Rain showers moving over Rodney Bay while Wisdom sat at anchor.

Gearing up for our passage from St. Lucia to the Bahamas, we tidied the deck and salon, lashed down anything that could potentially be thrown about and prepped meals to reheat underway. The trip would be approximately 1,400 nautical miles and we expected it to take about a week. We left our dock and anchored in Rodney Bay to await sunset before setting sail. Before we knew it, ominous storm clouds were looming in the distance as they slowly made their way across the bay. The sunset was incredible with soft pink and orange pastels, but short lived, as the clouds encapsulated the sky and opened up to begin pouring down buckets of rain. But foul weather wouldn’t delay our departure schedule, so we lifted anchor and set sail into the night. Lucky for us, Steve’s direction sailed us out of the storm and into a beautiful starry night.

The following day was sunny skies and fluffy clouds–long gone were the crushing storms of the night before. It was incredibly roll-y, as the waves pushed us from our starboard side. The day was filled with lots of reading, snacking, napping and we were even joined by some animal friends! Kylie and I spotted a pod of dolphins swimming and swerving along our port side beam. We were pumped–second day of the passage and already dolphins, it’s hard to beat! We also were joined by a couple frigates as they coasted alongside our Mizzen. We closed the day with another breathtaking sunset and hoped for smoother seas.

Anna sitting at the bow as dolphins leapt through the waves.

Day three felt like a gift after the first two days of roughness, anyone that was feeling queasy from the rolling waves was granted with calmer waters and more comfortable conditions. This day was cool and windy–warm enough to where the sun hugged our backs, but cool enough to where we didn’t have to shield from the roasting heat. By this time, we were all into the rhythm of the sleep schedule and spent quite a bit more time all together on deck. At one point, we spotted another pod of dolphins a few points to our starboard bow, and they made a beeline for Wisdom. We cried out in excitement and rallied the whole crew to catch a glimpse of the beautiful creatures while they soared through the waves. As we continued en route to the Bahamas, we sailed past the mountainous southwest coast of Puerto Rico and made our way through the Dominican Republic/Puerto Rico Pass. Around midday, a few butterflies made their way out to our boat and flew alongside us for the rest of the day–it was incredible! We were shocked to see them so far off the coast of the nearest island. And then, as the sun melted into the horizon, another pod of dolphins leapt in delight at our bow. As if we’d never seen dolphins before, the whole crew went running to the bow and awed as they flew through the blue and belly flopped in unison before our eyes–it was like nothing I’d ever seen before. We celebrated a beautiful and eventful day sharing stories and feasting over homemade jambalaya.

The fourth day of our passage was the epitome of what I imagine being stuck out at sea to be: unrelenting heat and neither a cloud in sight nor a lick of wind: just you, the sun and the wild ocean. While unappealing to some, all you really need is a bimini and lots of water to get you through. The waves were so calm and the weather was so consistent that the day felt twice as long as the previous. It was a reminder that the ocean is just a massive, blue desert; when you’re out on the water, it’s just you and the elements, and if the sun is beating down without a hint of wind, that’s just the way it’s going to be–and day four was exactly that. We thought maybe we’d see a whale during the day, as the conditions were ideal for whale watching (there wasn’t a lot going on for it to get lost in), but unfortunately, no whales were sighted. However, our good friends–the dolphins–joined us yet again! Seeing dolphins out in the wild never gets old. We finished off the night with Alex’s homemade curry and (not homemade) Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

Alex laughing just seconds before tossing the dead fish back into the sea.

Our fifth day of passage was closing in on the home stretch, as both Haiti and Cuba came into viewing distance. We were back to bigger waves and high winds with cloudy skies signifying squalls in the distance. Around midmorning, we sailed through the Windward Passage and passed a wall of rain on our leeward side. The day was consistently grey and the waves were consistently rolling. Lucky for us, we were never hit with rain, but got the chance to watch the storms from afar. More birds decided to join us, but instead of soaring alongside our Mizzen, they elected to take a much-needed break from all that flying and parked on our spreaders–which, much to our dismay, led to a decoration of bird poop on the deck. Another thing we often encounter at sea is flying fish landing on our deck. We usually don’t hear them or see them until it’s too late, and due to the large waves and heavy wind, they littered our deck. So, Alex, Kylie and I had the lovely opportunity to pick up an assortment of dead fish and fling them back into the ocean–riveting stuff. There was quite a bit more traffic as we sailed along the coast of Cuba, and as day faded into night, our fellow seafarers sprinkled the horizon with their navigational lights.

