Cage Diving with Great White Sharks (Port Lincoln, South Australia)

April 21 - 24, 2017

We are soon approaching the best time of year to cage dive with Great White Sharks in South Australia (late April - June).  But before I share this particular travel adventure…I need to give you a bit of context.  

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been terrified of the ocean.  It’s not just sharks and jellyfish, or a fear of drowning, that keeps me from going more than thigh deep. It’s a “fight or flight” instinct that is immediately triggered every time I step foot in the water.  As humans, the ocean is not our natural habitat.  Even Olympics swimmers can’t compete with the grace and ease of an ocean otter, its body slicing through the water as it looks for dinner.  In the ocean, our senses are immediately deafened… our bodies crushed by waves, our sight refracted by glaring light, our ears battered by pressure, and our taste buds, assaulted by salt.  But scariest of all is the 360 nature of this world.  There are no walls. Danger can approach for any direction - up, down, side to side.  I hate it.

For those of you who have traveled or lived in Australia, you’d know that the ocean courses through the blood of most every Australian.  From birth, their toes are constantly connected to the water.  Surfing and swimming are extensions of their bodies.  Tell an Australian, you hate the ocean, and you’ll get thrown in repeatedly until you change your mind.  

I realised if I was going to live in Australia, I had to confront the ocean.  My training started each weekend forcing myself a little farther into the waves of Bondi Beach.  On my trip to the Philippines, I forced myself to snorkel with whale sharks, shocking myself with my enjoyment!  For those of you who read that post, you know that whale sharks were spotted the day I arrived and my travel partner forced me into the water with them.  It was the first time I really started to realise a potential love for the ocean.  Those magnificent beasts gently gliding through the shallow water… couldn’t give a crap that I was swimming alongside.  Their ignorance of me, made me calm.  I was so engrossed that I completely forgot about the vastness surrounding me. It was such an amazing experience that I knew I had to keep the momentum going… resulting in this blog entry.

Great. White. Sharks.  One of the most feared animals of the ocean.  Fuelled by movies like Jaws and Deep Blue Sea and unhealthy obsession with Shark Week, these beasts inspired fear, as well as a  deep admiration and curiosity, even behind glass at the aquarium.  Generally when I decide to do something… I go all in.  So of course, as soon as I thought I was “cool” with the ocean, cage diving with Great Whites seemed like a natural next step.  So I booked a non-refundable ticket on the Calypso Star, a famous cage-diving boat out of Port Lincoln, South Australia.

To get to Port Lincoln, I spent a few days driving and camping my way from Adelaide past Mount Remarkable National Park to Port Lincoln.  I had sunrise coffees with campsite kangaroos and beachside lunch stops at Greenly Beach and The Point.  It’s a lovely drive, although you can fly to Port Lincoln if you prefer.

For those of you interested in the road trip portion of the trip (Adelaide, Mount Remarkable National Park and Barossa Valley wine region, I’ve provided see my other blog post here. 

The day of the cage dive, I was up and at the boat by 6am.  It’s a three hour ride to the Neptune Islands, south of Port Lincoln, temporary home to Great Whites.  I watched the sunrise, while frosty salt water whipped my face.  

We were divided into groups of 8 and put into a dive order.  We were outfitted in 3mm thick wetsuits because we’d be down with the sharks for about 20 mins and it is VERY cold.  The tour provides a wet suit, masks, booties and sunscreen.  You can buy sickness tablets for a couple dollars and rent a Go Pro for $50.  All you need to bring is swimmers, a towel and dry change of clothes.  They’ll also sell you the pics they take for $35 (I always buy these because hell when am I going to do this again!). 

Calypso Star is the best shark boat because they have a license to “chum.”  If you are unfamiliar with the term, “chum,” it's dead fish guts and blood that they pour into the ocean to attract the sharks.  It wasn’t long before the fish bits attracted a 6 meter shark.  WOW.  At first I looked over the edge of the boat to catch a glimpse until I saw him clear the water a few yards out… no more looking over the side of the boat!

