The Silva family of Orcas Island has left on its sailboat “The Answer” and are headed to Mexico.

Todd, Shelby, 13-year-old Makena and 11-year-old Shay set off from Anacortes on Aug. 20 for a year-long adventure. For those wanting to follow their progress, the Silvas are keeping a blog at www.svtheanswer.com.

Todd wrote the following post about the trip.

“After nine years traveling for my consulting company and every year becoming more and more busy and gone more and more, Shelby and the girls continued to ask me to slow down my work. Every year I promised I would, and every year it just got more intense. Late last year with Makena turning 13 this summer, I realized my years to “slow down” and spend with my family and girls were becoming minimal. In 2016 being home less than 30 days and rarely being home this year, I had missed a significant portion of my girls’ lives. I have no regrets, as I love what I do and we needed to pull out of the 2008 real estate crash.

“In November 2016 I asked the same question that seems to start all my adventures: “I wonder if? I wonder if we could spend some time on our boat sailing.”

“Fast forward and skipping all the details: we are sailing a 38-foot Ericson from Anacortes, Washington down to Mexico and will spend the winter in Mexico sailing, exploring, but mostly connecting as a family. We’ll homeschool our girls, and thank God Shelby is not only a veteran teacher, but has spent the last five years working directly with other home school families.

“Life is too short, and I felt the grip of a major regret forming. To be honest, the decision to take on this adventure has been one of the most difficult I have made. There is a significant source of guilt and anxiety I have around the choice, but I always come back to knowing deep down that it’s time to focus less on work and more on my children, my wife and my family.

“Like my buddy Karl Kruger says while paddling: breath…stroke…breath…stroke.”

Shelby said of their adventure: “We are excited to give our girls an experience that we hope will shape and mold them for a lifetime. Fair winds and following seas and may The Answer carry us safely to Mexico.”