Home Away from Home

I like to think of Magic Bus as my home now, but for now we are back in the states renting in Noank, CT. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 2 months since we ended our journey. It was a very hard adjustment at first: Sailing home to Florida, Driving 24 hours back to CT, moving into a new short-term home, and not being able to reconnect with friends due to COVID. The hardest part for me was driving past the old house for the first time. Seeing someone else in a place you called yours for 15/18 years of your life was tough. My life has changed in so many ways over the past year: some for the good, others not so much. However, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’m sure your surprised to hear from me again. However, the past week I have been dreaming of the days when I woke up to bright blue water. And I couldn’t resist saying hello again.

Although I might be young in age, I feel like my sailing career is in full bloom. Sailing in high school was tough for me – I was diagnosed with chronic lyme disease during my sophomore year. Since I felt like I had the flu for those next two years, I felt like I missed a lot of opportunities that I otherwise would have taken. Sailing is competitive like school – you build your resume and work towards goals. Spending 2 months offshore was an experience like no other – and i’m so grateful my family was able to pull it off, healthy and safe. As spring leads to another summer, I’m looking forward to a full schedule of regattas and teaching sailing lessons. Giving back to younger sailors and watching them grow into talented sailors who share the same passion as me is such a fulfilling experience.

For now, i’ll continue doing college at my home away from home until we move onto the boat again this June – which will be back in Stonington for the summer. In 2 weeks, I am headed to sail Melges 24s at Charleston Race Week and Gold Cup regattas. I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe during these challenging times, talk soon.