ones we choose to follow.

We stopped living by borders, timelines, and expectations.
And started living by curiosity, joy, and trust.
Not because we had it all figured out.
But because we knew - we only get one shot at this life, and we want it to feel like ours.

Now, when something feels impossible, we don’t ask “why not.”
We ask how.
When plans change, we don’t give up.
We ask what else.
And when the world says no, we look for the yes hiding in the corner.

This is what it means to make the world your playground.

It means letting go of the way things should be.
It means choosing new places because they light you up, not because they’re “recommended.”
It means seeing people before politics, and friendships before flags.
It means celebrating all holidays, dancing in all languages, and saying yes to experiences we don’t yet understand, because we know they’ll change us.
It means dreaming out loud and figuring out the details later.

We’re not travelers because we move.
We’re travelers because we’re always learning, growing, enjoying the thrill of the way, not just the destination.
We don’t take no for an answer. Not when it comes to living a full, colorful, honest life.

We say yes to the unknown.
Yes to the difficult conversations.
Yes to stepping out of our comfort zone.
Yes to new beginnings, new places, new adventures.
And yes to building a life that we own, even when it’s full of uncertinty.

So here’s our wish for this New Year:
May your life be one giant playground.
May you climb higher, jump further, and laugh louder.
May you stop waiting for permission.
May you stop asking if you're ready.
And may you never stop asking: what else is possible?

Because the truth is that everything is, if you're willing to play.

#FollowYourDreams #LifeWithoutLimits #FamilyAdventure #DigitalNomads #NomadicLifestyle #LiveYourWay #FamilyTravel #GlobalCitizens #NewYearNewAdventures #IntentionalLiving

One year apart, two completely different realities. 🏝️ ➡️ ❄️

Last December we were exploring the turquoise waters of the Bahamas. This year it is a lot more freezy exploration.

People ask why we lived on a boat for 3 years, This is why. It was never about the destination, it was about proving that you can choose your view.

You don't have to stay stuck in one climate or one way of living. It is not about where you are, it is about having the freedom to decide.

Which season are you choosing this year?

#followthe5un #lifebydesign #sailingfamily #digitalnomads #exumas #worldschooling #boatlife #freedom #locationindependent #intentionalliving #bahamas

There is one moment during Hanukkah that I wait for all year, it happens right in the middle of the last evening.
After we light all eight candles and sing the songs, when the flames are already dancing and the house is filled with warm light, but before we eat the sufganiyot.

In that moment, we pause.

Everything is still open, still possible, not yet scattered. There is a kind of quiet that makes room for real thought. Each of us takes a small piece of paper and writes down one wish for the year ahead. Not a list. Not a plan. Just one wish. Something we want to happen.

After everyone finishes writing, we fold the notes carefully and slide them between the branches of the Hanukkiah. We let the candles keep burning, let the light stay a little longer, let the evening simply be. Only when the candle flames finally go out do we place the Hanukkiah, with all the wishes still inside, into the cupboard. There it waits for a full year, quietly, without reminders or notifications, until the next Hanukkah.

It’s easy to see this as a sweet, almost innocent tradition. A kind of family version of New Year’s resolutions. But over the years, I’ve realized there is something much deeper here, and more importantly, something very practical.

Our wishes don’t sound like prayers for miracles. They sound more like quiet declarations of intent. There is direction in them. There is a sense of time. And most of all, there is responsibility.

The moment those three things come together, intention, a time frame, and the act of writing it down in your own words, something starts to move. A kind of internal compass is created. Knowing that in a year I will open that note means that, slowly, some of my choices, consciously or not, begin to align in that direction.

Dreams don’t happen on their own. They need more than desire. They need intention, time, and a conscious decision to take ownership of them. That’s what the wish inside the Hanukkiah is doing. It’s a small moment where we allow ourselves to admit what we truly want, and give it permission to start working in the background.

Do you have a dream? Maybe it’s time to give it that push...
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#IntentionalLiving #DreamsInMotion

One anchorage, endless game options.

No, we almost never got bored.
Even if it sounds the same, every trip to the beach brought different explorations, different games, and different company.

