Bahama Mamma

                 

Let me begin this post with a personal declaration of what I find utterly engulfing about the sea; as with anything so vast, its' physical manifestations offer metaphorical visualizations for living life. This type of phenomenon that I've found myself boat to water (hehe) with quite frequently lately is weather. Weather on the ocean is somewhat unpredictable, it can come out of nowhere, last ages or five minutes, be relatively inconvenient or cause whole course alterations, and can feel like a god send (like when we are supposed to wash down the boat) or like satan literally raining his rage down us (like when were on charter and our ultimate goal is to keep everything dry.) What I find to be particularly  fascinating about storms, especially when I find myself surrounded by nothing but sea and sky, is that most of the time you can actually look up and to your right or left and see a perfectly beautiful day. Each time I find myself caught in a storm, chiefly when I am frustrated with something, I am reminded to look at the beautiful day that is happening elsewhere. I note I will not be caught in the storm forever, then crack on with my day, however shitty it might be at that moment! Just a little heartfelt note to get everyone in their feelings!

I also really love sunrises and sunsets, as I've alluded to in many of my other posts. So here are a few pictures of beautiful scenes I experienced during my Bahamian month.

  

   

Bimini:

Bimini was the first island in the Bahamas I got to visit. I went three times over a period of two weeks. Each trip was on a relatively small boat, I worked on them as a freelance deck/stewardess before I landed my permanent position. Working on small boats is a completely different ballgame (or should I say watersport...?) than working on proper yachts. Small boat duties are typically broad, you have lots more responsibilities and at times work a bit harder, but being on them typically allows for a more personal relationship with owners. Every time the owners got off board, they allowed the Captain and I to leave as well and explore the island a bit!


   

Conch is a staple in the Bahamas. Pictured in the center above is yours truly atop a 5 foot high, 400 foot long pile of empty conch shells. This particular pile is outside of a beachside conch salad shack, but it is quite a common scene throughout Bimini. On my third trip, I was allowed to bring my BFF Hadley for some extra assistance. We went for a long-weekend/Thanksgiving trip. The Captain I was working with was close friends with local family and they made a delicious Bahamian feast for us! Of course every dish featured conch prepared in a different way. It was absolutely phenomenal!

          

The Dolphin House (https://www.facebook.com/Dolphin-House-Bimini-132740360135441/) was one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring things I have seen in quite some time! A local man built this house from the ground up as a tribute to dolphins. Swimming with these majestic creatures as a child left an unshakable impression on him, a feeling so strong that he's dedicated his life to acting as a liaison between the sea and mankind. The complete composition of the house is made from recycled and collected materials. There are many ceramic-ed scenes on both the outside and the inside. From time to time, he allows guests to stay in the second floor. Most of them come with gifts that he later incorporates into his creation. When we stopped by, he was beginning the third floor. It was absolutely amazing! I highly encourage you to check out the Facebook page for the house that I have linked above!

       

Honeymoon harbor was an island slightly off of Bimini that had a profound impact on me. Partly. because I have been watching Moana lately and her grandmother is insinuatingly reincarnated to a manta ray and I feel that on a spiritual level and partly because the stingray was the first sea creature i truly fell in love. (It happened at the Touch Tank at the Moat Marine Aquarium in Sarasota when I was a young lass.) It is actually more of a large glorified sandbar than an island, but on any given day there are about 50 stingrays circling it. For years people have been feeding them here so they are not shy around people. One trip, I got to explore and get in the water with the rays! I think it will forever be one of my favorite memories. At one point, there was a field of stingrays so encircled around me I could not move, but I was totally okay with embracing that moment. Rays stingers are not activated unless they feel threatened, as long as you are careful not to step on them, you remain sting free! My legs being rubbed by the stingers definitely gets the adrenaline pumping though :]

       

        

 
Bimini will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first island I visited as well as the place I was best able to immerse myself in. The ethos of the island actually reminded me a lot of my time in Tanzania. I believe this is partially the reason I fell in love with it so quickly!