Waking up to the sixth day of passage, Kylie and I were on 3am to 6am watch and were delighted by the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my life. The dense, fluffy clouds adorned the sky as if it were a renaissance painting and it was a magical start to the day.

Kylie on watch as the sun rose over the Caribbean Sea.

We entered into the TSS, or transportation separation system, which is basically an organized waterway where vessels have to travel along the right side of the narrow channel and there is a ‘middle lane’ where you’re not supposed to enter. There are a number of other rules seafarers are to follow when sailing through a TSS, but that’s basically the gist. And there are a ton of TSS’s around the world, this is just one of them, due to the narrowness of the channel and how quickly the depth goes from incredible deep, to incredibly shallow. We finished off the night with more jambalaya and discussed our favorite actors (we came to the conclusion that Harry Styles in Dunkirk is not a sufficient answer).

On our final full day of the passage, day seven, we sailed north through the Bahamas. We were greeted by the calm, relaxing blue and a cooling breeze. As light set to darkness, we awed at the decorated night sky and even caught glimpses of shooting stars through the night. The following morning, we arrived in Freeport, Bahamas and awaited our delivery captain for a short and sweet passage back to the States.

 – Anna McMahon

The post The I CAN Chronicles VI – Anna McMahon first appeared on I CAN Foundation.

Our passage to St. Lucia marked the end of a wonderful 3 months based in Falmouth, Antigua. Although we were sad to leave such an incredible place, where so many meaningful connections with the community around us had been made, the prospect of a new island filled us with excitement. For the passage, we had the privilege of having Troy, a videographer, join us to capture some of the magical moments you experience whilst underway. Steve and the crew put up the Mizzen and Genoa for the duration of the

Wisdom motor sailing out of Falmouth Harbor.

journey capturing the wind between the islands. Leaving at midday meant we got to witness another glorious sunset over the uninterrupted Caribbean Sea. Troy with his incredible drone flying ability managed to capture the beauty of the scene from aloft, which included taking off, flying and landing the drone from a moving boat! As night settled in so did we into our watches as we wouldn’t arrive for another 18 hours. Approaching St Lucia, we were treated to a heavy downpour, which we soon learnt to become familiar with as these occurred each morning for our stay. The rain didn’t discourage our excitement on our final approach into this new country.

Our first couple of days were truly about finding the lay of the land in St. Lucia. Oh! What a stunning island this is, the closest one can come to Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs, mountains climbing high above into the clouds that plunge down to the crystal blue waters surrounding the entire coast. Hairpin roads that make you feel like you’re on the edge of the world staring out

(Left to right) Anna, Alex and Kylie with visitors Jackson, Jason and Devlin at a lookout over the town of Sufrière and the Pitons.

into the rainforest. Waterfalls greet you on every road in the south, some with the ability to swim underneath, others multicolored from the different minerals in the volcanic rock beneath. The smell of sulfur hangs in the air reminding you of the great presence and life of the island around you. The days after our arrival really allowed us to experience all that St. Lucia had to offer from the Botanical Gardens, to waterfalls and witnessing the mightily impressive Pitons. Don’t worry we saw more than them in the coming weeks.

After a couple days sadly, Troy had to return home to the States, but it was not long before our next visitors arrived. First came Devlin, followed by Jackson and Jason. Our crewmate, Anna, also rejoined us after finishing up courses in Fort Lauderdale.

