Christening ceremony, July 2004, Biscayne Bay, Miami…
When I bought Andiamo, eight and a half long years ago, I had no idea what to expect. That was part of the excitement. Alas, suffice it to say that there is no way I could have predicted that things would happen they way they have over that time. How could I? How could I have possibly predicted all the adventures, misadventures, happy moments, tragedies, surprises, disappointments, and all the other stuff that ensued over these years?
When my then-wife and I left Miami for the blue yonder, I suppose I had an entirely different idea (perhaps overly romanticized) of what to expect from this grand adventure. It didn’t take long after sailing off from Miami, however, to realize that things would go FAR differently than I or anyone could have imagined. The initial challenges and dilemmas came fast and furious. For awhile there, I felt like there was one big-bad-luck-schleprock cloud hanging over me. It was a shock to the system, a hard dose of reality. Yet, somehow I managed to get through it, and make it through to sunnier horizons.
Yes, there is much that happened over these years that I clearly wish didn’t. And yet, there is so much more that did happen that I didn’t expect to, and was glad that they came to pass. So in the end, it makes everything more than worthwhile. I always say, that the most profound experiences I’ve had aboard were also the most challenging, and even the most dangerous.
So many people, so many experiences, so many connections (many of which I still hold dear and value to this very day), stem from this incredible time on my dearly beloved boat and home. My life will never be the same, thanks to Andiamo and all she’s brought me. What started as an abstract dream back in my younger years, out of crudely-sketched drawings of sailboats, palm trees, and sunsets on my schoolbooks, manifested itself into an amazing reality. I am living proof that dreams do come true. Although never in the straightforward, painless fashion that one would wish. Yet it has all paid off in what I can only call an amazing chapter of my life.