Crew aboard The Lady Washington

Another two weeks aboard to Lady have glided by on wings of exhilaration and beauty. Cruised the San Juan Islands for Family Camp, took the public out sailing, gave countless hours of tours, acted as Steward for a whole day (Yippee!), and met some truly amazing folks. Another fabulous crew, a fabulous trip, fabulous fabulous fabulous. That’s all there is to say. I love my job.

I spent four months crewing aboard the Lady Washington as Education Coordinator, and the fifth month volunteering on Hawaiian Chieftain. It’s taken more than a month to decompress what happened out there. I know that among changing my life, I have learned several things:

Dirt is okay. That one of the best days aboard is spent tarring and sweating. (This does not mean I will forgo showers if they are accesible. Hell no. Being a dirty sailor is not acceptable when I can do something about it.)

Chidren mean death and doom. And boat plague. Well, giving the same talk day after day is utter doom to my brain.

I am not incompentant. I can be given direction, and once I know what I’m doing, I can be sure in my skill.

Burn out is bad. Very bad.

My opinion is worth a listen.

I can fail. Badly.

There is beauty in simplicity.

I am stronger than I thought, and trusting in my body is power.

I know what I want, even though I may not actually know it at the time. There is a design to all this chaos.

Music + galley duty = time to oneself.

I am comfortable in my skin.

However, all this can change in a flash.

In the space of five minutes, I can be confident and sure, then fall into a doubting mess that only wants to go home.

I can be absolutely terrified of what I cannot control.

Though I know in my heart of hearts he is wrong, a few bad words from the Mate can destroy me.

A few words can turn my day upside down.

I can be wrong. Very wrong.

I have been broken this season. Fallen to my knees, then pieced myself together, sometimes leaning on shipmates for support, sometimes in the shadows of bunk and my notebook. I have been challenged, physically, mentally, spiritually, and in my capabilities. Sometimes I have failed. Sometimes forgotten. Sometimes risen to the challenge and won, without consequence or reaction from others.

I have seen things I will never forget. Images and scenes in my mind like photos. It has been one of the greatest and worst (and most exhausting) experiences in my life.

And yet, here I am, back home in Baltimore, on the schooner Lady Maryland, doing it again.

Side by side with green hands, those with the same level of experience, and those who have been sailing since I was in middle school.

I feel a rush – accepted, brushed off, teaching to and being taught by my peers. There is so much to learn, and yet she is very simple compared. I don’t know how to categorize my month on the Lady yet. She is so different.

So am I happy? That’s my own secret that I cannot share yet. To be honest, I am in my Hometown, doing what I love, and that’s what matters most. Nothing’s gonna bring me down.

FACING west, from California’s shores,
Inquiring, tireless, seeking what is yet unfound,
.......
Long having wander’d since—round the earth having wander’d,
Now I face home again—very pleas’d and joyous;
(But where is what I started for, so long ago?
And why is it yet unfound?)
-Whitman

I’m back, fresh from two weeks at sea with the astonishing crew of the beautiful yellow brig Lady Washington. I can say with complete certainty that the experience has completely changed my life. I finally found out where my kindred spirits have all been hiding, I found the perfect lifestyle, the most rewarding job in the world, and everything inbetween. I feel rejuvinated and inspired. The joy of coming home has been that I can now start my countdown to going back. After my obligations here are finished, mainly graduation and the production of my play, I’ll be back on the deck and aloft in the rigging. I already miss the roll of the ship and the affection and hospitality of the crew, but it’s only a matter of weeks before I’m really home again.

I drive up next Thursday! I’mgoingI’mgoingI’mgoing! Oh joy unbounded!

Calling Capt. “Evil” Ryan Meyer this Thursday to confirm my position and discuss scheduling. This is also great because it will take me up the coast and I can see all my friends up north.

Well, I just head that there are no spaces available on the Lady during my available dates, so I might be joining the Hawaiian Chieftan instead. Either way…Wooo!

I faxed off my volunteer application form this afternoon. Fingers crossed it all works out!