Hi, I'm back.

Yea, you read correctly... I'm actually back, and blogging.

It's been over 8 months since my last blog post. I bet you guys (if there are any of you left following me) thought I quit sailing and completely fell out of the nautical lifestyle... Nope, I'm still here.

If any of you had noticed, I still kept my 'Recent Results' page up to date. Logging almost every event I've sailed recently... So let me answer some basic questions, haha.

Where am I in life right now?
Good question. Currently a sophomore at the College of Charleston, double majoring in Economics and Business Administration. I've served as the captain of the Club Sailing team for the past 4 semesters, and I'm currently a member of the new College of Charleston Offshore Sailing Team. I'm also very active with the Sailing Department here at C of C; I work for the department in managing social media / website development.

Sailing still a big part of your life?
Sailing will always be a big part of my life, if not the biggest part of my life. I don't really sail small boats anymore (other than the weekly 420 sail with the C of C Club team), but instead I'm now focused on keelboats. I sail just about every local event with the Charleston Ocean Racing Association, and I'm a member of the C of C Offshore Team. In fact, we just came second in our very first offshore event as a team- the Port of Los Angeles Harbor cup, where we competed against 9 other top sailing schools in the Catalina 37 keelboat.

2 weekends ago I was racing offshore to Bohicket, this weekend I'm sailing a big boat event in Beaufort, and on April 19th I'll be racing Charleston Race Week. So yea, sailing has been a big part of my life here at college. I've been sailing a lot on a Sabre 362, J120cf, J36, and a few other boats. I love sailing, and I will always be a sailor.

Unfortunately, I haven't been blogging about any of these events... I really just haven't had the time, I'm hoping to slowly get back into the blogging lifestyle though. There's dozens of posts I could write about dozens of regattas or different boats or events or plans or anything really... I promise I'll try.

Oh yea by the way, big boats is where its at. A completely different ball game- 100x better than dinghies in my opinion (maybe I'll write a post on why I think this one day soon).

Why am I blogging again?
Well... Semester at Sea.

Yep, this Fall semester I will find myself on a cruise ship, cruising the Atlantic. 14 different countries in 115 days- should be an awesome experience.

I plan to blog often during this trip, as the only means of communication I will have while we are at sea is via email... So email postings to Blogger it is; to keep my family and friends updated with my travels. I hope a lot of you will take the time to read about my voyage as I venture to all these countries.

Expect more posts on this whole Semester at Sea deal soon. It'll be the first time I've studied abroad during university, and I am beyond excited.

What else is going on?
Well, as if sailing isn't enough, I'm not obsessed with CrossFit. CrossFit is the sport of fitness, and I can't begin to describe how amazing it is. I train at CrossFit Discovery Downtown here in Charleston, and basically wake up at 0515hrs everyday just to workout at the box. I love it.

Other than sailing, CrossFit, and studying hard in school, I'm also working hard towards my future dream job- becoming a Yacht captain. I'm not sure if you guys know, but I now hold a 100ton 'Class B' License from the Bahamas Port Authority. I plan to upgrade this license to a 'Class A' this coming summer, and hopefully find myself working on a charter yacht for the majority of the summer. I need to gain as much sea time as I can (to go towards my Yachtmasters 200ton License), so I figure I'll begin this process as soon as classes end and I get home.

Needless to say, I decided not to coach with the BSA or NYC this summer. It was a very hard decision to decide to give up coaching sailing, but I need to start working towards my dreams and goals and get a jump start on getting my life on track.



Well, thanks for reading as I try to get myself back into the blogging world. This blog will remain SailFast13, and will remain a sailing blog. However, for the months of August to December, I will be posting a lot about Semester at Sea and my travels. I hope you guys enjoy, and like the new look!

Overnight2Savannah

Long absence from Blogger, I know... But after spending all day on the water coaching sailing and running a camp- the last thing I need to do is sit infront of a computer and talk about sailing.

A lot has been going on though... Between sailing, travelling, working, restoring the new VW, and oh yea; I'm a captain now. But really, I need to just write a blog and explain everything that has happened to me and that I've done this summer!