This was all taken in one day in the Bahamas, December 2024.
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#FollowThe5un #SailingFamily #BahamasLife #LifeAtSea #NomadicFamily #BeachDays #FamilyTravel #SailingWithKids #OurJourney #Bahamas2024

After 7 months sailing in the US, we were craving warm sand and turquoise water.
But the wind didn’t get the memo.

What do you do when nature doesn’t cooperate?
(a) stay cozy on the boat?
(b) suit up and make memories anyway?

You know us, and you know our boys.
There was no question. Windy or not, we suited up, put sunscreen on, and hit the beach.

December 2024
#Bahamas #BahamasLife #BoatLife #SailingFamily #SailingLife #FamilyTravel #FamilyAdventure #IslandHopping #LifeAtSea #OceanLovers #AdventureFamily #FollowThe5un

This was last December (2024) - sailing in the most perfect Bahamas conditions: steady wind, almost flat seas, and wonderful sun ☀️

Sitting outside like this wasn’t something we took for granted.
We had just left the winter behind in the US - packed all our warm clothes into vacuum bags and tucked them into the storage hatches.
We appreciated every second of this sail
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#FollowThe5un #BahamasVibes #SailingFamily #LifeAtSea #NomadicFamily #FamilyAdventures #OurJourney #WinterEscape #LiveYourDream #Lagoon400

Not sure you can get more Bahamas than this.
Right on the water, chill vibes, and the perfect first stop when you hit Andros. 🍹🌴

Yes, this was from last year… but they’re still there!
And if you’re checking into the Bahamas, they’ll even help with that too.
Dec 2024
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#FollowThe5un #BahamasVibes #BelowDeckBeachBar #AndrosIsland
#SailingFamily #OurJourney #LiveYourDream #NomadicFamily #CaribbeanLife #boatlife
@belowdeckandros

Reason we loved sailing so much?
Mornings like this.

The boys watching the crystal clear water and looking for starfish… and the sunrise painting our route.
Sunrises and sunsets never got old on a boat, even if the video is.
December 2024.
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#BahamasBlue #BoatLife #SailingFamily #MorningViews #TravelWithKids #LiveYourDream #FollowThe5un #NomadicFamily #Lagoon400 #OurJourney

You can feel lonely even when you’re surrounded by people.
I learned that long before we left to sail around the world.

Before we set off, people asked and questioned our decision in different ways, and although they meant well, it felt like we're being pushed out.
And slowly, we realized something: loneliness often begins when the people around you stop understanding the life you're trying to build.

When we started sailing, that loneliness didn’t disappear.
We met families, shared dinners, watched the kids play… and then everyone lifted anchor and continued on.

By the time we reached Grenada, we were craving something deeper.
The anchorage was full. So many families. So much life.
But the rhythm wasn’t ours. And although nothing dramatic happened, we didn't fit.

So we took a break and sailed north to Sandy Island.

And that’s where it happened.
Someone turned around, waved, and invited our boys to join the rest of the kids.
One tiny gesture that changed our entire year.
Within minutes we were part of something.
Within days, we had a tribe.
People who made us feel understood without explanation.

And suddenly, that quiet loneliness we had been carrying for almost a year softened.

I think about this a lot. Especially now, living remotely, working remotely, coaching remote teams.

Because loneliness isn’t just a sailing story.
It shows up in remote work, digital nomad life, big life transitions, or even when you stay in one place but grow in a different direction than the people around you.

Belonging doesn’t happen because we try hard.
Belonging happens when we offer a small gesture that becomes the beginning of someone else’s story.

If you're feeling lonely in your journey, whether on land, at sea, or behind a laptop, you're not failing and you're not strange.

You're just in the part of the story before the wave.

Your people are out there.
And sometimes all it takes is one moment of courage, one message, one check-in… or one wave.

#FollowThe5un #OurJourney #FollowYourDreams
#DigitalNomad #RemoteWorkLife #IntentionalLiving #SailingFamily

Last year we opened our last season on the water with an 80-mile sail from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas.
We knew the boat would go up for sale that season… we just didn’t know where yet.
Martinique was the plan, but life had other ideas, and the next few weeks changed everything.

Crossing the Gulf Stream felt like stepping into another world - warmer air, calmer nights, lighter everything.
Only 80 miles, but the difference is magic.