The Exumas:

The Exumas are a collection of islands. From what I understand they are all quite exquisite, but the one I visited, Pig Island Beach, was notable due to its wild pig population. I have seen many Facebook videos with tag lines along the lines of "Have you ever wanted to visit an island filled with pigs? Well this is the place for you!" Although the stingrays were much more my style, I would be lying if I said I did not enjoy running around a beach with pigs of all sizes, doing pig photoshoots! Here are some of my favorite shots!

The baby pigs were absolutely adorable! The crew was allowed to check out the island at the end of the day. We did not have any food for the piggies, but they were very social. I am really happy I paid this island a visit! Next on my list is that island full of cats in Japan!

Nassau:

Nassau is one of the most well known islands in the Bahamas because it is home to the waterpark, Atlantis. I unfortunately did not get a chance to check to park out, but a number of my crew did and the reviews were stellar! I did get to see it from the water though and it is absolutely massive! Nassau is also one of the biggest islands in the Bahamas. We were busy the entire time we were there, so the bulk of our exploring was done during breaks throughout the day. I did get to see some beautiful beaches, and go free-diving so I could not complain one bit! 

             

Freeport:

Freeport was another island I got to do a bit of exploring around. There was a restaurant close to where we were docked called "The Shark Restaurant," it was a sushi restaurant. During dinner hours, the restaurant owners throw food over the side every hour on the hour and it attracts quite the frenzy of bull sharks. Watching them ravish through the waves for meat is quite the site to see. One night we went during a storm and seeing their fins break through the white caps was ominous but also very neat, nonetheless. As I watched them in all their glory, Fins by Jimmy Buffet played on repeat in my head.

The remainder of my free time spent in Freeport was spent on beaches, in restaurants and at bars! After my month in the Bahamas, I can most certainly give it a 10/10 review, would recommend and can positively say I will be going back! Because I enjoyed it, and because most of the yachts spend their Winter season, or at least a portion of it there.

Thanks for reading everyone! Until next time!

                     

2017, what a year!

Greetings readers! It has been quite some time since I have posted anything. What's been occupying a large chunk of my time lately, and held me back from reaching out, happens to be my biggest news as well..... wait for it...... drumroll please! ..........!! I finally got a job! For the past month (and a bit,) I have been working on a 65 meter (213 feet) motor yacht as a deckhand. The boat is a privately owned charter vessel, she is called Double Down and she is absolutely B-E-A-utifulllllllllll. I joined the crew in Freeport, Bahamas. Since then, we have sailed to three different islands of the Bahamas as well as a shipyard in South Florida. I am the only American on board (which I think is pretty rad) and our crew is additionally made up of people from England, Ireland, Scotland, Thailand, the Phillippines, South Africa, and Canada! Living aboard, especially on a vessel that travels so frequently, is a very unique experience. Living and working with extremely talented and charismatic people wills everyday to be a rich learning experience. Before I stepped on this boat, I was SO excited about the propositions for the reality of yacht life. I had no idea it would be as fulfilling as it has turned out to be. And for my time on this boat thus far, I feel grateful beyond a point I can explain in words.

ANYWAYS, New Year's has always been one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. In all of my 22 years, I've not missed one midnight. (Although one year I fell asleep and had to be woken up for the ball-drop by my BFF Kayla). The parties have never disappointed, and they have gotten exponentially better as I've grown older. This year was no exception to that rule! The crew and I began our celebration with Crystal and Dom Perignon champagne (the first time in my life I have ever had drinks of this price range.) At midnight we all went onto our bow, took a champagne shower and all the boats in the marina blew their horns. There were fireworks in the distant night sky as well as crowds cheering from all the hotel balcony's. Needless to say, this New Year's was one for the books. However, this New Years's, although the party was to die for, the ringing in of 2018 meant so much more to me than the celebration. It felt like a true turning point. It is the beginning of something so uncertain, whimsical, and serendipitous for me. And I know at this time next year, I will be looking back on the year in total awe.

