Sumurunning

By Sailor Keddy -
When I got to Newport, I had gainful employment within an hour of clearing customs on schooner Madeline with Green. This was a great gig, one I had done before and knew well. However, some bizarre new policy was implemented that only allowed 30 hours, spread over 6 days, of work per week. Something about us not getting "burned out". I had worked 12 hour days previous seasons and didn't know why this was any different. I was keeping my options open for something else to come along and by sheer luck the captain of Amerigo put me in touch with a friend of his who then forwarded my info and experience on to her captain on Whitehawk who then got me in touch with the captain of Sumurun, who was looking for deckhands as well as a mate. I met him the very next morning and he immediately asked if I would come for a sail on Friday and Saturday. I accepted graciously.

Sumurun is an amazing yacht. I remembered it from two summers previous since we would point it out to passengers on Aquidneck as one of the most well kept and breathtaking yachts in the harbor. It is 94 feet in length overall and nearly 100 years old. More of a floating, functioning museum of the days of yachting past than anything and kept in perfect condition; at a glance you would probably guess it was built less than a decade ago. It sails like a demon on rails to boot. And, after the weekend sailing and spending time with the wonderful crew, I took a full-time position that was offered to me. It is a fantastic deal, with a salary, room and board as well as health benefits. In exchange, the days are long when the owner is aboard and my free time is very limited and unpredictable.

Overall I'm extremely grateful to be given this opportunity to work on such a fabulous yacht with an even greater crew. I hope to learn as much I can from the salty German captain Armin during my tenure. I needed this break, it is the first full-time job I've had in a while, and I consider it my yin to the yang of the Florida debacle earlier this year.

Comments

Unknown said…
Wow, that does look like a beautiful yacht.
June 5, 2012 at 12:45 PM
MiscellanyEsq said…
Just finished reading your blog from start to finish! Love it all. Good luck with everything!
June 8, 2012 at 10:39 AM
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