New Beginnings

Welcome friends and family! I am excited to embark into the world of yachting, and look forward to keeping this online journal documenting and sharing my experiences. I have always believed that in life everything happens for a reason and I have to trust there is a grander plan at work. Whenever I face a challenge or major life change, I rely on that notion to keep me afloat. Recently one of those changes happened, and as the events unfolded this new opportunity presented itself in a way that made it clear to me that as one door was closing another was opening in its place. As I prepare to depart on this new adventure I will continue to believe in the universe's grand plan to guide me, or in this case the tides...


A bit of backstory:
In 2011-2012 I was fortunate to call the island of Phuket, Thailand my home. During my time there I discovered the world of yachting and made some incredible friendships with a group of people docked in the Phuket marina. I had no idea yachting was such a large industry full of  fascinating characters, a completely different way of life I knew little about. The idea of traveling around the globe on super yachts and getting paid to do it was intriguing and through my friendships I was able to come aboard and take a peek into their life on a boat. While it was always something that I was fascinated by, it was not a lifestyle I had seriously considered at the time as my path took me in other directions.

Fast forward to 2016...
It was just shy of a month ago when life threw me a twist and I decided to pack up my life in Half Moon Bay and head into the unknown. I leave for Florida tomorrow. In the scheme of things I admit it was a pretty tight turn around for such a major decision. However, once the situation presented itself it was clear to me timing was of the essence if I was going to do this right. My friends from Phuket would all be reconvening in Florida in November to renew their certifications together and look for a new yacht to call home. They have traveled all over the globe working in the industry and I could not ask for better people to guide me through this new territory. When I mentioned (jokingly) to my friend Cuan the seemingly crazy idea I had to join them he immediately encouraged me to get the wheels in motion. I could not ignore the fact that all signs seemed to be pointing me to Florida and beyond. My life was at a crossroads and I decided now was my chance to explore this lifestyle that had always been so fascinating to me.

The photos below show me with some of these friends at a birthday they planned for me and two of the yachtys I will be joining in FL are in stripes, Cuan and Jurgen. Also pictured in the yellow is my friend and husband of my bf since grade school, Richie. Not pictured here is the lovely couple that will also be in Florida, Jack and Sal, however Sal had some visa issues so she will be meeting us in FL a bit later then we had hoped.

While I have been busy making preparations for my trip I have been asked many questions that include the following:

• Where will you be going?
• How long will you be gone?
• How many days will you be out at sea at a time? 
• Have you been hired on a boat already? If not, how long will it take to get a job?
• How big is the yacht you will be working on?
• How many other staff will be on the boat with you?
• What type of work will you be doing?
• How much do you get paid?
• Will I see you on the reality show Below Deck? Is it just like that show? 
• Is there a chance you will end up like the girl from the movie "Taken" (This is my dad who has clearly become a victim of Hollywood's devices)
• Are you going to encounter pirates? (My other dad who clearly values preparedness for anything that should come my way)
• Can you bring a pistol with you to protect you from said Pirates? (Sorry, dads, but unfortunately not)

Most of these questions I do not have the answers to, but I can guarantee I will NOT be showing up on TV anytime soon, and while I have only seen a few snippets from that show I can pretty much assume that what you see on TV is not indicative of how my life will actually be on a yacht.

Here is what I do know:

• I need to take a week long course called the STCW (Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping) in order to be qualified to work on a yacht. I have signed up for this course and will be attending November 14th-18th. It costs around $1k for the course and will include first aid and other marine safety and fire training. It is offered through Bluewater training school.
• I have to take a seafarers medical exam, which requires a special appointment that I have scheduled for the day I arrive in Ft. Lauderdale. Mainly they make sure you are not color blind and you are in good health to physically work on the boat.
• I have not been hired yet, but it is "the season" right now and apparently many "yachtys" and yachts are in Ft. Lauderdale looking to team up so it is the right time to be looking for a gig. My friends have an Airbnb set up for 2 weeks and they have told me we should be able to get jobs pretty quickly, and if we need to find another place to stay we will find one when we are there. 
• The process of getting hired involves working through agencys where they will take my information and boats will contact them with their needs and the agents then try to match up the people to the yachts. Once I get hired I will know more about where I am going and how many days at a time I may potentially spend in the open ocean. It will also greatly shape my overall experience and affect how long I decide to continue this lifestyle.
• There is a slim chance I could end up with my friends on a boat together, but there are no guarantees and I have to go into this being open to the fact I may be put on a boat with a crew of complete strangers. So far everyone I have met in this industry has been pretty awesome so I am fine with that.
• The yachts really can go everywhere, from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean to the South Pacific - so I could end up in a number of different places.
• The amount of staff on the yacht depends on the size of the yacht, the larger the boat the more crew it has. I am hoping to get on a fairly large yacht, around 120'-150' so I can have a bigger crew to learn from. A yacht that size may have 10-14 crew members, where smaller yachts may only have 3-4.
• There are two types of yachts; charter yachts that people hire for vacations for a few days to a few weeks at a time and private yachts that have one owner/family who comes and goes during the holidays and other times throughout the year to enjoy their yacht. While you can make better tip money on a charter yacht, there tends to be more of a hustle and complex dynamic with all the different guests and for that reason I would prefer to have a gig on a privately owned yacht but again I need to go into this being open to whatever comes my way
• As far as the type of work I will be doing, I am looking for a job as an interior stewardess. Tasks would include cleaning, making beds, serving meals, and other hospitality geared roles. Not the most glamorous work but if I get paid to do them and also travel then it is well worth it in my opinion! Plus anyone who knows me well knows I am a bit of a neat freak and enjoy cleaning as it can be quite therapeutic for me :)
• I have been told an entry level stewardess makes anywhere between $2500-$3000 per month, but factor in that I will have very minimal living expenses (no rent, no car, no groceries, and plus no shopping when you are on a boat) and that will go a long way!
• As far as pistols and pirates, I am hoping to avoid encountering both!!!

Tomorrow is the big day and I look forward to seeing what is in store for me on this new path and having some answers revealed to me as I go. Ciao for now!