How does cage diving work? Essentially the cage hangs off the back of the boat and you enter the cage from the top, climbing down a metal ladder, to the bottom of the cage.  You have a weight belt around your waist to help you stay under the water to look at the shark and a dive respirator so you can breathe.  Between the intense rocking of the cage, the icy cold water, and the unnatural breathing, you have barely enough concentration to find the shark in the murky water and snap a pic.  

I was in Group 2 which turned out to be the best group because the water was clear because of the clouds in the sky (sunlight causes light to refract against bubbles in the water making it hard to see).  This guy was HUGE and VERY curious.  The best position in the cage is on either end because there isn’t a vertical bar in the corner of the cage, so you get a sweeping view of the shark without a stupid bar in your video.  However, it’s also the most disconcerting position due to the LACK of a bar.  I was so sure I’d panic.  I’d never used a respirator, I’d never been in water that rocky and cold, and I’d never been two feet away from a 6m shark before with no glass to separate us.

He was magnificent.  With the slightest turn of his tail he’d speed past us, one eye following our movements.  He was far more interested in us than the chum.  Pass after pass he’d approach the cage and lazily glide past, clearly the dominant species.  There is something about the lack of a glass wall that makes you really feel like you are out there with him.  It was probably the same “fight or flight” instinct that kept me intensely drawn to the edge of the cage scanning the murky darkness for another pass.  I was a mouse caught in the stare of a viper.  It was the coolest fucking thing I’ve ever done.  I probably would’ve died of exposure before willingly leaving the shark, if he hadn’t eventually wandered on his way.  After his departure, I realised how bloody cold I was and shot back up the surface.  

Adrenaline pumped through my veins warmed my body much faster than the dry change of clothes.  If I’d had the chance to get back in I would’ve.  I was so excited and awed and bloody proud of myself!  I did it!  And boy, would I do it again.  Since this trip a year ago, I’ve spent more and more time in the ocean, continuing to probe my fears.  It’s a gradual process.  If you have an intense fear of something, don’t let it get the best of you!  And if you have a fear of sharks; get in there with em!

Sailing with TAO Philippines

When I originally developed my itinerary for the Philippines, a friend recommended seeing it by boat as it’s a country of islands.  Traveling by boat is one of my favorite methods for seeing a water centric country – Croatia, British Virgin Islands and now the Philippines.  The islands on my trip were so small and remote you can really only get to them by boat anyway.

My friend recommended TAO Philippines as the best operator for my type of travel.  For those who are new to the blog, I prefer hostels to hotels, adventure to relaxation and don’t mind getting a little dirty!

Boat Booking and Trip Prep

TAO requires you to fill out an application after reading through their “Know Before You Go” section of their website.  I found out later this isn’t just to avoid princesses coming on the trip, but also to ensure a range of ages, lifestyles, nationalities, and genders.  They ticked all the boxes with men and women from Germany, The Netherlands, USA, UK, Hong Kong, South Africa, France, etc.  It was the most diverse group I’ve ever encountered.

There are three different boat options.  I wanted the authentic wooden sailboat but it had been booked for months so I settled for the “regular” motorboat since it was about the experience and people not the boat.  Plus you sleep on the islands in base camps so it matters less.

It took three days to receive my confirmation.  I’d selected the boat from El Nido to Coron.  As I’ve mentioned in my previous post, it can take 3 days to get to El Nido and Coron is mostly for divers to you’ll have to decide for yourself at which port you want to start/end.

I did have some frustrations with TAO leading up to my arrival in the Philippines, which I now realize the reasoning but with the knowledge I had at the time, it was a struggle.  I had some questions about what to bring with me versus what I could buy/rent there.  They provide a simplified list on the website but give you a more comprehensive packing list at the boat check-in the day before – I wish I’d had that in advance!  Also, having never been to El Nido and Coron, I asked for addresses to the TAO office and didn’t receive a lot of help.  I understand now that the towns are so small everyone knows where it is and can direct you.