Wisdom was docked at Rodney Bay Marina, which is located in the northernmost region of the island; lucky for us, most of the land-based excursions are in the south of the island, so the winding drives down the island were a two-hour glimpse into the sights, sounds and smells of St. Lucia. For the majority of drives up and down the country, there are only a few main roads, so if you’re making the trek, it’s the same exact route every single time–so traffic can be brutal. But it’s all part of the journey! As we laughed and sang to songs of different eras, countries and languages, we inched through the capital, Castries, gazed off the coast of Canaries, and awed at the bamboo and banana trees that filled the rainforests and cascaded down the rolling terrain. And arguably the best part? At the end of the road trip, you’re gifted with what can only be considered an awe-inspiring view of St. Lucia’s prized Pitons: two wildly rugged mountains shooting out of the Caribbean Sea.

View of the Gros Piton, from the summit of the Petit Piton.

It’s always exciting having visitors on board, as it brings a fresh, new perspective to our day-to-day explorations. On our adventures around the island, we traveled with Devlin, Jason and Jackson to the inside of a volcano, basked in sulfur springs, snorkeled in crystal clear waters and scaled the Petit Piton. There is something uniquely special about traversing through rainforests and climbing mountains, but doing it with friends is an experience like no other. The memories that are built through the shared moments of curiosity, exploration and adversity is priceless. As our rattling car wound its way up and around the lush mountainside, we awed at rainbows, peered down on fluffy clouds and sloshed our way through rain storms. One thing that always kept us on our toes during our time traveling around St. Lucia was the constant change in climate. We’d wake up to a surging rainstorm moving swiftly across the bay, only for the sun to peer through the clouds and evaporate the moisture from the deck. Then we’d get ready for a hike trekking through the heat and humidity, but then get to the top of the mountain and clouds would start sprinkling rain showers. Getting back into the car we encountered storms crushing onto the pavement, and once we cruised our way down the mountain, it was already hot and humid again.

During the work days, we spent our time researching and testing potential excursions for the coming programs. We also sewed a patch onto our Genoa, had a portion of the hull painted, met with local organizations and planned for future conservation projects. We welcomed aboard our new engineer, Christian, who would help with the passage back to the States and stay on as Chief Engineer for the next few months.

Alex, Kylie and Christian hiking through the rainforest at the base of the Gros Piton.

We finished off our time in St. Lucia by celebrating Thanksgiving with the crew–we cooked up a full spread with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, lots of vegetables and Yorkshire puddings. (Steve and Alex had to include a little English influence, of course.) We are so lucky to have a crew that we feel has become our own little family. The ups and downs of life at sea are some of the most binding experiences and we often don’t realize how much we’ve grown together until we look back and reflect. Thanksgiving is always such a nice reminder of how lucky we are to be surrounded by those that we share the big moments with, as well as the small.

Although we spent almost an entire month in St. Lucia, the time flew by and before we knew it, we were packing up and prepping Wisdom for her sail to the Bahamas.

– Alex Haysey and Anna McMahon

The post The I CAN Chronicles V – Anna McMahon first appeared on I CAN Foundation.

Lucky enough, a few of our crew mates had previously spent a considerable amount of time on the island, so we had a smooth transition to life in Antigua.

The headlands of English Harbor, Antigua

We quickly learned how both how beautiful and how small the island is, it took just forty minutes to drive from the south coast all the way to the north coast, where Antigua’s capital city, St. John’s, is located. Lucky for us, that meant more time to explore as much of the island as we could. Our dockage, Falmouth Harbor Marina, was located near an UNESCO World Heritage Site and within walking distance of numerous trails and beaches, so we found ourselves enjoying beach barbeques, hanging out at cafes and hiking along mountain ridges. Antigua was officially the first extended stop on our expedition, so we embraced the adventures that awaited. We ran on trails overlooking the Caribbean Sea and roads winding through the mountains, found dive spots along the headlands of the southern coast and explored reefs as we swam with rays, sharks, sea turtles and a number of different fish.

