November - December 2021
Moon Sand made its maiden voyage to London at the beginning of November. The ship’s first trip would turn out to be my debut and farewell. Coming back from a busy and fun trip, it was time for another busy yet less fun trip. Upon my return, we had 2 days to take care of final details and set sail towards the UK. After so much uncertainty and delays to our departure date from the shipyard, it was exciting to finally be leaving. Personally, I was also looking forward to crossing the North Sea, waters I never imagined I’d be in.
The crossing went ok. It ended up being longer than expected because we stopped for about a day for weather conditions ahead of us to improve. We did hit a bit of swell and part of the crew (including me, I must admit) suffered from some seasickness. But the crossing wasn’t long and soon enough we reached the channel leading to London. We spent the first few days docked by the convention center in East London, washing, washing, washing. A few days later we moved and boy was that memorable. We cruised up the Thames to dock RIGHT NEXT to the one and only Tower Bridge. Location unrivaled; views were amazing. Soon though we had guests coming in which meant work in full swing. I got “lucky” working nights and days. I understood this was the time when we would be working the most and so I did my best and tried to maintain a positive attitude. I was fortunate to be able to see two of my cousins and a good friend from college. It had been years since I saw all of them and reuniting in London was special. Not to mention how good it felt to be able to let loose for a bit. However, jumping back to work the night shift afterwards proved unsustainable.
Reunion with Jodi and Agustina.
As days went by and stress accumulated tensions amongst the crew built up. Eventually the lead deckhand (roommate also) and I had a blowup. A seemingly small incident led to an open discussion of things that were bothering us from each other throughout the past weeks. I like to think it led to a positive outcome, but I don't really know if it truly did. In any case, it was important to me to voice my discontent and stand my ground when I felt I needed to. I started thinking about quitting my job. Frankly I did not really have a close friend in the crew and more importantly, I started being more honest with myself and admit I disliked being there and what I was doing. The idea of seeking more sailing and divemaster experience first came to mind. I began wandering about when and how to do it. At the same time, I was trying to keep a cool head and not rush any conclusions or decisions.
An important issue for me to attend to during our time in London was whether I would be able to apply for a US visa there. While I decided submitting an application to the embassy in London was not the best course of action, I secured an appointment in Berlin a few weeks later with the support of the captain. I was very thankful for this, I would soon be able to visit my family and would open up more job opportunities.
The end of our guest’s time aboard eventually came to an end and so we relocated to Canary Wharf. Our work days were much less busy and I even enjoyed some days off. I walked around, bought a guitar aaaaaand watched Les Miserables. Les Miserables has been one of the best live performances I have had the fortune to see. I knew it to be a famous story but was oblivious to the details. The performance was moving and inspiring. I left the theater with a renewed desire to be a good, honest man. Just as our time in London was coming to an end, I received some unexpected but welcome news: I was let go. The captain cited the boat headed back for a long yard period in Germany and the owner’s desire to cut costs as the reason for my cut. I’d be lying if I told you I was heartbroken… I was now free to replan what I wanted to do and where to go.
The way back to Germany was quicker and less agitated. We arrived at a small town called Lemwerder near Bremen where the shipyard is located. The boat was lifted out of the water and Zaynah arrived in Bremen for another visit. It was interesting to be in such a small town in Germany where some of the biggest yachts in the world are made and yacht builders are some of the largest employers. In the span of 2 weeks, a lot had happened and many changes were taking place in my life. Zaynah’s presence made things more bearable and allowed me to relax and feel like myself when I felt suffocated at work. Finally, after the crossing and some busy days getting the boat ready for its repairs, I was officially off Moon Sand. Next stop: Berlin to get my US tourist visa.
The trip to Berlin was great, I felt free and was looking forward to getting my US visa sorted out. Fortunately, my appointment went well and I got my visa. However, I would only be able to pick up my passport 3 days to 2 weeks from the day of my appointment. Instead of waiting in Berlin, I convinced Zaynah for us to go to southern Germany. While Berlin is certainly an incredible city, I had been there a couple of times before and wanted to see someplace new. We took a bus down to Munich and a couple of trains to Bayerisch Gmain, the German winter wonderland. The view of snowy towns and mountains surrounding them was a perfect preface to Christmas. Being in a southwestern corner of Germany I knew nothing about until then was special to me and I thoroughly enjoyed a slow pace of life in the middle of the mountains for a few days. We walked around neighboring towns and hiked around Königssee. My passport was ready for pick up only a handful of days after my interview and we headed back to Berlin.
Königssee.
At this point, I had been offered a new job on a yacht docked in California and I accepted it. This new job looked like an interesting new beginning on a bigger boat with an active and international crew. Although I wanted to do some sailing and diving, I was not ready to stop working and take that leap. I said goodbye to Zaynah in Berlin and spent a weekend with my family in Miami before catching up with the new boat in San Diego.