This is the first sale of our last season.
December 2024
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#BahamasCrossing #SailingFamily #BoatLife #FollowThe5un #OurJourney #LiveYourDream #NomadicFamily #Lagoon400 #BahamasBlue #TravelWithKids

Last year we left Fort Lauderdale behind us and headed to the Bahamas for one last chance to soak in that blue.
After 7 months sailing the east coast, watching the water shift from ICW brown to blue, deep blue, light blue… reaching that crystal clear Bahamas blue felt like coming up for air.
We needed our last season to start exactly like that.
December 2024.
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#BahamasBlue #SailingFamily #BoatLife #FollowThe5un #LiveYourDream #Lagoon400 #NomadicFamily #TravelWithKids #BahamasLife #OurJourney

Our financial plan collapsed after three months.
The money ran out faster than we expected, and the remote job I was counting on?
It fell through.

So I did the most illogical thing:
I took a break from work.

Before we set sail, we divided our savings into three parts:
• monthly costs (how long we could stay on the journey)
• money for our return (for a soft landing on land)
• and whatever was left for buying the boat

Because we don’t have deep pockets, it was clear we’d both work during the journey.
Sergey built a remote business.
And I came with confidence from tech — a Product Manager with a promise that after three months, I’d start freelancing for my startup.

But two months in, everything changed.
The market shifted.
The company shifted.
And the plan I trusted simply… disappeared.
Our income plan shattered, and our expenses were higher than we expected.

Right then, at the most uncomfortable moment, Sergey and I agreed that I should take time off work.

For the first time since my early twenties, I asked myself what I actually wanted.
I launched our Follow the 5un channels.
I learned AI.
I was a mom and a teacher almost full-time.
And after nine months, I returned to the job market refreshed.

Someone once told me,
“If you throw stones into the water, one of the ripples will bring something back.”
So I started throwing stones.
Online communities. Virtual meetings. Networking from the boat.
And one of those ripples brought back an Australian company I still work with today.

That work gave us stability, and it allowed us to continue without needing full-time jobs — exactly what we dreamed of.

And our biggest realization?

Money is a tool, not a goal.
Before the journey, I worked to advance.
To feel successful.
But on the journey, I work to enable — car rentals, restaurants, flights home.
A short-term perspective, because the goal is to live now.

My recommendation to you?
Plan. Do the calculation.
But don’t fall in love with your plan.
It will change.
The market will change.
And you will change.

You don’t need a perfect plan.
Just one that’s good enough to get you going
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#sailingfamily #digitalnomadlife #liveaboardlife #familytravelblogמ #FollowThe5un

Count 18 bridges with us!!

The ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) is the inland waterway that runs along the east coast.
And between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale there are 18 bridges, all opening!
We only discovered this by mistake and decided to try the ICW for the first time since arriving to the US.

We used ChatGPT to make a table with every bridge, its schedule, name, and the channel to call, so we could get through it without looking for the next bridge details all the time.

It took us a day and a half, but we made it.

Our conclusion?
ICW is great when you can’t wait, but it’s exhausting.
It feels like driving a car, wich is fine, just not when sailing.

We still prefer the ocean side when we can. ⛵️
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November, 2024
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#ICW #BoatLife #SailingFamily #FollowThe5un #EastCoastSailing #FloridaWaterways #NomadicFamily #TravelWithKids #OurJourney

Not a dull moment 😂
West Palm Beach, Nov 2024
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#BoatKids #SailingFamily #FollowThe5un #BoatLife #FamilyAdventures #TravelWithKids #NomadicFamily #NeverBoringr #OurJourney #Brothers

It’s almost that time of the year – and if you’re sailing or driving south on the east coast, don’t miss this.
St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights is pure magic.
The city glows from Nov 15 – Jan 11, and it’s worth every stop.
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#NightsOfLights #StAugustine #EastCoastAdventure #SailingSouth #FollowThe5un #BoatLife #TravelWithKids #FamilyAdventures #LiveYourDream #FloridaHolidays

The weeks here are flying by too fast, and only the boats arriving in the bay remind me that it’s migration season again.

Those staying in the Mediterranean are getting their boats ready for winter,
and those who aren’t, raise their sails and head west, toward the Atlantic, where the great December crossing is about to begin.