From the very beginning, the aim of the I CAN Foundation has been to encourage, empower and uplift as many lives as possible; S/Y Wisdom is just one of the vessels which enables us the opportunity to do so. We knew we wanted to approachAntigua with the mindset of preparing for the upcoming program of students, but we also wanted to learn about

The Wisdom crew with visitors Liz and Judson, and the children of St. John’s Sunday School after a long day of football matches and crafts.

and give back to the underprivileged communities of the island. Our chef, Robin, started making friends around Antigua and spreading the word of what we hoped to accomplish during our stay. Before we knew it, Robin had built a network of overwhelmingly gracious individuals and organizations. We began by connecting with the women of Meals on Wheels, an organization which delivers homemade meals to an elderly community of the sick and shut-in. Robin cooked stew with peas and rice–an Antiguan favorite–and Monica and Lyndis, the heads of Meals on Wheels, would plan the day and drive us around as we delivered the meals. We also connected with a woman by the name Pastor Mae and began weekly visits to a Sunday School in St. John’s. We organized football matches and made bracelets with the kids, with whom we became quick friends. Thinking back to our time in Antigua, running around and bonding with those we connected with are the sweetest memories.

Kylie and Alex sailing the Laser in Falmouth Harbor.

It’s incredible to build friendships with people from such diverse backgrounds and know that we will return in just a few months to catch up where we left off. Those with different upbringings have so much to teach us and these kids are no exception. Every single individual we connect with has a story and we are so lucky to have the opportunity to learn from them. Personally, that’s my favorite part; learning from everyone and everything, everywhere we go. The more we open our minds to others, the more we have to grow–and that’s something we plan to run with. We also had a new addition to the Wisdom crew and I CAN family, Kylie! She joined us a few weeks into our stay in Antigua and quickly began helping out around Wisdom and implementing a focus on conservation for the upcoming program. Each crewmember spent their days differently while docked. Cesar worked on the maintenance of Wisdom with the help of a couple local Antiguans, Dominic and Marc; Steve tidied and looked after the deck with the help of Alex, Kylie and I; Robin cooked and began the on-the-ground outreach sector of I CAN; I found cultural sites and activities; and Alex worked on setting up Wisdom as a PADI certified dive school. We visited Wallings Nature Reserve and dug out lemongrass to plant trees on Signal Hill with the help of Antiguan trail guides. We learned how detrimental goats are to the flora and fauna of Antigua (and many other Caribbean islands) and discussed ways to try and promote biodiversity in the surrounding parks and coastal waters.

Anna, Alex, Tyler, Cesar and Kylie with Refica, executive director of Wallings Nature Reserve, after a morning of removing lemongrass and planting trees.

For the crew, Antigua was such an exciting destination, because we were able to envision how our time on the island would translate to the upcoming program. We visited beaches, unique geologic features, went on hikes, snorkeled, went diving, took out the Laser (aka Jupiter, aka our sail dinghy) and went wakeboarding in our free time. We’re so lucky to have the ability to explore new places every day, and have our ‘play’ be a lesson for how we may want to spend our time when we return.

We also had some visitors fly out to Antigua to see what we’ve been up to! Liz Sutherland, an inspiration of the I CAN Foundation and author of No Ordinary Liz, joined us with her partner, Judson, for a week of exploring and planning for the students aging out of foster care. Liz, herself, aged out of the system and has an incredible story of growth and triumph, so it was great to have her on board and discuss ideas for the program. Additionally, we had some friends and members of the

Anna, the women of Meals on Wheels Liz, Robin and Reverend Raville of St. Paul’s Anglican Church.

board join us for a short stay on Wisdom: John, Jeremy and Chef Josh, who we showed around the island and with whom we discussed future outreach opportunities. A week before our departure from Antigua, Robin organized a community barbeque inviting all the friends we made during our time on the island. We worked with the women of Meals on Wheels, Pastor Mae, St. Michael’s Anglican Church and all the families we befriended throughout our stay in Antigua. Chef Josh and Monica cooked jerk chicken, peas and rice, collard greens and plantains for everyone that stopped by. With COVID-19 having such an intense impact on local sentiments of community, the barbeque was such a nice way to reignite that connectedness that so many of us have struggled with over the past year. Many families stopped by to say hello and grab lunch, and a few kids stayed and played soccer. We always talk about how important the I CAN family is to those in the foundation, but every individual that’s impacted by our mission is a member of our family. It’s not just the crew, those in land-based offices, nor those spanning oceans–it’s all of us, as a unit. And the barbeque was a reminder that we’re building branches of our family all around the world. We are so grateful for those we met in Antigua and look forward to revisiting in a few short months.

