Smithers & OB
C and R
Smithers & OB
Once upon a time a South African guy (Ross) met an American girl (Claire) in Biarritz, France and kept in touch for 5 long years. Then, in spring 2012, the South African along with 2 compadres ventured over to Denver, CO to run the Colorado Marathon. The American girl, living in Denver at the time, joined the crew, and after enduring the 26.2 mile run more than a mile above sea level, the group road tripped from Colorado through Utah to Vegas, then jetted over to San Francisco via airplane. After the 2 week adventure, Ross and Claire decided it was time to turn the spark between them into a relationship. So Ross returned to his home town of Durban for 3 months, closed up shop, was offered a job at an iMedia company in SF, and prepared to move to America. He landed in Denver, helped Claire pack up her apartment, then they passed through Utah and Nevada into California, in a 14 ft U-Haul truck towing Claire's infamous 1992 Ford "Exploder" behind them. But a series of misfortunes proved that the windy city by the bay might not be the place for the young and adventurous couple. So after spending only a month and a few weeks in an apartment in the middle of the city a block away from the Tenderloin district (note: if you aren't familiar with San Francisco, this is the section of the city where the drug dealers, addicts, and basically people similar to the zombies in "28 Days Later" reside), Ross and Claire realized that they needed to make a change fast.
Both huge lovers of the ocean and spontaneity, they looked towards the maritime industry for a way to make a decent amount of money while enjoying life at the same time. Ross had a mate working aboard a yacht with his girlfriend based in Fort Lauderdale, who provided a wealth of information and tips on easing into a crew position on a boat bound for the tropics. And, as luck would have it, Ross had an aunt and uncle living in Fort Lauderdale who offered up their home as a temporary residence before the couple secured placement on a yacht. So, after booking their maritime courses to ensure they had the proper training before embarking on the yachts, Ross and Claire booked their plane tickets and bid adieu to San Francisco.
The purpose of this blog is to record and reflect on our experiences in the yachting industry. We are bound to have our share of ups and downs, but we both came to the realization that if we didn't seize this kind of opportunity, we would always regret it.
Thanks to all of our readers for tuning in and joining us for the adventure!