One of the things I loved most about life on the boat was that rhythm of nature.
Our direction followed the seasons, our days followed the sun.
The calendar reminded us of holidays, and the clock reminded us when it was a good time to call family, but beyond that, it was nature that set our pace, not our schedule.

A simplicity that life on land seems to have long forgotten.

In our new life, we try to fit everything in - school, activities, friends, work, lessons, a beer or coffee, a bit of travel, and of course, some beach time.
We need to plan and manage our days so carefully, and if I could, I’d probably manage the sun too, just to make it fit a little better with our needs.

Living by nature’s rhythm feels almost impossible on land.

But then the sun begins to set, and we stop to watch it on our way home.
I look at the boats anchored in the bay for the night, and I know where they’re heading. Not just tomorrow or the next day, but on their journey for the months ahead.
Some of the places they’ll discover, I already know so well.

And suddenly, I miss it.
Not the sea itself, but the discovery.
The feeling of finding new places, and the perspective that makes all the little troubles of land life seem so small.

Then I see them rocking gently on the water, and I’m grateful for the steady ground beneath my feet.

I watch the sun go down, wrap myself and the boys in the blanket I brought (mom instincts), and I’m happy to feel the first chill of autumn.
After three years of summer, I’m finally glad to let autumn reach us too.
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#FollowYourDreams #FamilyTravelInspiration #LifeByTheSea #ChasingSeasons #TimeOfTheSeason #LifeByNature

It’s not always easy living on the sea.
There are long nights, tight spaces, scary moments, and never-ending boat jobs.

But then... there are these moments.
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#ThisIsWhyWeSail #BoatLife #SailingFamily #SailingLife #NomadicFamily #FollowThe5un #OceanLife #FamilyAfloat #SailingDreams #OurJourney #PerfectMoment

Showers on the boat are quick, and mostly functional.
We don't have water to waste.

So when we're staying in a marina, running water is a full-on spa experience.

The boys took 15 minutes each.
No one complained. No one rushed.
Different songs came from each shower, and all we had to do was wait...
and then wait some more.
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#BoatLife #SailingFamily #MarinaDays #LongShowers #NomadicFamily #LivingOnTheSea #SimpleLuxuries #FollowThe5un #BoatKids #OurJourney

I hate managing.
I love leading.
And I love whispering to others even more.

It sounds simple, but it took me years to understand that difference, and even longer to accept it.

While friends climbed the career ladder, collecting promotions and shiny new titles, I stayed behind as “just” a senior, or a specialist. And almost every time I opened LinkedIn, I felt that sting, the quiet thought that whispered, you could have been there too.

I know how social media works.
I share the wins, the adventures, the sunsets, the joy. Sometimes even the messy middle. But when things really fall apart, when the storm hits or the chaos takes over, the last thing I do is grab my phone. So most of what you see are the moments that can be captured, not the ones that swallow you whole in the moment.
LinkedIn is no different.
Behind every polished update are drafts, doubts, and sleepless nights.

Still, I get jealous. Still, I lose my breath when I scroll.

And here’s another truth, I once had big dreams for myself career-wise. I wore heels and pretty clothes and makeup every morning. I chased the vision of becoming someone important, with a shiny title. Those dreams were real, until they didn’t. Somewhere along the way I traded heels for bare feet, mascara for sunscreen, and ambition for simplicity.

And part of the acceptance is realizing that dreams change too. It’s not just about prioritizing budgets or tasks, sometimes you prioritize dreams. Sometimes you accept that the old ones are no longer yours.

So I remind myself, again and again, that my path doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s.
And that envy does not move me forward, it only adds more wrinkles and takes away joy from the path I already chose.

It is not always easy. But if this is the “cost” of living the way that makes sense to me, then it is perfect.
Because it is mine.
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#FollowThe5un #SailingFamily #NomadLife #FamilyAdventure #DreamChasers

We’ve been through tides before.
We’ve seen beaches disappear and reappear, sometimes revealing the most beautiful surprises.

But we’ve never seen a whole parking lot vanish.
Until Seabreeze Marina, Charleston SC.

So cool. So weird.
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#SeabreezeMarina #CharlestonSC #FullMoonTide #MarinaLife #SailingFamily #BoatLife #NomadicFamily #FollowThe5un #NatureMagic #OurJourney

Getting groceries to a boat is a bit more complex than getting them to a house. You have to figure out how to get the bags from land to water.