Boat Check-in

Personally, I thought the check-in was unnecessary from an informational perspective as, again, I’d rather have had that information far in advance so I could’ve planned a bit better.  But, I anticipate part of its purpose is to make sure you are in town the night before departure and so you can meet the crew.  Oh, and to collect the second half of your boat payment, which again would’ve been easier via Paypal then traveling to a foreign country alone with that much money on you (do NOT rely on ATMs).  Make sure you bring 200 extra pesos for the tourist fee.  I didn’t realize you pay this at check-in and if you forget it causes problems the next day.

Other fun things to know is that a case of beer and island massage are included in your boat fee (AWESOME).  They recommend you buy another liter of liquor and liter of mixer per person additional.  And if you love beer maybe another case.  We had PLENTY of alcohol left at the end of the trip and tried to drink all of it on Christmas … you can imagine how that evening turned out.  I went with a bottle of rum and pineapple since they would still taste okay lukewarm.  Rum was 100 pesos and so was pineapple juice which seemed so backwards to me.  I shopped around and that’s about what you are gonna get.

I recommend staying in El Nido town instead of near the TAO office since as I had to go back into town for dinner and to buy the final supplies for the trip (you won’t have time in the morning).  For anything you are buying for your TAO trip in El Nido go to one of the open air shops farther from the beach that has ALL the items you want so that you can barter for a bulk discount of items.  You can check out my packing list here.

The following account is from the boat!

Day One - Friday 23 Dec 2016

Woke up early and triked into town.  I accidentally had them take me all the way over to the boat dock instead of into the main town area and I still needed breakfast so I had to lug all my shit back into town.  Won’t make that mistake again.  You will have A LOT of stuff particularly if traveling alone!

Back at the dock, it came to the attention of the captain that I still needed a tourist visa (remember I’d forgotten my pesos the night before).  This caused some confusion which seems silly to me since I never had to reproduce this piece of paper again.

We boarded the boat and sailed to our first snorkeling location near a cliff.  Following the current along the cliff, the reef is super close to the surface and brilliantly colored.  Fair number of fish and all small which was fine by me!  VERY salty though. This was the best snorkeling of the trip. Realizing I probably should’ve brought my own snorkel and mask because mine was subpar and you are stuck with it the whole trip.  Also flippers would come in handy… I forgot how much effort it is to swim.

We took a break on a beautiful secluded beach on Tapiutan Island with very shallow crystal clear water.  It’s fairly enclosed from the ocean so you can walk from one side to the other through the water.  Drank some beers and got to know some of my fellow travelers.

 Back on the boat, I’d already sussed out that the upper deck was the place to be.  Started to get to know some of the people on the boat - Great group!

I’m all about learning and trying new things… Today I gutted my first fish and learned how to tell if it’s fresh.  As Coach Taylor would say, “Clear eyes, Red gills, Can’t lose.”

We arrived at our first base camp, Cadbo, which would prove to be my favorite of the trip.  There were little sleeping huts lining the cliff overlooking the ocean and a row of picnic tables for family dinner.  The crew set up your “room” which consists of a sleeping pad, a sheet, a pillow and a mosquito net.  Like I said, no princesses. There was an outdoor shower with a bucket of cold water to rinse and a row of massage tables.  Remember how I mentioned free massages?!  Note: you can only get them at the first two base camps so don’t miss out!

 It was here that I realized I wish I had a light long sleeve shirt and pants to ward off mosquitoes.  Instead I took a shower and had to re-spray myself with bug juice – yuck.

Back to trying new things – for dinner I ate fish eye, liver and egg sac for dinner.  The eye was crunchy at first with a burst of liquid (kinda gross), the liver tasted like duck pate and the egg sac tasted almost exactly like scrambled eggs.

The evening ended as I’d find most of them would… with games and rum.

Day Two - Saturday 24 Dec 2016

Woke up feeling a liiitttle dusty and immediately combatted it with a morning massage.  Only problem, I was starving by the time it was over and almost missed breakfast! The coffee was DELICIOUS by the way. I’m usually afraid of the dark (I know I’m a wimp) and was impressed that I slept through the jungley night like a baby.

