Another delivery, eastern Caribbean to...?

By Sailor Keddy -
I would apologize for the lack of blog posts but, to be frank, there hasn't been much going on to post about. After I returned from the final voyage of Terrapin Flyer, I got an apartment in Sarasota and also got engaged. I've been doing some casual sailing on a ComPac 16 and some racing on a friend's Bristol 40 but that's about it. It has been a nice change of pace actually, compared to the thousands of miles I logged in 2010 and 2011. I've been looking for jobs where the pay is a little steadier and more substantial than the occasional delivery, but that is not to say I won't take the occasional delivery!

The job market is weak in Florida right now, and to supplement my income as well as my sanity I've been looking for a delivery gig. It's high season for them as the winter gales ease and before hurricane season starts in the north Atlantic. A friend gave me a contact down in St. Maarten for the captain of a 90' Pendennis sloop. Unfortunately, by the time I was able to get a hold of him the delivery crew had been finalized, but he did give my name out to other yachts. As fate would have it, just this past Friday the captain of a Swan 56 by the name of Amerigo gave me a ring. It is now 6:30 in the morning on Sunday and I am in Tampa waiting to depart. The plan is to leave for Bermuda from St. Maarten on Wednesday. I've never been that far down in the Caribbean before, or to Bermuda either, so I'm pretty excited to have the chance to finally sail those waters on such a great yacht! I actually remember this boat being docked one wharf over from Aquidneck when I was in Newport two summers ago. No doubt the owner (who will be aboard), and possibly the captain, know Green, Isaac and John Hirschler.

Once in Bermuda, I'll be in a perfect spot and in the right time of the season to hop on another boat bound either for the northeast US or to Europe, so I'm going to see where that might take me.

Ah, back to the life of a vagabond sailor as a member of the OPBYC (Other People's Boats Yacht Club), to which I am so grateful to be a part of. I only hope to return the favor sometime soon.

As always, pictures to follow as well as a full write-up of the journey!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Great strength of feets: removing the old diesel

By Sailor Keddy -
Image
After a blissful Christmas at brother's house with his family in Stuart, and my new little nephew, I drove back to Sarasota to start working on getting the engine out from under the cockpit. I got to my sweet Soveraine on Sunday morning and, after getting the lock open, couldn't slide the companionway hatch forward. This had never happened before. No amount of pushing could get it over the drop slides, it was as if they had swelled for some reason. I took out my sawzall and cut a tiny bit away from the top drop slide and it slid open. I was dumbfounded. The entire cabin was submerged in four inches of standing water. Nearest I can tell, during the fall the oak tree, that the jackass trailer park owner let the jackass of a hauler park my boat under, had shed all its tiny goddamn leaves which clogged my cockpit drains causing water to spill into the cabin. Luckily my dad was there to keep my spirits high and attitude in check, because I was in a throw in the towel, no good, d...
Read more

The voyage that changed it all, Part III

By Sailor Keddy -
Since this will be the third and final part of this series, and although I could go on for just about ever about this trip, I should mention why this is "the voyage that changed it all." Before I got that fateful Facebook message, I was struggling hard with the job I have, my passion for sailing and all that is associated with the Ocean, and trying to connect it all together in a way I could put food in my mouth. The people I met opened my eyes to a field of work that was exactly was I was looking for. I had to leave the When and If  abruptly due to her being stuck in Charleston for what looked to be over 10 days. The weather around Cape Hatteras was less than favorable. I flew back to Boston, with a weepy eye and thoughts in my head that I would not return to her, and the wonderful people I had met, ever again. A week past, and during this time I applied to nearly half a dozen jobs within the realm of getting me on a boat. From the lowliest bilge rat position on a moto...
Read more

Goodbye Boston: A Sailor's Proclamation

By Sailor Keddy -
"The decision to flee came suddenly. Or maybe not. Maybe I'd planned it all along -- subconsciously waiting for the right moment." Hunter S. Thompson I am leaving Boston. There is a laundry list of reasons why, but it boils down to an essential few. This is my third winter up here, and to be honest I've had about enough. The cold is oppressive; it latches onto your soul, sucks your vital will to live and leaves you breathless and desperate. It inhibits activity on both a mental and physical level. I've tried to get used to it, but the thoughts of what I could be doing if it were 30 degrees warmer have overcome me. My career, more than likely, will be put on hold. Had I known that I would be spending 8 plus hours per day staring at a computer monitor in the middle of a cube farm, while the world, my youth and my life pass me by, I would never have signed up in the first place. I have been with the same company for three years, since I graduated college, and I hav...
Read more