Confusion

By Sailor Keddy -
Ever since I crash landed in Fort Lauderdale, I've felt a little lost. I spent the weekend with some new friends I'd made in the hostel from New Zealand. Everyone in this place is looking to get on a boat in some way. Most are looking for positions as deckhands, engineers or, if you're a girl, a stewardess on a big motor yacht. You know the kind I'm talking about, the ones that look like mini cruise ships but are privately owned by someone with more money than God. The crew are always fantastically gorgeous and they spend the winters somewhere in the Caribbean and the summers up in New England. You also get your room and board for absolutely nothing since you live on the boat and your "board" is actually cooked by a professional chef who makes the meals for the owners.

Sounds perfect right? Well, I'd like to think so too. The trouble, for me at least, comes from the fact that there isn't a mast coupled with the fact that those two trips north and south are the only sea time I'd see that year. Most all of these boats spend their seasons parked at the dock, while the deckhands polish like crazy. And you can forget about going away for any holidays or special events, especially if the owner is on board. What it comes down to is that I can't see myself signing my life away to the pleasures of someone who simply has more money than me, especially if I can't get sea time towards my captains license from it. Then theres the route of deliveries. The trouble here is deliveries on sailboats rarely pay a dime, and motor yacht deliveries are usually already crewed.

I spoke with one of my old friends a few days ago, and she gave me the advice to follow what guides her decisions: to maximize the number of people you can positively influence in what you're passionate about. I gave it some thought, and I've narrowed it down to a few things. First, and most obvious, would be to teach sailing. It would be rewarding, I'll actually get paid and I'd probably meet some great fellow sailors as well. However, I'd also consider research vessels as well as something that combined boats and the water with my background in environmental engineering.

Decisions, decisions...

Comments

Josh said…
Keddy check out http://www.jworldschool.com/ a buddy Matthew Mullan teaches in Key West for the winters and Newport in the summers.
November 18, 2010 at 4:04 PM
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