2017, I can say without a doubt, has been my most memorable year thus far. I bought a car. I graduated college, (that was a big one.) I travelled to Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North and South Carolina, Rhode Island, Virginia, 5 different islands of the Bahamas, and road-tripped across the US to Florida to begin my new career in yachting. I had my parents together for the first time in my adult life. I said goodbye to many of my best friends. I said goodbye to the region I grew up in. I got my scuba instructor certification. I took a total gamble on yachting. I've met and become close friends with people from countless countries. And I have started to become the person I have always wanted, but never knew I wanted, to be!

My mantra for 2018 is "Let yourself feel however you feel. in a non-judgmental way, but remember you have the power to change it." 2017 brought heaps completely new things my way that I was not entirely sure how to deal with. (Reference my previous posts, or do not hesitate to ask me about what these things are!) But I have gotten through all of them relatively unscathed!

I simply wanted to give everyone a quick update and let you all know to be on the look out because I will be posting more often this year! My posts will likely be a bit shorter, but thats because I will be OTG (on the go) so frequently! 2018 is going to be a kick ass year for me and for you! I can not wait to hear about all of your amazing memories made this year!

~Until Next Time~ 

Maiden Voyage

A week ago I returned to Fort Lauderdale after being at sea for 13 days. I agreed to go on an East Coast delivery for a private motor yacht from New York City to Fort Lauderdale; this voyage was intended to take 6 or 7 days, however it lasted the sum of these. This was my debut blue-water delivery. I left Lauderdale with no expectations and returned with an absolutely invaluable experience, and countless memories. With a plethora of the purest, most uninterrupted time to simply exist, I absorbed insight on the ocean's ability to validate lots of life's little cliches, came to the conclusion that marinas are some of the most gorgeous places in the world, and learned a painful lesson about letting go of ropes!

          

The delivery team consisted a badass Captain named Jennie and myself. I think it's safe to say our weeks of trials and tribulations was a sufficient catalyst to our lifelong friendship. We met at the airport, as we were boarding essentially, but got to spend a little quality time before takeoff as our flight was delayed. We flew out of Lauderdale to Newark, New Jersey then ordered an Uber to Liberty Landing Marina. After completing provisioning and initial safety checks, in order to get underway first thing in the morning, we had dinner at a restaurant in proximity to the marina called Liberty House. I've learned I take after most of my family members in respect to being a foodie, which is quite a suitable quality in the yachting industry as it turns out! Dinner night one, I enjoyed prosciutto wrapped monkfish served over a delicious concoction of bok choy and lentils. And of course the meal was complemented with a luscious glass of Malbec.


Falling asleep with full bellies and happy hearts lent itself nicely to a night of sound sleep and entertaining dreams! The next morning around 6 am, we were ready for takeoff! Our boat, Timber, was a 64 foot motor yacht. She was the largest boat I've ever been solely responsible for the docking of, so I couldn't help but be a tad bit nervioso. However, I was more so brimming with excitement to see the Statue of Liberty!!!! Beholding the majestic Lady Liberty, at sunrise, motoring through glass-like waters set a great tone for the trip! Although nothing could kill my vibe, so to speak, I could not ignore the distinct layer of smog smothering the city. The empathy I felt for the citizens who breathe this air everyday of their lives without knowledge of how poor the quality is, was sad and unshakable. (NYC, pictured in the center below.)

