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Aspen Jade was born at 05.00 GMT on the morning we left Las Palmas to cross the Atlantic with the ARC. We have only seen pictures of her until now but finally she persuaded her mother Bridget to bring her to Florida to meet us! It was all very emotional but great fun too.
She took to life aboard with the nonchalance that you would expect from her ancestry. A sea berth was arranged behind the port lee cloth where the crew normally sleep on night passages. Apart from a little grumble when needing a top up from her mum she was very peaceful.
The temperatures were in the 90’s by day and 70’s at night so clothes became an optional extra, especially with very high humidity too. She rapidly got to know her new grandparents and was very happy to be with them. This, of course, reinforced the view that she was very special indeed.
Grandparents have special privileges and they were keen to exercise them as soon as possible. Aspen was taught how to drink from a mineral water bottle like adults do in hot weather. She was given a Thomas The Tank Engine dinner set - no sexism in this family - and quickly learned to hold none handle of the open two-handled cup to take a drink of juice. (We never used feeder cups with our children, so why should they with theirs?)
Aspen was happy to sleep and play in the cockpit, on deck or in the cabin as long as she was out of the sun and not over-dressed. What bliss!
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