Apparently patience is some sort of virtue...gimmie some!

Just like diets, daily journaling, and post cards home to Lissy...I've fallen off the 'blog' wagon.  Bare with me because as things start getting more routine (i.e I get on a boat with nothing else to do but write) I have no doubt this will become habit.

So...best way to describe my current mood is uncomfortably stressed yet eagerly optimistic.   I've been in Fort Lauderdale for 37 days, worked on 2 boats, been on 1 interview (which I'm still waiting to hear back on), but am still waiting for that "pack your shit and come to the dock, we're leaving for the Bahamas first thing in the morning" phone call.  It's so hard to describe the environment down here - it's a strange one to say the least - but I'll give it a shot.  Everyone's been down in FL at least a month (some as long as 3) with one goal in mind; to get a permanent job and get the hell out of town!  We're all spending way too much money, living in extremely tight quarters (2 bunk-beds to a room), surrounded by complete strangers (most from other countries), thousands of miles away from home...and on top of it all we're UNEMPLOYED.  The competition is crazy - I'd say 70% of the people I've met are entry level yachties and of the jobs available only 10% will consider newbies.  So as you can imagine we're all a little (as in VERY) stressed.

BUT with all of that said I'm having a blast - truly, no bullshit, I'm having the time of my life!  Weekends are spent doing non-work-like activities, and anyone caught talking about boats, captains, interviews, or anything work related gets tazed (kidding, kind of).  This past weekend the girls and I rented a car and drove up to West Palm Beach for the night.  We went to a crew party at Rybovich then bounced around Downtown.  From there we took an 87 minute cab ride back to a beautiful establishment called the Red Roof Inn (across the street from the Race Trak gas station).  When we got to our motel (at 4:50am) I told the cab driver to get bent and pick a new profession - the guy was a complete moron who took us 1/2 to Miami before we realized what was going on, so I gave him 50 cents and got out.  After downing $20 bucks worth of Taco Bell we called it a night.   Great night followed by an even more amazing day - I got to see my Aunt & Uncle (nothing like family to center oneself), had a delicious breakfast/lunch with a yachting friend (Martin), and got the rental back to Fort Lauderdale all in one piece.

Ahh, I almost forgot!  Reverse back to Friday for a sec (my first interview).  I met with a crew agency Wednesday afternoon and after our meeting they sent me this job...Jr Stew on a 165ft Heesen (Dutch made Vessel) called 'Inception' with a start-date of Nov 16th.  I exchanged a few e-mails with the Captain, Mike, and we set up a time to meet for coffee Friday morning.   Turns out the vessel was just sold to a first time boat owner for $35 million and he'll be taking it all over the world for the next year or two.  We had a great conversation - talked about the crew, the travel schedule, his ideal candidate, etc and I'm supposed to hear back tomorrow morning!

Back to this past weekend...so Sunday night rolls around and with cash running low I decide to wake up early Monday and venture down to Cakewalk (the largest yacht made in the U.S since 1930).  Monday was my first experience Day-Walking and I had no clue what to expect!  I packed my resume and a bunch of business cards, put on my yachting outfit (you guys would die if you saw me all yachtied out) and rode my bike down toe Pier 66.  I saw someone on the main deck of the vessel so I called up to ask if they were fully staffed...next thing I know the Chief Stew walks down, asks if I'm American, I say yes and hand her my CV (resume) and away we go.  She gives me a day-badge and puts me straight to work.  I must have done an OK job because she asked me to come back for the rest of the week...granted it's only day 2 but I'm already in love with her (Cakewalk that is, not the Chief Stew).   Despite the fact that my legs, ass, and abs are like jello (98 stairs, 20+ times a day, carrying more weight than a grown mule) - this ship & this experience is unbelievable!  Although I'm not supposed to take pictures of the interior, I may have to break some rules because you need to see what I see!  Four decks (main deck, owners deck, bridge deck, and sun deck), 6 bars, 3 boats, 6 jet skis, and more rooms than the White House!  Here she is (exterior of course :) ...

She's quite a step up from the 78 foot Ferretti I started out on (still trying to decide if she's TOO big), but either way the money's great and the experience is just what I need to get my foot in the door for something more permanent.

Well Kids, with my work-day starting at 7am I'm going to have to call it a night.  Hopefully this update finds you well...keep your fingers crossed for Inception!

xo,
mE