  

Our first day of motoring came to a close at a marina called Fisherman's Wharf in Ocean City, Maryland. The sunset that welcomed us is pictured above on the left. Our fine dining that night was authentic Maryland Crab cakes. There is something so perfect about seafood that literally melts in your mouth, it makes the soul smile and the body feel like it is right where it needs to be. The photo on the right is of Atlantic City, New Jersey. After being surrounded by nothing but ocean and sky all day, the pop-up skyline was totally mystifying! The picture I took was from an offshore vantage point of about four nautical miles. Atlantic City is home to a beach amusement park that is visible from the water, it is quite picturesque. The gorgeous weather and filling notion that I was doing exactly what I wanted to be doing in that time and place hit me with a sense of awe. I would really enjoy paying Atlantic City a visit someday.

Our next destination: Coinjock, Virginia. Coinjock is located on the Intracoastal Waterway. The ICW is an inland waterway that begins in Boston, MA it runs down the East Coast of the country and tapers off somewhere in Texas. In Virginia, the tone of the ICW is bayou as can be. It is home to bird-like mosquitos, the most hospitality prone people you will ever meet, and loads of scenic fishing boats that always seem to have an all-American dog riding shotgun in them.

Planning is essential to carrying out just about anything successfully, but having a plan does not equate to things going as planned. In the boating world, drawbridges can be a huge setback that you cannot plan precisely to avoid, surpass, or do anything really but wait for them to open if you find yourself stuck at one. That day we found ourselves waiting around at two of them! Locks are another pesky factor that you must be concerned with when traveling the ICW. A lock is a canal type waterway that raises/lowers water levels to allow passage for different types of vessels. Drawbridges and locks are both extremely important to safety, and very necessary to accommodate many types of travel; nonetheless, many sailors dread their confrontation.

If you didn't catch my foreshadowing in the previous paragraph, we did not make it to Coinjock that night. The bayou water level was nail-bitingly shallow and many channel markers were totally wiped out by Irma, operating at night simply was not an option. We ended up anchoring a bit off the channel, made some Mac N Cheese and called what we thought was going to be a night. Around 3 am, a tug boat radioed my captain and asked if we could move our vessel a bit. Rules of the Water grant right of way to whichever vessel has the least maneuverability, so we politely complied, and slightly shifted. Boating births endless situations that follow the Vegas rule; what happens on (or close to) board, stays on board. The rest of that night holds true to this, and the following morning was definitely one to remember. But the events of that night will go to the grave with us. I'll let your imagination take hold of that one ;}

   

Staying positive, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst is a fundamental mindset to thriving on the water. We enthusiastically set off the next morning after our first set of T&T's (trials and tribulations) with the psyche that if our previous 8 hours were our lowest low, we would be A OKAY! Unfortunately, but oddly quite fortunately, that night as we pulled into Jarrett Bay Marina in Beaufort, North Carolina, an alarm went off that something was wrong with our transmission. Jarrett Bay is a manufacturer of awesome fishing vessels so they've got lots of technicians on sight (the fortunate part of our breakdown.) The next morning, bright and early, we had a gracious Southern Boy on board who fixed the known issue in an hour! We started our sea trial wishing with all of our being that everything would go smoothly, but almost immediately our port side engine went out. Jenn and I gave each other a look of understanding that if this was the worst that happened we would still be alright, but also acknowledged the small amount of bummed out we were feeling.


To make a long story short, we cooled out in Beaufort for three and a half days. These days consisted of awing the entire boatyard simply by being an all-female delivery team, making a grumpy dock master smile (our proudest moment), and dancing the nights away! All in all, we were just grateful to be stranded in such an accommodating place. Big repairs such as the one our vessel had been in need of typically take weeks or months.


When we were in tip top shape, we got boating shoes on and made our way to South Carolina! We spent some time in Georgetown and some in Charleston. I have heard nothing but great things about Charleston and I would love to spend some time there as well in the future, but for most of our time there, duty called. Tropical Storm Mark was making Mama Ocean very angry and she was particularly stirred up, shaken to the point that the water in the marina was so choppy it was white capping! Timber rocked out her shore power early in the morning and that's when we knew we would be bound to our "water prison" for an entire day! While we were still happy to be with each other, my Captain and I were beginning to feel a nagging eagerness to be home. Mark also made the Carolina's a bit chilly, and as Jenn says "We're Florida kids now." Basically this means any temperature under 65 degrees simply won't do.
       