We packed up and jumped back on the boat.  Time to teach you how to use those 3 different bags I mentioned in my packing list.  It is MUCH easier to have all items you will use on the island for the five days in your dry bag.  This prevents you from having to go under the boat to get your big bag and repack a fresh pair of clothes and swimsuit.  You then have your “boat bag” that contains anything you want during the day on the boat (like your boat towel, flippers, etc).  

I’m glad I’d been taking seasickness pills because multiple people had a bad day at sea.  We arrived at Tao Farm, the main basecamp, with a couple unhappy travelers.  The Farm was awesome although I was starting to get that familiar headache right before you get a sinus infection…uh oh. 

The Farm is a self-sustaining village that grows the plants (and animals) that support the TAO boats and surrounding villages.  They use a lot of this money to put back into education for the village children, improve the lives of their locals and prepare for future typhoons.  Very admirable. 

The tour around the island started with 3 day old piglets who were adorable and then sadly ended with the slaughter of a momma pig who would be Christmas dinner…for us.  Yes, even after this harrowing event, I still love bacon.  There was also a baby puppy (don’t worry we didn’t eat it) who loved chasing the ball as people challenged each other to ping pong.  I’d been watching too much television because the leader of the camp, Eddy, reminded me of Bellamy from The 100.  Our visit ending with caramelized, fried plantains – one of my favorite desserts! 

We sailed a little way to Daracuton Island, our next camp.  It felt much less remote than Cadbo.  We slept in a barn-like structure with two floors, on the beach.  We also learned that a typhoon was about to hit the Philippines which could affect our trip…This location also featured on outdoor shower, without walls, which was a little tricky when it came to putting new clothes on.  Butts out! 

Dinner was delicious and cozy in a big wooden mess hall and degraded once again into drinking games.  The favorite of the night was Kings with the holders of the Snake eyes and Question master cards taking down multiple victims.  The best rule was after every drink you had to make a “brrrr” noise and say “I sh-t myself.” Yes, we are children.

Next up was horse-racing which many of the Europeans in the group hadn’t played before, but boy did the Dutch love it.  When minutes, everyone was standing on the dining benches yelling as the “horses” moved down the table. 

Finished the night chasing sand crabs the color of sand.  Time for bed.

Sunday 25 Dec 2016

Merry Christmas!  Ugh I woke up feeling awful (sick, not hungover!) but at least it meant I was accidentally up for the sunrise, which was stunning. I got to enjoy it all to myself as the rest of the drunks slept it off.  I watched a massive storm cloud swallow the sunrise and pass off into the distance leaving a little rain in its wake. 

 I tried to get back to sleep and managed a few more hours before breakfast which was “hash browns” made from garlic and banana leaves??

Was proud of myself; I went snorkeling at the shipwreck near the island.  It wasn’t super impressive but I did see Nemo!  I’m slowly getting better at this ocean business.

 It was a huge sail day because we needed to cross a large channel of water in case the typhoon hit our area.  Spent it up on top of the boat playing 2 Truths and a Lie and the “Rules” game.  One of the girls had never played before and told the most elaborate stories about her boyfriend instead of just one-liners.  Made the game so much better.  He had done such cool shit it was hard to tell which was the lie!

Lunch on the boat was the best yet – fresh caught tuna in soy sauce and garlic and Spanish mackerel ceviche with lime.  We ate while parked at San Miguel (yup like the beer) on Linapocan. You could snorkel around there but I’d recommend against it… smelled and looked like poo.

Spent the rest of the boat trip napping and then chatting to two crew members who has traveled the world for 3 years doing modeling with only two suitcases to their names.  Impressive.

As we reached the Bulwang base camp, we were greeted by the most beautiful sunset.  It was very red though, sailors beware!  You could see the white caps picking up in the distance.  We’d picked this basecamp to post up because it’s very sheltered in case the typhoon came through.  It had a little house for us with four walls, a porch, a POOL and karaoke!

