A Gypsy Wind.

Two and a half years ago I walked up to my boss, quit my job, and set out on a journey across the U.S. the following day. The road led south and on my first stop I bought a camera and began recording stories of the people I encountered. After two months and plenty surprises I arrived back in D.C. with an itch for more. In less than twenty four hours I had booked a plane ticket to Hawaii with my last bit of money and no plan. After a couple days in Oahu I found the Hostel on Lemon St. and through sheer luck I was checked-in by Drew, future owner and Captain of the Gypsy Wind. While staying at the hostel Drew took a group of us under his wing and showed us around the island. As traveling goes, we exchanged info before my departure and half-heartedly kept up with each other’s adventures on Facebook. A few months after our meeting Drew wound up embarking on what turned into a two-year project fixing up the boat that was built over forty years ago and hadn't seen water in nearly two decades. With Haiti calling my name all it took was a brief email invite and I was on board. Fast forward to now and it's three days until Christmas, eight until my birthday and a month into an adventure on the Gypsy Wind with near perfect strangers. Before leaving D.C. after Thanksgiving I knew close to nil about boats, sailing, and the four people I would be sharing 45 feet of space with for who knows how long. This trip began on a whim and expectations are constantly changing but that's how most good adventures seem to start. While ship life has proven to be much more difficult than I initially expected the rewards are just as great. This adventure is wholly our own, and when we are at sea, we’ve only each other to rely on. There isn’t a day that passes where I don’t learn something new and though the dangers are very real the freedom is too good to pass up. Being the only female on board does pose it’s challenges but to all my wayward women out there please don’t be afraid to find an adventure and run with it! It’s times like these my soul is the happiest and from those first miles away from home I wouldn’t change my path one bit. So with a new year approaching cheers to planes, trains, maps, buses, boats, two solid feet and the pursuit of the great escape! Sending my love to all you beautiful people from home and road, Alana

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