Seven at Sea

Why a New York City Family Cast Off Convention for a Life-Changing Year on a Sailboat

By: Erik Orton, Emily Orton

Narrated by: George Newbern, Erica Sullivan

Erik and Emily skillfully reveal that it is possible to live big on a shoestring budget while giving their family an astonishing education in adventure, creativity, purpose, and grit.

Working the night shift as a temp in a high-rise cubicle, Erik Orton knew something had to change. He felt the responsibility of providing for his wife and their five children, the youngest with Down syndrome, but craved a life that offered more than just surviving.

Watching the sailboats on the Hudson River during his sunset dinner breaks, Erik dared to dream. What would it be like to leave the hustle of the city and instead spend a year on a sailboat, somewhere beautiful, as a family? Despite having no sailing experience, his wife Emily's phobia of deep water, and already stretching every dollar to pay rent and buy groceries, the family of seven turned their excuses into reasons and their fears into motivation. Sure, they would miss their friends, they could go broke, they could get injured or die. Worst of all, they could humiliate themselves by trying something audacious and failing. But the little time they still had together as a family, before their oldest daughter left for college, was drifting away. The Ortons cast off the life they knew to begin an uncertain journey of 5,000 miles between New York City and the Caribbean, ultimately arriving at a new place within themselves.

A portrait of a captivating and resilient family and a celebration of the courage it takes to head for something over the horizon, this is a deeply compelling story, told alternately by Erik and Emily, for all those who dream of leaving routine in their wake.

©2019 Erik Orton and Emily Orton (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Very Nice

Fun and thoughtful. The story is interesting and includes meaningful thoughts and ideas. It is worth reading.

Nicely done

This was an enjoyable sail down memory lane for me. We were out there for more than 5 years and I have to give the author props for figuring out the “why rush” thing way sooner. I was silently screaming “Don’t leave St Martin if you need boat parts and repairs!!” But the best thing about this book is the way this couple communicate and raise their kids. The whole process was laid out there for others who might be interested in sailing away for a while. And if you can imagine it, you can do it!

#goals

I loved this book. What a great adventure. Thank you for telling it. An inspiring story of a larger than normal family sailing and learning to go with the flow. I really loved how the couple highlighted the up and downs of real life situations. Not all rainbows like what you might see on social media.

Interesting journey but distracting performance

This family discovered many things while en route between concept and action. Probably the most relevant thing to the reader would be the Orton’s introduction to the kindness and generosity of the sailing community. The reader’s performance (his more than hers) was disingenuous and complicated by frequent mispronunciations. If you can get by that and you can relate to the family’s personal ideals, you’ll probably enjoy most of the book.

Family adventure at its best!

My family of eight listened to this on our road trip this past weekend. We loved every bit of it. I the reading was great and kept us interested the whole time.

Great adventure

Wonderful storytelling with first rate narration. I found myself dreaming every day after restricting myself to no more than 30 minutes each sitting. Thanks for sharing your story Ortons.

Great feel good story

I thoroughly enjoyed this listen. The kindness provided by the strangers encountered was truly uplifting.

Excellent book!

What can I say other than it was a great book. Very much enjoyed it from start to end and liked the fact that the trip, and sailing in general, was a chapter in their life, not their whole life. I like many others dream of taking off and sailing the world and taking an “extended vacation” is a nice twist and much more doable for the everyday American than selling everything and trying to live and travel for the foreseeable future.

Open, vulnerable telling.

This book is a delight. I absolutely loved feeling vicariously what the Orton family experienced. just so open and honest and relatable. What a beautiful tale of courage and risk and growth and connection, and the merits and liabilities that are inherent in our life experiences. Loved it so much.

Sail Away

Fun listen. Better than expected, with pleasing and effective narration, with chapters set up for him & her alternating voices. Not too much depth with regards to the sailing details (maybe disappointing experienced sailors) but enough to keep general readers interested. This is more than a sailing story in any case, and that actually makes it a better book. Congrats to the authors on embarking on this voyage and telling your story.