Crazy’s Adventures

I so appreciate everyone who has followed my journey. The people I left at home, that only had well wishes and hope for my dream, to the people I’ve met along the way. It has been quite the adventure, from the moment I turned my office key in, that I had held for 25 years, to the beginning of my adventure being paused by Covid. Stuck in San Diego, without a home, a job, or a school to attend.

Finally Yacht Deckhand school opens. I am the oldest student. I get my credentials and obtain my first yachting job, on GiGi.

Gigi is such a wonderful learning experience for me. Traveling the coast line from Miami to New York. I saw things I’ve never seen and most have not seen from a yachts vantage point. I spend 1 1/2 years on the water, loving the serenity of the sunrise and sunsets on the water. My Gigi will always be close to my heart.

Making the move to the Caribbean to actually research where I could own a bar was fun and disappointing at the same time. I picked St. Thomas, my favorite vacation spot. But statistics prove it is not an island my bar would thrive on.

Covid is still stifling travel, I decide to take up residency somewhere and learn the bar industry. Awe…My Anna Maria Island. I become a bartender, something I’ve never done. I make friends that I still talk to, to this day. Friends that will come see me at my bar someday. Then, Family is in need. I return home, to California. I pause my dream for 2 years, enjoying family, child hood friends and routines. There is definitely “something special’ about home. But, my soul and my being are calling me to my dream. Gigi wants me back, so I return. The joy I feel keeping her pristine, the warmth of the sun on my skin all day, the smell of the water, I am truly “Home”, Until the drama stifles my serenity. I must leave once again.

I return to yet more schooling. Prep to continue working on the water, allowing accumulation of hours to get my captains license. Being a captain I can make a lot more money, much quicker than a deckhand.

I take on, the most grueling job I have ever encountered in my lifetime. The people and friendships I made, I wouldn’t change for the world. And honestly, I appreciate that the hard work, whipped me into the best shape I think I’ve ever been in.

The river boat is in winter hiatus, and I still need to earn an income. My sister in law needs help at her business. I want to help, but I feel like returning to California is 10 steps backwards from my dream. She says she will create the same benefits I’d have as if I were working on a boat. Income, free housing etc. She gave me a Christmas bonus sufficient enough to pay for Captains license school here in San Diego. So here is my jeep, that Captain Harvey loaded up for me tonight in Florida. It’s headed my way, while I stay here helping my SIL out and getting my Captains license.

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunities that I have had, since quitting my real job. The memories and experiences I have had are worth the amount of time and effort that is going into this dream.

Don’t give up on me…you will see me at my bar someday!

Spent a week in Montana with my daughter, her boyfriend, and his family and friends. They have both made many sacrifices for this degree, and are now embarking on their next adventure. So happy for them.

The river boat is already summoning me to return. Season doesn’t start until February, with crew returning mid January to get the boats ready. I won’t be returning there, as my SIL will need me, and will allow me to do what I need to do to obtain my Captains License while in San Diego. Then, if the Marina Del Rey yacht doesn’t work out, I will have the jeep sent here, work for her and complete Captains schooling. When she’s able to hire help, I can return to Florida as a Captain rather than Deckhand, making work easier to get, and more money once I get it.

All small steps towards my beach bar!

My brother’s wife owns a commercial real estate company in San Diego. She has a been short an employee for a few months and is at her last straw with the work load. I agreed to live with her, again, (I lived with her when I started this whole thing. Remember COVID, shut everything down and I stayed with her for 3 months?)

Funny thing, back in September before I went to the river boat cruise, and was desperate for work, I sent a resume to a yacht owner in Los Angeles. He reached out to me 2 days ago. Are the stars aligning or what? Had an interview. The job sounds totally chill. He is a film/music producer. He lives in Hollywood Hills, yacht is in Marina Del Rey. He is only on the boat Thursday-Sundays. His philosophy is…you get your job done quick, go have fun. He said “I’m not the kinda guy that feels crew has to have a micro fiber in their hands at all times in my presence. You want to lay out and get a tan, do it. You want to take the dingy and go snorkeling or hiking, go. The job is more interior than I like, I will be “helping out” on deck but mostly stew. So I’ll try it and see. The pay is above standard, so that will help save for the beach bar! He needs me to start ASAP, but I’ve committed to helping Leslie at least until after Christmas, plus I’m going to Montana to visit my daughter Rylee for a week, and I have to get my jeep from Florida. So if he can wait, the job is mine.

For now, I enjoy Thanksgiving week with my family in beautiful San Diego weather!

All crew is getting giddy that the current guests get off in New Orleans Wednesday, then servers and housekeeping Thursday, finally deck crew Friday..

Jokes are being played. Yesterday at our daily noon meeting our boss, Mate Josh, comes out with Hotel Manager Glenn to inform us of some wonderful news. We are all trying to guess what it could be.

One guess…maybe we get to stay in guest rooms our last two nights or we have a whole day off to enjoy the boat.. Mate says “ACL has decided to add another cruise to this season. We have a packed boat which means you all get another week of work in!

I’m thinking of how many excuses I can make up to prove this is a hardship and I cannot stay another week. But they laugh and tell us our actual date is Friday. At one of our noon meetings, the Captain was noticing small details about our uniforms. My belt had too much length and needed to be trimmed, someone’s hat was not like all of ours, someone needed to shave. So for pay back, on our last noon meeting, we are all showing up disheveled. I will let the hay stack fly with no hat, we’ll let our belts hang, wear the wrong shoes, shirts untucked, hats on backwards…Captain gave his approval for this joke and would like a photo.