 The pool was sooo nice.  Chubby, the boat dog, kept running around chasing her reflection.  We had actual showers with a shower head this time, but I missed dumping a bucket on my head.  Dinner was curry with fish and rice, easily my favorite dinner of the trip.  More card games ensued – tonight’s game of choice was “Bullshit.”  My partner and I just tried to be invisible to the bullshitters and we took the game with “2 eights.”

We couldn’t end the night without Christmas Karaoke.  The local boat boys stole the show with their dance moves and voices, but our crew put up a good fight.  I couldn’t have the night end without some Boot, Scoot and Boogie and some good ole fashion American line dancing.

Monday 26 Dec 2016

Thanks to the typhoon we spent another day in Bulwang.  The good news was breakfast was hot porridge served in a coconut with honey and fresh fruit on top.  Need to recreate that one at home.

Still feeling pretty under the weather so didn’t mind spending the day napping in the hammock and swimming in the pool.  Have REALLY enjoyed this trip but am about ready for some AC and a soft bed.  Some people decided to take a 3 hour 4WD trip to Culion Town Proper but I stayed to watch the Dutch v. French play card games.  The French girls kept speaking in French so the Dutch called them out for collusion.  Hell, I couldn’t even figure out how to play the game much less cheat!

After dinner things started to “heat up”… with a massive bonfire that is!  We realized it was our last night and we still had tons of booze so Papa Jay and I bartended the bonfire.  Any time someone’s cup wasn’t completely full we’d pour more rum’n’pineapple in.  Next thing you know tribal dancing ensued, multiple people decided to jump over the bonfire and one crew member lost a leg of his disco trousers. Some people made it to their actual beds… some passed out on the beach.  The final few of us sat on the beach and threw rocks for Chubbs to chase.

Tuesday 27 Dec 2016

The sickness officially took over.  I felt awful.  My sinuses were pounding and I desperately wanted to lie in bed all day.  But Suzanne knew me too well and excitedly woke me up because breakfast was pancakes!  They were very delicious even though my head was pounding so hard I couldn’t concentrate on them.  I must’ve looked like hell because I got patted on the back a few times.

We boarded the boat for the final trip to Coron.  I slept alone on the top deck the whole way.  Bummed I couldn’t spend my final hours with these lovely people, but I just felt so bad.  We stopped at the East Tangat Gunboat Wreck where a couple people snorkeled but apparently it wasn’t great because the typhoon had stirred up the water so you couldn’t see much.

We finally arrived in Coron and all said our goodbyes to a good portion of the crew.  The rest of us decided to meet at a restaurant for a final family dinner before parting ways.

TAO has over 300 base camps so they can change the itinerary based on weather and crew interest.  Here's a picture of the overall trip we took.  

I would highly recommend both sailing The Philippines AND TAO as a company.  I loved the diversity and the energy and engagement of the crew.  I say “crew” because TAO treated us like part of the family, teaching us how to cook, clean fish, and most importantly, KARAOKE!  It’s nice to know I’ve added to my international travel family and look forward to visiting them in the future.  For those of you who were on the boat and reading this post, it was so great to meet you and if you ever find yourself in Sydney you best say “hey!”

-->

The Yacht Week Croatia Black Route 2013 - The Finale (Solta and Split)

The final pages of the Yacht Week blog including our last night in Split to attend the first ever, ULTRA Europe event.  What are the odds I book this trip in December of last year and just HAPPEN to pick the week that ULTRA is in Split, Croatia?  Cray.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

We left Hvar first thing in the morning and sailed for Solta Island so that we could get a good spot.  This is the day where the Red and Black Routes join together and create a baot raft over over 100+ baots.  And then we raged.  The majority of the day was spent wandering from baot to baot drinking with the friends we'd made over the last few days, jumping into the water and swimming around on lilos.  The skippers blew up a giant inflatable so that people could jump off the top of the catamaran, land on the inflatable and go flying into the air.

