Day One

Yesterday was my first full day on the boat and the epitome of my hopes for this journey. We woke up, made breakfast, and made our way over to the local school to install a new battery and control system for their solar panels thanks to The Floating Foundation. Man I haven’t had my hands on hardware in too long! That night we participated in a local Tongan feast of jackfruit, plantains, pork and fish while celebrating the birthday of a woman from across the island after the local children sang. After retuning to the boat we laid out under the stars and sang for hours courtesy of Ryne Tucker’s incredible guitar skills. I write this as the sun is rising over the town and choir practice is in session, with the sea so still that you can pick out a school of fish just grazing the surface. Needless to say, I so feel lucky to be here and in awe that this is only the first of many communities like this that I’ll get to experience in the coming months. I’ll get in the habit of taking more pictures in the process too 🙂

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Welcome…

Update from Vava’u, Tonga – I’m currently lying on the deck of the Infinity under a sky chock full of stars after a nighttime swim. I’ve been on the boat for less than 12 hours and already it’s starting to feel like home, mostly due to how welcoming and understating of my endless questions Captain Clem, his family, and the rest of the crew are. Quoting “Annie”… “I think I’m gonna like it here” 🙂
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The Big Reveal!

Appropriately enough on this coming labor day weekend, I’m announcing to the virtual world that I’m quitting my cushy aerospace job to live on a sailboat in the South Pacific for ~3 months! Goodbye (at least temporarily) to commutes and cubicles, hello sunshine, seawater and squalls! I’ll be living and working aboard the Infinity as we sail among the remote islands of Tonga, Fiji and the Marshall Islands. The driving force is not just to set aside the 8-5 for a bit and explore the beauty of this far-off world, but also to experience and provide assistance to the lands and communities that are on track to be underwater in our lifetime. I know it will be a crazy departure from familiarity, but I’m excited to let the wind (and the very skilled captain) take the reigns and become a part of the community on-board the Infinity!
After I get off the boat, I’ll likely spend the next few months exploring both abroad and here in North America, while taking the opportunity to volunteer where I can along the way. So yah, there’s that! I fly out October 23 and will still be accessible by phone (same number) and email, although there will be a few day gaps here and there for sure.
I’ve been so impressed by my friends that I’ve seen jump into the unknown and the un-traditional to explore beyond their backyards ( Samantha, Eric, Megan, Jennifer, Nathan, Sarah and Erin to name a few) and can barely believe that I’m about to do the same… but opportunity is knocking and I’m opening the door… ⛵

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