I pretty much have been sleeping the whole time I’m not working. I guess last night after I went to bed. One of the deckhands, our engineer and our lead deckhand were having a conversation about an apocalypse and who would survive. They each had a story for each of our deck crew. It was determined that the deckhand involved in the conversation would certainly die because he wouldn’t be paying attention, another would die because he gets frustrated so easily he wouldn’t be able to think. They decided that I would be the lone survivor because I have a Sarah Connor vibe going on. I had to google who Sarah Connor is. She played the lead role in terminator. I guess she’s a tough bitch. Well, they got that right! Ha ha

This gal is my favorite of them all. She is a good soul, and so much fun. I’m gonna miss her, and if I come back to this company I will definitely request to be on whichever boat she is on, we have a ball. She laughs at my terrible memory and listens to all my stories twice. Lexi-Anne

My shift was originally noon to midnight. So around 9:30 a.m. I’d get dressed in regular clothes and walk through the dining room to get a coffee. All of the servers would be there, cleaning up after breakfast and setting their tables for lunch. I’d say good morning to everyone. Most of them call me, Miss Stacy. One morning, I walked through and I heard one of the boys tell another guy, “don’t even think about it, she’s outta your league, bro”. I kept walking, then I hear the guy say “watch me”.

I proceed to the galley to get my coffee. The “watch me” dude, appears and drums up conversation. I’m guessing he is the same age or younger than my oldest daughter. He asks about kids. I tell him my oldest is 35. He looks shocked. He says “I can’t believe you have a 35 year old, you look like you are mid 40’s” I said “nope, I’m almost 60”. thinking that would deter him.

I gather my coffee and say have a nice day, and walk back to my room. 2 days later, he approaches me again and asks me out, then sat with me and my friends at our table for lunch. The deck crew is giggling, because they know what I’m thinking. I’m sure the servers all have a wager going to see if he can land a date. I told him, that with the work load we have, I just don’t have the energy to go out. He said but you are off at 4pm now, and we are almost to the end of our time on this boat. I said, I still have to get up at 3:30am and work a 12 hour shift, so probably not.

As far as we have been told, we have guests on board now, heading from New Orleans up to Memphis, Pick up new guests and head back down to NOLA, finishing around November 15th. Then at some point after that. ACL makes travel arrangements for all crew. We take a bus to the airport and go our separate ways, after first stopping at the airport bar for a drink or 10!

So many things to consider right now. Making travel arrangements to go home when this boat goes into Winter lay up. The whole crew, deckhands, servers, housekeepers and management get off the same day, take a shuttle to the airport and fly our separate ways. Our cruise director told a select few that there is a mandatory crew meeting at the first bar we encounter in the airport! OMGOSH I can’t wait to relax with a drink in my hand, with these people who have become my family.

I also learned yesterday, that this company will pay for 100ton Captains license and flight/hotel while in school, if I finish my 28 week contract, and commit to another 90 days after receiving my license. Can I do it? I think so!?? I was going to get a “starter” license called a 6 pack, the 100 ton is a step above that, so it would be beneficial

This means, I will go home to California mid November, have Thanksgiving with my family in San Diego at my Sister in Laws. I can help her out at her office to have an income until I either find the perfect yacht job, or return to ACL to finish my contract and get my license for free. She lives 5 hours away from my hometown, so it’s an easy flight to go visit my mom and kids.

This young man graduates from college in Montana on December 9th, so I’ll be able to fly there to see my daughter Rylee and watch him graduate as well. SO EXCITED!

Captain is retiring, Navigation Mate is leaving for the season, First Mate is going on vacation and the boat is put into hibernation November 15th. Since we finally have a full deck crew, the work load is manageable and the days aren’t so bad. It still is not a job I would ever do again, but it’s not unfathomable to be here tomorrow.

Continue reading “Season is ending”

I received a text from a Captain I met while in Sag Harbor. She and I became great friends and have stayed in touch over the last 3 years. She text me yesterday. The owner of a 52ft Catamaran in Honolulu Hawaii, needs a Captain and mate. He reached out to her to see if she is interested. She reached out to me and said “wanna get off that river boat?” I told her I’d love to work for her, get me off this duckin boat (spell check changed my word for me) ha ha.

Continue reading “There is hope!”

Losing another deckhand today. She gave it a good 2 weeks and can’t take it anymore. The majority of the staff stays green and untrained. Anyone, who knows anything leaves, so we have servers, housekeeping and deckhands that haven’t done the job long enough to do it correctly, or safely for that matter.

Everyone was mislead in job advertisements and training. They told us that when a boat is pulled out for the season, they will transfer you to another one, or you can sign up to stay on the boat during it’s winter maintenance period. Although I don’t plan on being here that long, I still need a job in case nothing comes up for yachting. They are now telling me, my job ends November 15th with the season restarting mid January. They can’t guarantee me continued employment beyond 11/15.

Continue reading “It’s Amazing this Company Still Operates”

One more housekeeper leaving this awful place. She said no job is worth sacrificing your soul. She gave it 4 months and made the decision to leave. Zoe (left) is a server, Sabrina (middle) leaving, Lexi (deck) driving her and her luggage up the hill.

I am still applying for yacht jobs. Had 2 respond asking for interview. When I explain my hours and location, my only option is zoom or FaceTime, they usually move on to someone in Florida.

But I know the perfect fit will come up. We are in Baton Rouge Louisiana today. Cold and windy. Head to New Orleans tomorrow then I guess we go back up the way we came and loop around the same towns until November 15th when the season is over and the boats are hauled out for winter repairs and maintenance.