Welcome to our www.conwaysailors.com! We are a family of 5 from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey. We have recently embarked upon a year long cruising adventure aboard our new boat, s/v Patronus, a 47′ sailboat. Please subscribe to our website on the left hand side of the page to get an email when we update our site throughout the year. Click on the other pages of our site for photos, our itinerary, and more!
Chris is an active father, a successful businessman, a talented woodworker, a wannabe meteorologist, and a lifelong sailor. He enjoyed years of racing sailboats with his family, at Cornell University, and at premier levels of the racing world. Highlights of his racing career include the Transatlantic Race (New York to England), Fastnet (England), and Cowes Week (England). These days, he enjoys being a dad to Bryson, Riesling, and Porter. He is excited about sharing his love of sailing, adventure, and the sea with his children. In preparing for our trip, he has taken an intensive diesel engine repair and maintenance course, researched every possible piece of equipment from bow to stern, and has pored over the charts from Maine to Grenada.
Erica is a stay-at-home mom who has always felt most at home when on the ocean. She was boating by 11 weeks old and has never stopped. As a 
child, she enjoyed powerboating with her family and lived on a boat for 6 years on Long Island, New York. In college, she began racing sailboats and fell in love with the wind. And Chris. Chris and Erica met on the Cornell Sailing Team, racing dinghies together and traveling around the country. They dreamed of getting married and having three children some day, during those early months of starry-eyed dating. They graduated, got married, and continued to race until having children 10 years ago. Erica can’t wait to watch her three children feel at home on a boat. Most importantly, she can’t wait to show them that we can make our dreams come true.
Bryson is a ten year old natural sailor. He has always loved the water and spends hours at the water’s edge, building sand castles, digging holes, and boogie-boarding. Bryson is a delightful boy who is always smiling and cheerful. He enjoys talking to people, playing with Legos, Star Wars and Harry Potter (the books, the movies, the DS games, the Legos…), playing the The Entertainer on the piano, reading The Hardy Boys, doing things with the Cub Scouts, and most of all, math. He loves spending time with his brother and sister. He is a wonderful student and will thrive in a boatschooling environment.
Riesling is a treasure. She is an old soul and is incredibly deep, intuitive, compassionate, and ethical. She is an incredible artist, a beautiful writer, and plays lovely music on the piano and recorder. She is a voracious reader, currently reading the Harry Potter series and The Sisters’ Grimm series. Reese loves the water and is a beautiful swimmer. She is spunky, funny, does great impressions, and is personally responsible for most of the drama in our family. She is a hard worker and excels in school. She will be a big helper to Porter when we are boatschooling. She can’t wait to snorkel and fish on our trip.
Porter is a smart, strong-willed, and charismatic little boy. He loves his brother and sister and enjoys playing with them whenever possible. He is in Kindergarten, learning to read, and enjoying being a five-year-old. He enjoys snuggling, having books read to him, playing Club Penguin, and candy.
His sailing experience involves napping any time we are under way. He loves exploring new places and will learn so much on our trip! His favorite sailing destination so far is The Baths in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.
Love it!
Love your site! We are also starting a one year boating adventure with our daughter who will be 8. We are heading to the Bahamas probably shortly after Christmas this year. Cheers!
Sorry my url for our blog was not correct in the last post. I have corrected it now.
Awesome have fun on your trip
Glad to see the “Spot” program is up and running.
Good luck Conway family on what promises to be an amazing adventure! I can’t wait to hear all about it!
Good Luck neighbors! Can’t wait to hear about your travels.
Good luck and can’t wait to read all about your family’s adventures on sea!
Bon Voyage, best of luck on your adventure, we wish you fair winds and will miss you in ho-ho-kus but look forward to hearing about the trip. love,
Pam, tab, matthew, laura, kristin, coco and lyric.
Have a wonderful time!!
Amazing that your children will be able to have this experiance. God Bless you all safe travels.
Hi!
First of all, I want to say, this is amazing!
And second of all, we actually sort of met you all today!
Our boat is in Port Jefferson and we were on the launch that picked you up! I’m sure by the time you see this you won’t remember who anyone on the launch was, but I was the girl with her parents and brother and you left your kids life jackets on the launch.
