I started sailing by messing around on boats on the Great Lakes as a kid growing up…throughout high school I would go out to Vineyard Haven, MA to sail on a tall ship for a week each summer, which introduced me to the tall ship world and some pretty awesome people. And then I decided to take time off from college and sail professionally aboard tall ships! The countries I’ve sailed to include Bermuda, Canada, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Ireland… and I’ve sailed on Lake Michigan, the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, the English Channel, and the North Sea. It’s pretty incredible! xx

Haha I am glad I have earned the status of ‘real’ pirate ;) I started sailing casually on the Great Lakes when I was 12, and played around on small boats (mostly 420’s and lasers) during the summers. Then I got the opportunity to sail on the schooner Shenandoah for one week each summer in high school, and fell in love with tall ship sailing. In 2008, after graduating from high school, I heard the HMS Bounty was going to be sailing to Europe and I applied! They hired me on as a deckhand, and the rest is history. Sadly, the Bounty is with us no more, but if you’re interested in tall ship sailing, look for jobs here. Happy new year! xx

Yeah! If you come off anon I will also be happy to message you directly. For more on my sailing adventures, see my sailing tags. That’ll show you where I sailed, what I did with my free time on board, the type of ship I sailed on, etc.

This ^ is what a good day of sailing looks like on a tall ship!!!! Man this photo makes me miss it SO MUCH! That was taken during our Atlantic crossing.

Hmm… what to say. I sailed on a 3 masted square sailed ship, which is a uniquely challenging and rewarding experience. Workdays are LONG (12 hours) and tasks are difficult, physically and mentally— but you experience and see and learn incredible things. One thing people don’t normally realize about tall ship sailing is that you climb the rigging up to each yard to work with the square sails. Working with them involves standing on ropes 50-100 ft above deck, hauling around thick heavy canvas. So imagine doing that in the rain, heeled over, and you have a pretty exciting situation.

I feel like this is a pretty random response, sorry haha! Let me know if you have more specific questions?

xxxxxxx

S

I would absolutely recommend it! Seriously, GO FOR IT. It is certainly not boring haha. It will change your life and teach you so much— about yourself, other people, the sea, sailing, maintaining boats, etc. You gain a lot of extraordinarily practical skills aboard a tall ship, and you experience nature and the beauty and power of the sea in an incredible way. 

Almost all of my free time was really spent sleeping or eating. But when I did have free time at sea, I spent it reading, writing, knitting, watching movies, or creating elaborate cakes for crew members’ birthdays… other people taught themselves how to play an instrument. And when your free time involves shore leave, you go on adventures!

One more thing— I would recommend that you sail on a schooner for your first boat, they are a great introduction to tall ships. Oh and be prepared to have little to no privacy and embrace your crew as your new BFFs. 

Let me know if you have more questions!! I hope that was helpful :) 

xx

S