After an incredible summer here in the Bahamas; I finally head back North to Chucktown on August 9th to move into my new apartment!

Funny enough, I leave Chucktown on the 10th.... at 1830hrs for the start of the Charleston to Savannah overnight race! 

Wow. I am excited. I will be racing on Moosedown, the J120CF that is fresh off of a win in the Abacos at the 2012 RTIA. I'm glad to have just been able to get a spot on this boat. I sailed with them in the Sheriff's Cup earlier this year. 

I'm looking forward to not only sailing my first overnight race, but sailing my longest offshore race as well (70nm +), should be great practice for the Miami to Nassau race this November (provided I can find a ride, haha).

So yea, thats the plan for right now- I'm ready to get back to Charleston and give this one a go! Looking forward to some good racing on the keelboats this fall.

I know it has been too long since I blogged on this site, but I will keep you guys updated during this event via twitter and spot tracking! Look for some good post race blogging as well!

Other than that, just living the 242 life and loving every second of it. It has been an amazing summer, and I'm really going to miss this rock I call home.

SailFast, Live Slow!

Senior Instructor with the BSA (Back home)

Well, I know I haven't blogged in about a month (wow). And I am sorry!


First off, I've been trying to avoid this blog... Due to a few different things, primarily my ever changing mindset on whether to try out for the CofC Varsity team or not. I'm going to be honest, if I had to decide tomorrow morning whether to try out or not; I would not try out.

I plan to write a detailed blog post on why my mindset over this subject has changed (and no, it's not because I fear the tryout process- it's because of how things would be different if I did make the team). But like I said, expect a blog post on this topic soon.. It's just a really hard decision I have to make sometime soon.

As for sailing though, a few local snipe events are coming up within the next few weeks- which should be great. Also, Thursday night and Sunday morning Snipe sailing is constantly going on, and im looking forward to joining in on that as much as I can!

So yea, after leaving Lauderdale where I got my US Sailing Level 1 instructor certification and my STCW certifications, I finally returned home to the Bahamas.
Lately,  I've really just been enjoying life.... A lot of time hanging out with friends and family, working on my classic Beetle, fishing, beaching, and just spending time on or in the water. On top of all of that, I also have a job now (until Summer sailing starts in July). I work as an assistant to the Director of Retail at CBS Bahamas- just to get some business administration experience.

Also, I've had 2 meetings so far with the new director of sailing at the BSA about the summer program this year. I am really looking forward to working as a Senior Instructor and running this program in early July. I will be instructing for 4 weeks (2 sessions), and I'm hoping to take this program and make it an incredible  learning experience for the kids. I can't wait.

So yea, 2 more weeks of retail work, then our summer vacation to the Exumas, then coaching with the BSA.

As soon as I finish coaching with the BSA, hopefully get a trip in to Long Island (one of my favorite places in the world), then back to Charleston on Aug 9th for an overnight race to Savannah on Aug 10th, then off to Las Vegas on the 16th and back to Chucktown again on the 19th for classes.

Look forward to a more detailed blog on this fall sailing problem sometime in the near future! For now; it's back to work- haha.

SailFast, Live Slow!

US Sailing Level 1. STCW. Bahamas Election 2012.

Wow, I've been extremely busy the past week!

I have been in 6 different hotels, 3 different states, and 5 different cities in just the past week alone.

After leaving Charleston, I headed to Atlanta to vote early in the Bahamas General Election, then down to Jacksonville with dad as he had some business meetings to get taken care of, then on to Fort Lauderdale, then Miami, and back to Lauderdale.

But anyway, let's talk sailing...

This past weekend I completed the first 2 days of my US Sailing Level 1 Instructor Certification Course at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. The course is designed to be four 10hr days of training for instructor candidates, I complete the last 2 days this upcoming weekend.
So far it has been a great experience, I've been coaching for 3 years now, so this course is sort of a brush-up on my skills while still teaching me new techniques to heighten my skill level as an instructor. I'm learning a ton not only about how to coach the kids, but also dealing with legal responsibilities, disabled kids, parents, etc.
I highly recommend any sailing enthusiast looking to become a well qualified and properly trained instructor to take this course immediately. The main benefit is that upon certification, you get $10million dollars in liability coverage from US Sailing.