Photo Credit: Yacht Week Website

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Yacht Week Website

It was a day for making new friends including RaverSunnies who came over to say "Hi" to Kukar only to be harassed by us insisting that he sit and stay awhile (with a complimentary beer of course).  As night descended our skipper friends meandered over.  Eggs' poor puppy dog eyes begged for some leftover pasta because he'd eaten at the restaurant and apparently it was terrible.  Our pasta got high marks!  Hugh Jackman and RaverSunnies were introduced to Winston and soon we broke out the glow in the dark wristbands.

 

 

After pre-partying on the baot we headed to shore. You walk along the baots to get to the one catamaran that has a wooden plank connecting it to shore which is why it is good to get there early (less baots to get across).  At the top of a bunch of wooden steps is a three-story restaurant/bar called Sismis Cocktail Bar.  During the day you can also order food for pick-up from them or eat at the restaurant.

I was starting to feel a little sad and reminiscent since this is really our last night with everyone because tomorrow the people who have tickets to ULTRA will end up separating from the Yacht Week group.  I spent a solid thirty minutes in a hug-fest with the Lil Bros from Sydney.  Unfortunately I realized too late that I never got last names or contact info!  Hopefully I see them again someday!

As per usual I ran into the Canadians and gave #5 a huge hug that lifted him off the ground.  This immediately made all his friends giggle so I decided to pick them all up too.  Bashful was fairly easy to lift but then I turned to BeachBoy who stands at close to 6'4."  He just smiled down at me while all the other guys told me it was okay and I should give up.  I bent my knees, grabbed BeachBoy around the buttcheeks and not only lifted him into the air but did a little twirl with him too.  HAH.

At this point I had yet again lost track of most of my crew probably because a lot of them were tired.  I started to walk back to the baot when I ran into Kukar.  We had a lovefest too.  She really has been the greatest addition to our baot and the trip.  Love that girl.

A fairly chill night coming off of Hvar but I didn't mind getting a good night's sleep.


Friday, July 12, 2013

We woke up early for the six or so hour trip back to Kremik and decided fairly early on that we weren't going to do the Regatta because we needed to get back for ULTRA.  Basically the last day of Yacht Week in Croatia everyone gets dressed in costume and races each other back to the harbor using the sailing skills you supposedly learned throughout the week.  It was 2-3 knot winds that day so it would've taken us FOREVER to get back so we opted out.  Plus we kind of just wanted to lazily lie on the front of the baot and sleep instead of getting all dressed up in our costumes.  For your enjoyment I've posted some examples of costumes from other people who did do the Regatta.

 

Photo Credit: Yacht Week

We arrived in Kremik early which was nice because it meant a shorter line for the gas station.  Gas for the baot ended up being about 160 kuna each.  The good news is that RaverSunnies had helped us snag a hostel in Split (the entire city was sold out thanks to ULTRA) so that we could just crash there after ULTRA instead of taking the 1.5 hour bus ride back to the baot just to disembark tomorrow morning at 9am for another 2 hour taxi ride to the airport.  The only unfortunate part is the hostel was like 55 Euro per person.  Not cheap.

The next few hours were spent cleaning the baot and getting rid of a lot of our stuff so that we wouldn't have to cart it back to the U.S.  We also had our final crew dinner (unfortunately sans Kukar) at the lone restaurant at Kremik which was delicious but took forever. We finished just in time to grab one of the few buses leaving for ULTRA.  It was sad to say goodbye to Kala... she'd been a great baot.

The bus ride (70 kuna per person round-trip although we were only taking it one way) to Split was absolutely outrageous.  We obviously had brought the alcohol we still had left with us on the bus (about 12 beers and a full bottle of Jack Daniels).  We knew we weren't going to spend much time drinking once we got to Split so we downed the beers and then started passing the bottle of Jack.

