The Williams Family's 1st sail aboard "High-Five"

Meet The Williams Family

About 10 years ago, the Williams family moved to Seattle so Rob could pursue a career in the booming tech industry. As a young couple, they rented an apartment in the city and embraced the downtown lifestyle! It wasn’t long before they started a family; first came Hathaway (7 years old), Thatcher (5 years old), and finally Augusta, aka "Gus" (3 years old). Doing nearly everything together, the Williams family lived a Seattle lifestyle to the fullest – eventually moving into a two-bedroom condo right near Rob's downtown office.

Both originally from Florida, Rob & Geneva had done some boating in the past -- but mostly powerboating.  As a kid Rob had gone to sailing camp and remembered how much fun and interactive sailing was. With three kids to entertain, Rob & Geneva were looking for a family activity that would get them out of the city and exploring new destinations. After meeting with their local Jeanneau Dealer, Marine Servicenter -- the Williams found the perfect answer-- the Sun Odyssey 440! It proved to be the perfect vehicle for family fun.

The walk-around decks are ideal for the kids (and parents alike).  The cockpit is a great space for a family of five to spread out yet still be close to each other.  Down below there are three truly rectangular berths --- more bedrooms than their downtown condo!

"These are our first stairs!" Hathaway exclaimed while walking down the companionway steps.

Geneva explained, "our first apartment was single level and our downtown condo is also single level. Hathaway is right, these are the first stairs we own!"

The 1st Sail on "High-Five"

Dan Krier, V.P. of Yachts for Marine Servicenter was on hand to help the Williams family the first time they dropped the dock lines. While sailing on Lake Union they began practicing family teamwork to move the Sun Odyssey 440 under wind power alone.

"I taught the kids how to determine what tack we were on and compare that to other boats on Lake Union in downtown Seattle," said Dan. He continued, "they learned the "rules of the road" under sail and then we worked on changing tacks to get a better idea of these rules. Because sailing is a team sport, the crew needs to work together to tack the boat.  I asked if they could help to tack and they eagerly jumped in working winches, clearing lines, learning sailing terms like prepare to tack!"

Rob was at the helm for the first couple of tacks with the kids running winches and lines.  At the end of the short sail on Lake Union the kids had it down and were not only running lines but also steering the boat through the tacks (granted they had very light wind - perfect to get a feel for the 440 with a 7, 5, & 3 year old running the boat).

As a tightly knit family of five, “High Five” seemed like the perfect name when it was time for christening, however the family had so much fun sailing with Dan, that Thatcher proclaimed , "the boat should be named High Six!" And everyone had a laugh.

After a wonderful day of sailing, Rob & Geneva were thrilled the kids were already getting the hang of the sport, and the whole family is looking forward to many more days on the water!

Let the adventures begin!

JEANNEAU