Anyway, the only reason I found this is because I am a Harry Potter nerd and loved the name of your boat and wanted to look up and see if there was a photo of the name (because I also really liked the font) and I found out you were on your second day of your trip! Well my whole family will now be following along and wishing you all tons of luck and happy times! And may many more Harry Potter fans come across your blog because of your boat’s name!
-Kenzi
What an absolutely amazing adventure. Mindy wrote about your trip in FB. I thought it was so inspiring that I had to check out your website. I have been reading your blog and just can’t stop. I wish you and your family all the best and look forward to following your adventure!
Erin Devaney DeGeorge
To All the Conway Family
I just read of your adventure in the Town Journal and am now visiting your most creative web site. Applause to wonderful parents and very lucky children who will prosper in many ways from this “adventure of a lifetime” or hopefully it will be the beginning of future adventures. I will follow your blogs and surround you with prayers and God’s speed for a safe return.
Mary Jo, a very proud neighbor
Heard about your adventure and have to wish you all, great sailing and good luck…enjoy!!
Hi I’m one of the kids from Ida Lewis when you guys visited… this is very cool! have fun on your one year trek!
I have some photos of you guys. where should I send them
Jeff
Have a wonderful trip!! I’m so excited we can follow along with your adventure! Be safe!
Read about your trip on Launa’s FB site. What a wonderful memory for your children. They will learn sooo much and carry it with them for their entire lives.
Dear Conway Family,
I am so excited for you. I can’t wait to hear about your adventures and to share them with your fifth grade family, Bryson. Wishing you fair winds and calm seas and FUN!
Ms. J.
It was so great to meet you at my gallery on Rocky Neck today. You are an inspiration. I hope many people take your adventure, and Mark Twain’s quote to heart and follow your lead.
Hi Folks,
We met you in Gloucester Harbor a couple of days ago. You asked if we could recommend a tie up and then we met you while having ice cream. Chris told us about your year long adventure and we think this is a very cool way to spent a year together!
I found your blog by searching for ‘one year cruise three kids’. I’ve subscribed and will follow your journey.
Best of luck and have a terrific trip!
Jamie & Sandi
Thanks for finding us! It was great to meet you. Hope you enjoyed the rest of your time on your friend’s beautiful boat!
Proud of you all. Can’t wait to follow in your footsteps on our s/v Kanaloa.
Thank you for the time and the tour yesterday. It was nice to meet you and learn about your journey. Michael had told me about your trip but it was nice to meet your wonderful famiy and see the boat. Safe travels.
Michael “Jido” Bardwell
So great to meet you! We are so glad you could come check out Patronus and meet our family. So happy you will be following along with us! Btw, Annabelle’s is THE spot for ice cream in portsmouth!
As soon as I open my email account I scan through all the emails and look for yours and open it first! I can’t wait to read about your latest adventure and see your pictures. Thank you Erica. I love living vicariously through you and your family!
It was a pleasure to meet you and hear about your sailing adventure. We met on the Maine Narrow Gauge railroad yesterday. Will follow your adventures on the high seas. God Speed! Bob & Cindy
It was great to meet you both as well. Thanks for looking us up! Glad you will be following along with us!
Saw you pull into T Harbor earlier this evening. Hope you enjoy your time in this quiet, little spot–well, mostly quiet except in the morning when the lobsterboats are heading out. Sounds like your family’s having quite an adventure. Savor every moment!
Looking forward to the lobsterboat wakeup call tomorrow! Lovely spot we’re in tonight. Enjoying the almost full moon shining in through the hatches. On to Rockport, Rockland, Camden, and Pulpit’s Harbor this week. Trying to decide if we should go to Castine as well.
Hi Conways,
Hope you are all having a great time. Can’t wait to read about your adventures!
Good luck!
The Goldens
Love you all, and SOOOOO proud of your courage and sense of adventure!!
hope to fly out and meet you in some far away place next year!! Be Safe, will be watching you!! Love you so much..Uncle Barry
Awesome adventure……read about your trip in the NJ magazine…….looking forward to updates. Kriste & Christopher (age 9) Traphagen
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