As I wait for this upcoming weekend to finish the Level 1 Instructor Certification course, I'm currently in Fort Lauderdale (yachting center of the USA). This entire week I've been working on my STCW Basic Safety Training certification from Maritime Professional Training (MPT) here in Lauderdale.
The STCW (International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping) is a four module course that covers first aid, firefighting, personal survival, social responsibility, personal safety, etc. This course mandates the minimum (although MPT goes well above and beyond) training all seafarers are required to complete and is required for all personnel with designated safety and/or pollution prevention duties (basically everyone onboard).
I'm taking this course, because (and I don't know if I've told you guys this) I want to start crewing on private yachts and get involved in the yachting industry. I plan to start as soon as next summer, and go full time for a few years when I graduate from CofC. Currently, I am pursuing my Yachtmasters Offshore certificate- and depending on how quickly I can accumulate the sea time, I can see myself getting this qualification within 2 years. In addition, I plan to get my Bahamian 'B' License this summer. So yea, I hope this goes well!
p.s. this means I am currently looking to crew on any boat, whether it be for delivery or a short trip, for short periods of time on passages to acquire sea time.

The Bahamas General Election was yesterday, and I can say I am not pleased (in fact I am worried) with the result. The PLP and their leader Perry Christie, who is notorious for scandals and corruption, won the election and are set to take parliament.
In the Bahamas' future it looks like more waterfront property and small cays will be sold off to foreigners, oil drilling will be permitted, and our forward progression will be drastically slowed due to a government who still operates on a 1970's regime. They won the election due to the many Bahamians blaming the effects of the global recession on the outgoing FNM Government- who in my opinion, did an incredible job to minimize the effects of such a economic downturn. God be with the Bahamas for the next 5 years.

I return to Nassau late Sunday night, start work 7am Tuesday morning. Not coaching sailing just yet (no Bahamian schools are on summer break until late June). I'll be working at CBS Bahamas getting some retail and business admin experience.

On another note, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet is passing through Bahamian waters on their way to Miami. They are expected to arrive in Miami tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to seeing them at the race village in downtown Miami this weekend. Sail Fast and enjoy the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas.

SailFast, Live Slow!

Snipe Nationals (and Juniors)- Miami, June 2012.

Alright, great news:
Looks like Chris and I are headed to Miami in June to sail the U.S. National Championships and Junior National events. This is the first year they are open, so we as Bahamians can compete. Both Chris and I are really looking forward to this event, and getting more time in the Snipe class.

The events are scheduled for mid June, and as of now I can say I'm 90% confident we will go. It just depends on funding. Both of these events will turn out to be great practice for the CofC sailing tryouts in fall of this year, and this summer I need all the practice that I can get to stay fresh and to keep developing my skills if I want any chance of making the team.

Other than that, I'm just getting moved out of Charleston. Wow; my freshman year is over- it's crazy how fast time flew by. With moving off campus for the Fall 2012 semester (finally my friends and I have our own apartment), I've just been getting everything packed away and getting my dorm room cleaned out.

I leave Charleston on Monday, head over to Atlanta so I can vote in the Bahamas Government Election at the Bahamian Consulate, then drive down to Miami to do my US Sailing Level 1 course and then my STCW certification course. And then finally, on May 13th, I will be Bahama bound...

I'm really looking forward to finally getting the US Sailing Level 1 certification out of the way, apparently it's pretty important to have as an instructor in the U.S.-I never thought about it much when I coached in the Bahamas, because no one ever asked for it or had ever done it. However, I realized it's a pretty big deal stateside, haha. Plus, I'm sure it will make my coaching and instructing that much better.

The STCW is The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers and is a course I will be taking at MPT in Florida, and I consider it step 1 of my quest to get a job crewing on a commercial yacht in the future.

It's pretty sad leaving Chucktown, but hey, I'll be back early August (early enough to sail the CORA overnight to Savannah hopefully).

SailFast, Live Slow!