Marina style makes it easier: grab the trolley provided by the marina and roll it straight to the boat.

Dinghy style is trickier: load a supermarket cart, transfer everything into the dinghy, and then finally onto the boat. More failure points, less room for mistakes.

Either way, it’s always an adventure.
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#BoatLife #FreshProduce #SailingFamily #FollowThe5un #LifeAtSea #CruisingFamily #NomadicFamily #DigitalNomadLife #TravelWithKids #FamilyAdventures #LiveYourDream

Sergey vs the boys, grass wins 😂
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#SailingFamily #FollowThe5un #FamilyAdventures #NomadicFamily #TravelWithKids #FamilyGame #FootballFails

Trying to leave the marina in Charleston turned into a 20-minute wait for the slowest train ever.
Having friends with us definitely made it better and way more hilarious.
Three kid boats - seven kids shouting at the train, six parents waiting it out, and cheers all around when it finally moved.
Boat life adventures don’t always happen on the water.
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#SailingLife #BoatLife #FollowThe5un #FamilyAdventures #TravelWithKids #NomadicFamily #DigitalNomadLife #LiveYourDream #AdventureAwaits #EverydayAdventure
@dawntreaderwith4

Sailing to remote places means fresh produce is rare and expensive.
So this season I decided to try something new - growing sprouts on board.
The kit made it so easy that I instantly fell in love with it.
Fresh, crunchy greens right on our boat.
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#BoatLife #SailingFamily #FollowThe5un #LifeAtSea #CruisingFamily #NomadicFamily #DigitalNomadLife #TravelWithKids #LiveYourDream #sprouts #BoatHacks

We sailed 1.5 days from Beaufort, NC to Charleston, SC and anchored at night next to a big battleship.
In the morning, we finally saw how impressive the USS Yorktown really was.
Not your everyday wake-up view.
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#SailingLife #BattleShip #FollowThe5un #LifeAtSea #SailingFamily #CruisingLife #CharlestonSC #BoatLife #USSYorktown #NomadicFamily #LiveYourDream

We always keep at least one rod in the water while sailing.
Some days we catch nothing and some sails bring us three tunas.

Our rule is simple: if it is edible, we eat it.

So tonight it was fish tortillas for everyone.
From sea to tortilla. Fresh tuna, avo, mayo, and lettuce. The perfect boat dinner.

#SailingLife #CatchAndCook #FollowThe5un #BoatLife #FreshCatch #SailingFamily #OceanToTable #LifeAtSea #CruisingLife #SailingFamily

Our boys… future Minions in training 😂
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#BoatLife #SailingFamily #FollowThe5un #LifeAtSea #CruisingWithKids #NomadicFamily #FamilyAdventures #SailingLife #LiveYourDream #BoatKids

In November 2024, we left the cold Chesapeake in early November and headed south for warmer North Carolina.
1.5 days at sea, rounding Cape Hatteras.
The weather was perfect, the sea was calm, dolphins came to say hello, there was a fresh catch, endless sunsets, and those long night shifts that made it all feel unreal.
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#SailingLife #CapeHatteras #FollowThe5un #SailingFamily #LifeAtSea #CruisingLife #NomadicFamily #EastCoastSailing #BoatLife #LiveYourDream

How do we check our rigging?

1. We wait for the calmest day — no wind, no waves
2. We put on our “marriage savers”
3. One climbs into the bosun’s chair
4. The other lifts sloooowly using the halyard + electric winch
5. While up there, we use the chance to clean the rigging
6. We bring them down manually (because trust, not speed)

Sergey loves it — I did it once and that was more than enough for me 😅
The view is wild though.
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#SailingLife #RiggingCheck #LiveYourDream #FollowThe5un #SailingFamily #CruisingLife #BoatMaintenance #LifeAtSea #Lagoon400 #NomadicFamily

November gave us our very first autumn. The air was crisp, the light was soft, and the ground was covered in golden leaves. We had never experienced this before, and suddenly the boys were running, jumping, laughing, and so were we.

Every step made that magical quiet sound of leaves crunching beneath our feet. It was simple, it was playful, and it was pure joy. A memory we will carry with us wherever we go.