After a couple more unforeseen setbacks tested us, we were both ready to be home. Me, to celebrate Halloween and her to take a couple days off before embarking on another delivery. So we signed ourselves up for the long haul. Upon leaving South Carolina we A. praised to whatever is out there that the Carolina's were finally releasing their hold on us and B. motored homebound for 27 hours non-stop. In rough waters, this is a sizable, trying amount of time to drive a boat. And when we docked at the Hilton in Fort Lauderdale, I was entirely amazed, humbled, and incredibly thankful for the Captain I'd been set up with for this journey. I also had acquired quite a bodily stench, lost quite a bit of skin off my hands trying to rescue a runaway fender, was slap-happy-sleepy, and regardless of all this ready to take Halloween on with full force, but that's a different story!

          

All in all, I wouldn't trade this experience for the world, and I can now more confidently than ever say "Boat life = Best life."

The cliches I lived are as follows:
"Love the one you're with." 

At first, I was not quite sure how to feel about Jenn. I was anxious that I'd been put on a boat with someone that would not like me or vice versa. But we both accepted each other exactly as we were and now I have a sort of stand in Mom here in Fort Lauderdale. 

"Appreciate the small things." 

This saying is one that goes around quite frequently, in my humble opinion however, the real meaning of this has become somewhat lost. I've heard people say "appreciate the small things, like a warm cup of coffee in the morning." The cup of coffee itself might be a small thing, but the culmination of your life that brought you to that point is not small in any sense, nor is the fact that you're blessed enough with time, opportunity, and the means to have your coffee. I embodied this mantra almost every second of every day especially when feeling bummed out, from the vast sky to being followed by dolphins. Every experience, every second you're conscious is what you make of it and if the aforementioned is continually focused on, I truly believe you will get a little more out of life! 

"It's not about the destination, it's about the journey."

Sometimes, life wisdom is thrusted upon you whether you like it or not. I had no choice but to accept this throughout the days it felt like we might never get home. Putting energy into the desire to just be home was super harmful and not helpful at all. Being present and appreciating the small things, accepting things that you have no control over, and reading good books (hehe) will fully boost your overall vibe, morale, and emotional well-being. 

Being 28 miles offshore with no other vessels in sight, listening to Margaritaville XM, with sun on your hair and the waves in your face is a truly magnificent feeling! I 10/10 recommend it! 

And as a side note, Sriracha on salads will change your life. 

Life in a Post-Apocalyptic World

Hello all! THIS IS THE LAST POST I’LL BE WRITING AS A 21 YEAR OLD BECAUSE TOMORROW I TURN 22!!!! Anyone who knows me knows my birthday is one of my favorite holidays, and to make things even better, I was recently informed that I share a birthday with Ghandi! Furthermore, I am spending this birthday learning how to share my passion with the world. Also known as, becoming a scuba instructor :]

                                       If you have been following my blog, you know I recently made a big move to Florida! Much to my dismay, the day I’d planned to leave Iowa, the pinnacle of my summer, the day I’d been counting down to for months on end, September 10^th, was the day Irma brought her wrath upon my new home. I feel selfish admitting this at all, but I was devastated. My mind, influenced heavily by the media, came to the rash conclusion that I would be spending yet another frigid winter in Iowa. There are circumstances in which I tend to be quite overdramatic. I was reminded of this quality after my semi-midlife crisis about not getting to move when my journey began a mere three days later than I had planned.

I road tripped across the country with my awesome Papa. Over the course of our trip it became clear that we are a tremendously dynamic duo. We made at least one friend everywhere we went, which included but was not limited to: Nashville, Tennessee, Atlanta, Georgia, and Jupiter, Florida. Yet another one of our notorious once-in-a-lifetime adventures came to a close with a goodbye at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. Though the wave was au revoir to one of my biological family members, it was a bonjour to my chosen family member, Hadley.