The final barbeque was such a great success and Robin made such an incredible network in Antigua that she will now be working separate from S/Y Wisdom, setting up outreach and “Robin’s Tents” around the Caribbean. Her first stop is in Costa Rica and we are so excited to see how the I CAN Foundation will grow through her work!

The Wisdom crew set sail for our next stop, St. Lucia, on Wednesday, November 3^rd and arrived the following day at Rodney Bay Marina.

– Anna McMahon

The post The I CAN Chronicles IV – Anna McMahon first appeared on I CAN Foundation.

What we forecasted to take about four days ended up taking nine, and the trip was nothing short of an adventure. At this point, the crew aboard Wisdom included Steve, the captain; Alex, the first mate; Cesar, the engineer; Robin, the cook; Tyler, the dive master; and myself, the deck-stew. We had high hopes for this leg of our journey, as it would be the first time we sailed together as a crew—many of us are learning how to sail in the midst of this expedition—so Steve and Alex taught us the basics of sailing: how and when to tighten the sheet, when to hoist certain sails, proper watch protocol, and eventually, how to tack.

At the very beginning of our trip, we enjoyed calm seas as we were making our way out of the Bahamas and we were even joined by a pod of dolphins who swam along the bow of Wisdom for a few miles! By sunset we were well off the coast of Nassau and officially on our way to Antigua. Days at sea are broken up by watch periods; so, the crew is split up into groups who are assigned a watch schedule. Therefore, each team is assigned a morning, afternoon and night watch on a rotating basis.

Alex and Anna tidying the deck after adjusting the main and genoa.

The crew constantly adjusts our sleep schedules between each watch and when each member is off duty, they’re free to spend their time how they please. So, crew members would be napping, socializing, watching Netflix, reading or cleaning between watches. Robin, of course, was still cooking three meals a day, but this time less elaborate, as keeling over does not permit for fancy spreads. Cesar was busy making sure the boat was running properly and Steve would be on standby if we had any questions regarding navigation.

We enjoyed a smooth departure in the protected water of the Bahamas, but experienced rougher seas as we entered the open Atlantic. It was an exciting trip, as we were putting our skills and knowledge to the test in a new environment. The sea and the winds have a way of keeping us on our toes and this voyage was no exception. We underwent a number of squalls on almost a nightly basis and had to adjust our waypoints a few times due to tropical storm Fred. As it made its way north from Barbados, we elected to head straight south instead of hugging the northern coast of the U.S. Virgin Islands. By maneuvering south, we lengthened the duration of the trip, but it was much easier on Wisdom and the comfort of the crew. As we continued south, we were hoping we’d skirted outside of the tropical storm and were gratified when we caught heavy showers without any severe winds or thunderstorms after passing the U.S. Virgin Islands. Once it was safe to continue towards Antigua, we cut northeast towards our final destination.

Cesar on watch at the helm as the sun set over the U.S. Virgin Islands.

At this point, the duration of the trip had changed numerous times and it was turning into a mental test. By changing the date of arrival, we were forced to realign our mindsets to accept that our expectations probably would not align with what would eventually unfold, requiring not just patience, but the ability to accept that we were not always in control and that’s okay. While we may have wanted to take the quickest route to Antigua, we knew it would be safer and more comfortable to reroute in order to be protected from the Atlantic, so we cut in and south, away from foul weather and rougher seas.

Wisdom carving through waves in the open Atlantic Ocean.

While this could definitely be called the home stretch, we tacked the whole way to Antigua—so it took multiple days. Tacking is the practice of changing direction by crossing the bow upwind in order to catch speed as wind comes and goes. Instead of heading in a straight line towards the final destination, the sailboat zigzags back and forth to harness the wind at its maximum potential until arrival. And the winds are constantly rising, falling and changing direction, so we learned to jump to action whenever the sea called for adjustments. As we made our way towards Antigua, we learned how unique living on a sailboat is compared to other vessels. It was a constant balancing act of trying to stay upright during the simplest of activities. Even something as easy as reading feels like a workout after an hour!