#FamilyTravel #TravelWithKids #FamilyAdventures #FollowThe5un #OurJourney #NomadicFamily #LifeWithKids #SimpleJoys #AutumnVibes #ParentingMoments

Long walking days in a city can be tough with kids, but we found a simple way to make it easier.
Bring scooters.
The boys complained less, we covered more ground, and exploring Washington DC turned into fun instead of a struggle. Sometimes the smallest hacks make the biggest difference.

#FamilyTravel #TravelWithKids #ParentingHack #FamilyAdventures #FollowThe5un #OurJourney #NomadicFamily #LifeWithKids #WashingtonDC #TravelTips

2 a.m., somewhere off the coast of the U.S.
We were more than 50 miles from land, sailing under a full moon and clear skies. But we were alert. It was July, lightning storm season, and we were checking the radar and cloud apps every 15 minutes.
Some storms drift in from land. Others just appear out of nowhere in the ocean.

On land, thunderstorms are an inconvenience. Out on the ocean, it’s something else entirely.
We were the only boat around for miles, and if a storm hit, the chance of a direct strike was too high to ignore.
We’re not afraid of a strike itself. The boat has a grounding that sends the electricity into the sea. The real fear is that all electric systems on board would fry, and we’d be stuck in the middle of a storm with no way to respond.

It was my shift. I looked up from the screen and realized the moon had disappeared. No stars. Just cloud. A really, really big cloud.
Fifteen minutes earlier, everything was clear.
And now this.

The cloud was less than a mile away and moving fast while we were motoring east with only one engine, preferring the slow speed over risking two engines.

I woke Sergey and we decided to turn north, hoping to miss it.
He stayed at the helm, I ran below to disconnect everything but the one engine we left running. Just in case.

On the way back up, I checked the kids’ life jackets. Ours were already on.
Back at the helm, it was clear we were too slow.
The lightning was getting more frequent.

My heart was in my throat. We needed to move faster.
We reconnected the second engine, and it started.

#LifeAtSea
We pushed forward for 30 minutes, watching the radar, barely breathing.
One cloud. Not growing. The others disappeared.

Then, a crack of moonlight broke through.
The storm slid off to the side.
We made it.

We didn’t sleep that night. Or the one after.
By the time we reached our next anchorage, we were exhausted and grateful to be near land when the next storm rolled in.

Boat life is knowing that even though you prepare, you’ll still be surprised.
Most of the time it’s thrilling. Sometimes, like this night, it’s right on the edge of too much.

I’m not here to scare you. Just sharing the other side of sailing life.

We sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, watching the Washington Monument glow in the colors of the setting sun. It was early November, the air was crisp and clear, and it felt like the perfect pause before heading back to the boat.

We had just come from LA, and soon we would be leaving the Chesapeake Bay on our way south to the Bahamas for the season. This sunset was one of those small, quiet moments that stays with you.

#FamilyTravel #WashingtonDC #TravelWithKids #FamilyAdventures #FollowThe5un #OurJourney #NomadicFamily #BoatLife #SunsetMagic #LifeWithKids

We spent two days at Universal Hollywood with the boys and only paid for one. The deal was simple, buy one day and get the second free. We always thought Orlando was the obvious choice, but Hollywood surprised us with better prices and offers.

When we found this opportunity it aligned perfectly with the California road trip we wanted to do. It was a good reminder to always keep an open mind and check what opportunities are out there.

#FamilyTravel #UniversalHollywood #TravelWithKids #ThemeParkFun #FamilyAdventures #ParentingHack #TravelTips #FollowThe5un #OurJourney #CaliforniaRoadTrip

He’s been dreaming of this, and for his 10th birthday, we finally made it happen.

While road-tripping through California in October 2024, we surprised him with tickets to…
Imagine Dragons. At the Hollywood Bowl.

The look on his face when we told him, unforgettable.
The way he yelled every word at the concert, also unforgettable.

Making his dream come true, watching the pure joy on his face, as parents, that’s everything.
What a privilege to do this, and to have these shared memories forever.