The central focus of this post however is not about my new, fun, flirty life in Fort Lauderdale, which is pictured above. It is about my experience living in the Florida Keys for the past week and a half. Before I stationed myself in Islamorada for my Instructor Development Course, I drove straight through the keys to Key West to check the area out. (Side note: I’ve fantasized about a career in NPR journalism, so going into a disaster zone so to speak, was very intriguing to me.)

                                    

Above is the Channel 5 bridge. I stopped here on my way down to sit and enjoy the beauty of the seemingly endless open water. The extreme aesthetic pleasure of this view equals the deep feelings of desolation upon experiencing the rest of the Keys. There are piles of debris so high you have to actively look up to see the sky, police cars everywhere, spray painted signs warning “You loot, we kill.” Residences appear to have had encounters with evil giants. Giants who picked up homes, shook all their contents out, then threw back their empty casings haphazardly without any regard for the surrounding area. The remains of trailer parks whose only proof of existence are lone standing bathroom appliances here and there. Seeing people return with so much hope that their homes were spared, only to find out they no longer exist is one of the most heartbreaking things I have ever seen. BUT, it is not all doom and gloom here in the keys. There are spray painted signs everywhere welcoming people home, “#KeysStrong” is posted everywhere, places that weren’t as badly affected are holding free dinners and donning baby supplies. This place is definitely geographically unique, with one road in and one road out, it does not come as a surprise that everyone is genuinely willing to help each other out. As sad as the sights may be, the beauty of this community surpasses it and truly makes my heart smile.

 

Post-Irma Key West is almost unrecognizable. Sand is all over everything, rotting sargassum seaweed is making the whole town smell like a sewage processing plant, and the cool, calm breezy climate has vanished due to all the fallen trees. However, the most notable change in Key West is the lack of people. The only human life I found was locals at the few open bars. The picture above is of Mallory Square. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Key West and is moderately crowded to completely congested almost every hour of every day. The day I took this picture, there was not a living soul to be seen and as you can see, there was a lingering storm. It was a very ominous place to find myself. The photo above on the left is of the southernmost point, another very popular tourist destination. It is not my photo, I pulled it off of Google for the purpose of comparison. The photo on the right was personally taken however, it is showing the concrete land marker post Irma.

The sunset on the left occurred after my apocalyptic Tour de Key West. I believe our universe is too vast for us to be the only inhabitants, but sunrises and sunsets are the root of my belief that we are a special planet. No matter how bad your day is, you can always count on a beautiful sunset. 

 If you start your day off with a serene sunrise, remarkable things happen, even if they are little, such as aiding a baby sea turtle on his journey to the sea.

                                               

  

Après Key West, I paid my old pal Cody a visit in Key Largo. He usually lives on a sail boat but Irma caused him to take leave. My visit coincided nicely with his return to Florida but he had not yet been back to his boat. I got the chance to do a recon mission with him and his friend Josh who was also searching for his wind strewn boat. During this undertaking I became acquainted with another hurricane casualty that I never would have considered, Puffer fish! There were dead, inflated puffer fish all over the canal. I think I counted 23 in total. In my experience, the effect natural disasters have on nature is not a concern of the common population. I hadn’t really considered it too much outside of the reefs. Seeing all the dead fish was so eye opening to me.

Recon was super fun, but engines on both of the boats, as well as the dinghy (a small boat used to get to shore from the sail boats mooring) flooded so we had a long paddle back to shore. Luckily it provided for some fresh photo ops!

 

As previously mentioned, currently, I am in Islamorada at Florida Seabase studying to be a scuba instructor. My Instructor examination which is a two-day intensive test to get the certification begins Friday night. SO I have to get back to studying, and celebrating my birthday :] so that’s all for now! In the mean time enjoy these pictures of manatees doing their thing in our harbor!