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."
"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.