#FollowThe5un #OurJourney #ImagineDragons #HollywoodBowl #10thBirthday #FamilyAdventures #DreamComeTrue #TravelWithKids #NomadicFamily #LiveYourDream
@imaginedragons @hollywoodbowl @ticketmaster

We’ve seen it in movies.
Heard people say it’s one of the most beautiful drives in the world.
So we had to find out for ourselves…

Highway 1 didn’t disappoint.
Cliffs, curves, ocean views - the whole thing.

But here’s the most important lesson we learned:
Always check if the road is open.
We found out it was closed… 12 miles before the end.
Which meant turning around and driving an extra 3.5 hours to reach our next stop.

Would we still do it? Absolutely.
Would we plan the night stopover differently? Also yes.
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#FollowThe5un #OurJourney #Highway1 #CaliforniaDreaming #RoadTripVibes #FamilyAdventures #NomadicFamily #SailingFamily #WestCoastViews #LiveYourDream

We told them they could only dip their feet. But hey… we’re raising boat kids. And if there’s one thing you can be sure of, it will never end with just wet feet.

The only real question is how we, the parents, react. On a road trip, with no towels, and hours before the next motel… you can get mad, but it won’t change the situation.

So we chose to laugh, roll with it, and make it work. We figured out a solution for the ride, and found a really good washing machine in the evening.
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#CarmelCalifornia #BoatKids #FamilyAdventures #TravelWithKids #FamilyTravel #LifeOnTheRoad #FollowThe5un #SailingFamily #NomadicFamily #ParentingOnTheGo #LiveYourDream

Coolest way to see the city, even if we lost a hat along the way.
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#SanFrancisco #CableCarRide #FamilyAdventures #TravelWithKids #CityAdventures #FamilyTravel #FollowThe5un #OurJourney #CaliforniaTravel #LiveYourDream

It took me a few weeks to understand what it was I really wanted to say. And the truth is simple, but not always easy:
Being present isn’t something that just happens. It’s a choice.

We live in a world that teaches us to stay busy, move fast, tick boxes. We treat boredom like the enemy, and slowing down like we’re doing something wrong. But what if both are gifts?

Opportunities to see more, feel more, live more.

This realization hit when we got too far from shore, our Starlink fried, and suddenly, no internet. I sat at the helm, refreshing Instagram again and again, until I remembered: the wifi wasn’t coming back.

And in that pause, something shifted.

I set the phone down, played music on the speaker, and the world came alive. Flying fish leapt across the waves, the wind brushed my face, music filled the air. I laughed, I danced, and when the kids joined, we sang together. Later, the boys sat for hours drawing and crafting, something they never usually do. We played cards and told stories.

Nothing had changed, not the sea, not the boat. but we did.

It wasn’t one big realization. It came slowly, through small, ordinary moments that caught me off guard.
Like Gal, gasping at a view in Haifa he’d passed hundreds of times but only really saw once. Or Or, standing perfectly still to watch a butterfly land. Or Bar, who couldn’t care less about butterflies, but lights up at anything mechanical. And Sergey, who never stops grinning when dolphins swim beside the boat.

When we’re present, we get curious, notice details, ask questions. A plan changes, a door opens, a new idea takes root.
It’s easy to think staying busy gets us further.
But I’ve learned the opposite. that sometimes stopping, lifting my head, and letting the outside in has given me more than any checklist ever could.

The journey isn’t the goal.
Living it is.

#BeingHereNow #FollowThe5un #LifeAtSea #PresenceOverPerfection #DigitalDetox #FamilyTravel #NomadicLiving #SailingFamily #MindfulMoments #LetTheWorldIn

One day in San Francisco.
We hadn’t planned to stay in the city, so we only gave it one day. But what a day it turned out to be.

We held on tight riding the trolley, laughing as we tried not to fall. We wandered through the streets, stopped for lunch in Chinatown, and made it to the wharf where the boys watched the sea lions and a magic show.

Every moment felt like a scene from a movie. The Golden Gate, the hills, the cable cars — we’ve seen them all on screens, even in cartoons, but standing there in person was something else.

One day wasn’t nearly enough, but we loved every corner of it.
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#SanFrancisco #GoldenGateBridge #FamilyAdventures #TravelWithKids #FamilyTravel #OurJourney #FollowThe5un #CityAdventures #CaliforniaTravel #LiveYourDream

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