When it comes to planning a birthday party, ensuring that the day is special is a concern that looms over the head of every parent. This fear is compounded when you are far from friends, celebrating that birthday on a boat in another country. 

This was our daughter’s first time celebrating her birthday on our sailboat and it was the “big one zero.”  You only turn ten once so it’s a big deal, and has to be magical.  In the past, we have always had family and friends nearby to help us celebrate, but since they were all 3,000 miles away we had to get creative. This is where NoForeignLand came to the rescue.

We decided to throw caution to the wind and posted an event using the app.

The process was pretty straight forward and didn’t take much time at all. So, about a week before the big day we announced that we would be celebrating our daughter’s tenth birthday on Friday at 1 pm at Chat N’ Chill in Georgetown.  In the days leading up to the event our daughter’s fear that no one would show up grew and grew, and if we’re being honest, so did ours.

The big day finally came and we saw that these fears were totally unfounded. The morning of the party the local cruiser radio net was abuzz with chatter of the impending party and it was starting to become clear to us that people were taking this seriously. If there is one thing that cruisers know how to do it’s find an excuse for a party.

One of the things we’ve always really enjoyed about the cruiser community is their ability to make lifelong connections and a sense of community despite the ever changing dynamic of people involved. They have an uncanny ability to take whatever random hodgepodge of boaters who just happen to be in the same area at a given time and form a community and social network that rivals any midwestern town, and the sailing community in Georgetown, Exuma was no exception. It truly is amazing to see a group of people who were strangers just a couple weeks ago come together and take a very serious personal interest in making a day special for a little girl they barley know. They did an amazing job of helping us make a wonderful birthday memory.

On the day of her birthday a few families went to the discussion part on the app to wish her a “Happy Birthday” and about 20 children and a bunch of adults showed up to Chat N’ Chill to celebrate with us. We brought drinks, cookies, and cupcakes, and the children had the chance to run around on the beach and enjoy the treats.  A few of the families even brought homemade birthday cards and gifts to make our daughter feel even more special. We are forever grateful to all the people who came together and made the day so special.

Have you tried out the new NFL Commity Posts feature yet like Allison did? You can post, Events, Questions and even Temporary Warnings and get in touch with the boats around you.  If so, be sure to share your stories or ideas down in the comments!