I couldn’t imagine being any happier than I was just then. I’d made my first ocean passage, and I was doing exactly what I wanted with two like minded and amazing people. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was made for something; the feeling of realizing my destiny was incredibly empowering. She could hear it in the tone of my voice, and I could tell that it made her happy too. She agreed to pass on the news of my safe arrival to the rest of the family, but said that they all wanted to hear the story of my adventure first hand. I told her to put together an email list and I would write something once we were settled in.

With most of the day having already been consumed, it was time to consume something ourselves. After all, the passage isn’t really complete until you’ve reached the bar and had a drink and a laugh with the crew. Our crew was spirited to say the least, and the round of Dos Equis at the marina bar soon turned into a taxi ride into town, and a superhuman amount of tequila. The last thing I recall before being shoveled into a cab was Kerstin and I dancing in a cage at a club called The Zoo.

Celebrations complete and a dreamless night’s “sleep” left us with heavy heads when the morning came. We had a lot of work ahead of us in preparation for the first trip with the owner on board. This was a private yacht, and the passage making would be interspersed with luxury sailing for businessmen. For some reason, the three days before he would arrive were always frantic and long. Sometimes we would work sixteen hours. The boat, down below looked as if a small explosion had occurred. Tools, equipment, spare parts, personal gear, all laid about in a state of disorganized chaos. Somehow, at the last minute, all of this would disappear and the stunning interior of the vessel which remained covered up while we traveled, would come out and take on a new facade.