Somehow we managed to end up on the top of the bus with all the crazy Peruvians and Brazilians.  They managed to chant and sing every single reggaeton song on my Internat'l Spotify playlist which was hilarious.  Most of the skippers we knew ended up on the top level with us as well.  This was the moment when the French skipper, "High School Musical," would get his name.  As I'd mentioned he was the skipper for the Brazilians so he ended up on the top level with us and was forced to take pulls of Jack Daniels just like everyone else.  The only person who didn't look like they were having fun was Eggs whose sad puppy dog eyes earned him a few extra beers.  We also got to know two new skippers, Mac and Mr. McGregor, who were delighted by the offer to take pulls of Jack.

Upon arrival at ULTRA, we lucked out that we were with skippers so we didn't have to wait in the special Yacht Week line to get our tickets.  Yacht Week had VIP tickets that gave access to their VIP lounge section at ULTRA which was a huge bonus.  We had our own bathrooms and our own bar which reduced the amount of lines.

We then piled into two cars to go to the hostel to drop our stuff and pre-party for a few hours.  RaverSunnies would get his nickname because he pounced on Judith's blinking sunglasses begging to wear them and promising he wouldn't lose them at ULTRA.  I would find out the next day that he had dutifully kept track of them, returning them to Judith at the end of the night only to have her bestow ownership upon him due to good behavior.  He was thrilled.

Once everyone had taken a sizable number of Winstons and decked themselves in glow bands we walked back to ULTRA.  Within two seconds of entering I once again lost my entire crew (do you see a pattern here?) and ran smack into High School Musical.  We ended up dancing for hours to awesome EDM DJs before leaving to find pizza.  By the time we left I had finally gotten him to say "yeah, yeah."  He despised that phrase.  For my first time at ULTRA all I can say is...INSANE.

Photo Credit: Yacht Week

 

Inside Jokes:
"Yeah Yeah Favorite!"
"Oui, oui"
"Only two wishes left"
"It's 4:30am! The bus leaves at 5!"
Crazy Belgian


Saturday, July 13, 2013

Clearly everything that could've gone wrong last night did.  I remember JagerMan coming back some time in the night and then much much later Judith arriving.  When I woke up at 9am, there was still no sign of Crispy.  Turns out she couldn't for the life of her figure out how to get back to our impossible hostel so she'd stayed at a hotel with a bunch of people she met wandering ULTRA alone.  I was just thankful she was alive and unharmed.  Just goes to show that you have to be a tough cookie to handle Yacht Week.

We all managed to make it to the airport, although Crispy and I would be delayed just long enough to miss our connection in Frankfurt resulting in us staying overnight in the most boring town in history and not making it home until Sunday.  So much for having a day to recover!  Lufthansa did do a beautiful job of taking care of us though.  It was a super easy process to rebook our flight for the next day, immediate shuttle to the hotel, dinner included in the price, etc and shuttle back the next day.  Love that German precision!

Looking back after being home for exactly a month I can tell you that I learned a lot about myself and my friends from that week.  It was a challenging trip but also an entertaining and enlightening one.  I enjoyed myself so much that we've already booked Yacht Week British Virgin Islands for NYE so that's the best review I can give - I'm doing it again.

Here are some of my overall recommendations for those that are thinking about doing it:

1. The majority of people on the trip are 21-25 so you will likely have the best time if you fall into that age range
2. The best situation would be to get about 8 people together, split in half and get two baots and fill the rest of the spots with randoms.  It ensures you have your friends but meet new people too.
3. Select people to go on your baot that:

• can go all day all night forever (obviously)
• are probably single (tend to be more social and reduces the "this is our room" mentality since you all end up sleeping on top of each other)
• aren't private (again there is no such thing as personal space on the baot)
• are no drama (this one is super important - you can't take sh*t seriously or you will find plenty of things to complain about)
• are capable (as you can tell from my  blog there are often times on Yacht Week that you find yourself alone because everyone got drunk, hooked up, bailed, blah blah, so you have to be able to make it home on your own)

Stick to the above and I guarantee you this will be one of the best weeks of your life.  It's only been a month but many of these people I know I will see again because of the connections we've made.  We've already had Auz visit NYC and RaverSunnies is coming on BVI as our skipper.  Hope everyone reading this has the opportunity to experience this once (before it gets shutdown haha).

Bon Voyage!