We fastened our lead cloths, clipped into our safety harnesses and adjusted to life at an angle. At one point, we couldn’t stop laughing because we were keeled over so far and it was so windy that our dinner would fly off our forks before we had a chance to eat it. And one morning, after a 3 to 6 am night shift, the sun rose and illuminated the cockpit—only for me to realize there had been a dead flying fish sat next to me through the night! It was often the most ridiculous things that made us laugh the most.

The crew also had lots of time to bond during this trip. There are many perks to life on Wisdom, but one of the biggest is the opportunity to develop relationships with each member of the crew. It’s one thing to live with your coworkers—you get to know each other extremely well, extremely quickly—but it’s another thing to do it in the midst of a situation that didn’t go perfectly to plan. You learn the best, the worst and everything in between. But that’s life on a boat! By having such experiences together, our bond is that much greater and we work that much better together.

Anna and Robin on watch after undergoing a squall on day three of the voyage.

By the end of the trip, the crew had a much stronger grasp of when to sheet in and out, hoist certain sails over others and navigating on our own. It was exciting to feel so much more confident making calls on our own and be that much more comfortable helming. And we underwent so many squalls that the idea of facing them in the future is much less daunting. If anything, this trip elicited a new level of confidence and joy for future journeys—if we can make our way through our trip to Antigua, who knows what else we’re capable of conquering.

We docked at Falmouth Harbor Marina after nine days of sailing and docked by 10 am on Thursday, August 12^th. The following stay in Antigua would consist of maintenance, exploring and giving back to the local community.

– Anna McMahon

The post The I CAN Chronicles III – Anna McMahon first appeared on I CAN Foundation.

Experiences will include sailing, navigation, diving, cooking, hiking volcanoes, participating in island outreach programs, leadership, Astronomy and Planetary Science, Marine Biology, Oceanography, fishing, spearfishing, and more!

Tyler Durland

The post Have you heard about my newest adventure? – Tyler Durland first appeared on I CAN Foundation.

Anna McMahon

St. Charles, Illinois

As a recent college graduate of the University of Missouri, I am new to sailing and help out around Wisdom wherever a hand is needed. With that being said, I call myself a deck-stew (deckhand/stew haha get it), but I’m formally the Cultural Exchange Coordinator for the I Can Foundation.

I have degrees in Spanish and International Studies and am twenty-two years old. In my free time I love to run, ride my bike (when I’m on land), read, bake and spend time outdoors! My favorite thing about being at sea is learning how to sail! I love learning and sailing is such a mental and physical test, so every day is a new adventure!

The post Meet Anna McMahon first appeared on I CAN Foundation.

The first leg of our journey spans from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini, the closest island in the Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale. It was a quick day trip, we left the marina at 8am and arrived in Bimini by 8pm; there were some issues with the emergency steering on our way out, so the trip took longer than originally expected, but once we got out of Fort Lauderdale it was smooth sailing. We anchored in Bimini the evening of July 24^th and spent the next couple days at anchor.

 

New and old friends from Wisdom and Endless Wisdom enjoying a beach barbeque in the Exumas.

The first leg of our journey spans from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini, the closest island in the Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale. It was a quick day trip, we left the marina at 8am and arrived in Bimini by 8pm; there were some issues with the emergency steering on our way out, so the trip took longer than originally expected, but once we got out of Fort Lauderdale it was smooth sailing. We anchored in Bimini the evening of July 24th and spent the next couple days at anchor.

On this trip, we had our first guests on board, a family of five who had the opportunity to experience life and work on Wisdom. They joined us in our maritime adventures, whether that meant dropping anchor, hoisting up the mizzen, sitting out on watch or enjoying the catch of the day at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. It was exciting to have new faces on board and especially ones that integrated so easily into the I Can family.

Mom, Kelly, and daughter, Estelle, after a successful snorkel around the S.S. Sapona in Bimini.

In Bimini, we picked up our friend Tyler, who would be joining us for the next month. We spent a relaxing two days at anchor, where Steve had the chance to go to Customs and we went snorkeling at the S.S. Sapona shipwreck. We grabbed the dinghy and zipped across the glowing Bahamian waters to the concrete ship which was originally utilized to transport American troops during WWI and then as target practice during WWII after it ran aground during a hurricane in 1926. Swimming in and around the old warship, we saw stingrays, blue chromis and sergeant majors amongst numerous other tropical fish. We continued on from Bimini to the Exumas, where we spent the rest of our time in the Bahamas.

