Saturday, July 14, 2012

Being Married to a Sea Captain

Captain Scott at the helm
Many of you know that Scott got his Captain's License last year.  Due to the fact that Scott was a) incredibly persistant b) a hard worker and c) in the right place at the right time, he got a job with Island Windjammers - a wonderful company that runs week long cruises in the Grenadines on the beautiful tall ship, Diamant.  This, my friends, is a good thing.  Not only does he make a nice chunk of change for our cruising kitty, but he gets to do something he absolutely loves and gets paid for it - we should all be so lucky.  As long as he is can fly to where the boat is, he has a job.  This turn of events has ensured that we can continue to cruise and live aboard our boat for as long as we want.

There is, of course, a catch.  As with anything, there is a yin to this yang.  What this also means is that Scott must leave us for as many as eight weeks at a time for his rotation.  While having a reliable income has made our life at sea a little nicer, it is not easy to be apart for such a long stretch of time (although we will see him on weekends when we are in Grenada).  When Scott was offered this position on the boat we spent a long time discussing the pros and cons of such a situation.   Should he take the position (more time away, reliable schedule, ability to budget)?  Or remain a relief captain (inconsistent schedule, less time, sporadic work/pay)?  We chose to accept the regular position because of the stability and the opportunity to work with and for a great company.  Despite the weeks he'll be away from us, we'll still be together full time for the remaining 40-something weeks of the year which is still way more "together time" than your average family.  Not to mention we'll be fully funded cruisers.  These things make this whole situation a win.  While I  remain positive that this is what is best for our family, the selfish side of me knows I will miss him terribly while he is away.  Scott leaves next week for a four week rotation and even though I have said "good bye" to him many times before, it's never easy to do.  Such is the life of the Captain's wife, I suppose.

“What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? - it's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.” 

- Jack Kerouac, On the Road

10 comments:

Larry Jenkins said...

Brittany, I have enjoyed reading your blog so much. You are a gifted writer. My wife and I hope to cruise in 5-6 years when I retire (wish we had thought about it when we were your age). I have loved reading of the trials and tribulations you and Scott have experienced ( and Isla will get to experience). The captain's job that Scott got is fantastic. It may be the Universe, but I think God has richly blessed you and your family. That is so awesome. I look forward to following your continuing journey.
All the Best,
Larry Jenkins

Windtraveler said...

Larry - thank you so much for your kind words! We are indeed blessed and we are grateful and thankful every single day. Best of luck to you and your wife making your cruising dreams come true. Thank you for following along - keep in touch!

Unknown said...

I'm sooo with you on this one girl!;) We hate having to be separated but you can't beat the money and the freedom to cruise when we want!

Anonymous said...

Brittany, I loved your blog today.
We are sooooooooooooooo happy Scott, you and Isla are part of the Island Windjammer family. We will perhaps look to seeing you ALL sometime in Grenada when Scott is Capt........sailing the Diamant !!!!! Jacquie n Jim

Donna Pawl said...

Brittany, Really enjoyed your blog today. I know you and Isla will miss Scott while he is away, but he is a very capable captain (as you know). While he is taking care of our Diamant and the passengers, Diamant and her crew will be looking out for him as well. Can't wait til you and Isla are back in Grenada as well. Hope to meet you there in September.
Donna

Andi of My Beautiful Adventures said...

Oh goodness 8 weeks apart!?! How sad!

Princess Aboard said...

This is wonderful to hear! Not the 8 wks apart part, but being fully funded cruisers and being able to do it as long as you want. Congrats!

Anonymous said...

I love your blog, and am very happy for this new development, but was surprised that you even had to deliberate. For a little perspective, I feel like many people would be extremely satisfied for the opportunity to have even the opposite arrangement - working 40 weeks out of the year in order to cruise for 8. Granted, the time separated is no fun, but it sounds like the weekend visits will make it bearable. Congrats to you both, and looking forward to hearing about future adventures!

Murray said...

Thank You for your blog, we are just getting our 3 girls through college and then going to start our sailing journey between Florida our home and CT and ME our vacation destination, I love your boat !!!

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