Tyler and guests before running out to sea to swim with sea turtles in the Exumas.

Swimming pig reaches for food off the side of the dinghy at Pig Beach in the Exumas.

We also made friends with a number of local Bahamians, including but not limited to scruffy pigs (and piglets) and prehistoric looking iguanas. Apparently, iguanas love grapes (!?) and Bahamian pigs will eat truly anything you put within sniffing distance. We became regulars at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club—the only restaurant/bar on the island, might I add—and pet nurse sharks at the foot of its dock.

During our final days in the Bahamas, we sat around and reminisced on our time together over the past week and discussed our favorite moments of the trip. While I must say I expected everyone to glow about the swimming pigs and the crystal-clear water, the overwhelming highlight was day-to-day life on Wisdom. The peace that is watching the sun rise off the bow while sipping morning coffee, going to bed after watching the Milky Way illuminate the night sky and watching Mama Mia (2, of course) after a long day reading under the sun were some of the treasures that our guests raved about after living on board.

There is something special about the waves of excitement of putting a line out to fish mid-voyage, forgetting about it an hour later, and then the sheer surprise of suddenly catching a fish and making a mad rush to the stern to pull it in (we caught a barracuda, by the way, and threw the poor guy back into the sea). It’s moments like these that we will remember for years to come, and wouldn’t be the same without Wisdom and our crew.  

We had such a wonderful time in the Bahamas and loved sharing the joys of sailing with such great people. To Andrew, Kelly, Estelle, June and Cleo, we miss you dearly and hope to see you all very soon!

Sunset illuminates Wisdom anchored in the distance after the beach barbeque in the Exumas.

We departed from Staniel Cay on July 31^st and headed to Nassau for a few days of maintenance and planning for our upcoming trip to Antigua.

 

 – Anna McMahon

The post The I CAN Chronicles II – Anna McMahon first appeared on I CAN Foundation.

Our days at the dock consisted of six and a half weeks of mechanical, electrical, industrial, interior and exterior labor, plus everything in between. On any given day, there were between five and fifteen people running in, on and around the boat. It was a mad rush to get the boat ready to head south for hurricane season. There were contractors working on the engine, the air conditioning, the hydraulics, the sails, the teak, and day workers providing a hand wherever it was needed.

Wisdom on July 8th, 2021. Anna is rigged up to the top of the mast cleaning the wind radar while contractors come to and from the boat.

Cesar, the engineer, celebrating his 43rd birthday after lunch on Wisdom.

Our engineer, Cesar, was busy managing and troubleshooting numerous different issues around the boat. To put it bluntly, our sailing yacht, Wisdom, is a thirty-two-year-old vessel and had some fixer-upper work to be done before it would be ready to set sail come August; so, we put our noses to the grindstone and got to work.

Wisdom, mid-yard period on June 26th, 2021.

In light of such intense work days, we also had the opportunity to bond not only with our fellow crew members, but with the workers and contractors we spent our humid, laborious Florida days with; we simply could not have accomplished what we did without their dedication and energy, day in and day out. We hosted barbeques, celebrated birthdays and built relationships that are bound to last longer than we ever could have imagined upon our arrival at the dock. In the midst of a chaotic yard period, we managed to create a family amongst those we spent our most grueling hours.

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, June 7th and departed for the first leg of our trip on Saturday, July 24th. Between our arrival and our departure, Wisdom underwent a renovation which gave it both a fresh look—adorned with a brand new Bimini, a proper name and a much-needed interior sweep—as well as a mechanical and electrical renovation of the vessel.

Our time in Fort Lauderdale is what I perceive to be the prologue of a long and arduous expedition. As we packed, prepped and provisioned, it came to our realization that the journey was just beginning and the adventures ahead would far exceed the day to day tasks which we endured in those six weeks. As we continue our journey, we could not be more thankful for the help and friendships that we built in our time at the marina

View of Wisdom from the top of the mast.

The post The I Can Chronicles – Anna McMahon first appeared on I CAN Foundation.