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Well, we survived!
I’m tired, really tired and the assault was just the nail in the coffin for a year on fast forward. When you are tired, rest, do not quit. And I can tell you that quitting has not crossed my mind because I know to rest after 8+ years of full-time travel. This will be my final newsletter for 2022. Time to recharge. Once I hit send I will take a two+ week break from work and social media. I hope you all are getting the break and recharge time you need this holiday season.
I love to recap our year of adventures, life, work, hard things, etc. And overall just reflect. Ready to take a trip down memory lane with me today?
January
We crossed a damn ocean in a boat. OMG!
I still can’t believe it. In August 2020 we bought the first boat we saw in the south of France. In January of 2021, we took our RYA Day Skipper course with Brad, and one year (almost to the day) we arrived in Martinique from Tenerife in the Canary Islands after 21 days and 20 hours at sea. Let me say it again, “I still can’t believe it.”
If we did nothing else this entire year I would still call this year a big adventure, trying something new, fighting fears kind of year. Hell yeah!
February
We hosted our first group trip since Covid to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
The intense years of Covid were hard on us financially and emotionally. To take a family who had been traveling for 6+ years full-time (at that point) and tell them no more human contact, no more adventure, NO MORE TRAVEL, well it was scary. We missed all the things and all the people. So as you can imagine, when we could finally host trips again we were a bit socially awkward and a bit intense. We had an amazing group of new friends to kick off phase two with WorldTowning Voyages. As you can see 2022 was off to an adrenaline rush and a lot of happiness.
March
Avalon and I returned to the USA for college visits.
This was fun and hard and emotional. As a result of Covid she did not get the opportunity to visit too many universities so this was a great chance for her to get a feel for the schools she had applied to. We got to reconnect with friends. See new areas of the US. Eat our favorite US yummies. But, it was also a very emotional time with the release of school acceptances and preparing for her AP exams which were fast approaching. A big thank you to our friends who took us in during this time and gave us a warm bed and great laughs.
April/May
A wedding, Covid and a prom, oh my! And another university visit.
Avalon and I left the US for France, then Spain, then back to the US for her to attend prom with her friend, and finally, we returned to the boys in the islands. Will and Largo stayed in Curacao taking care of the boat, work, school, and Sentry. Our first stop was France where we attended a friend's wedding and unfortunately got Covid, ugh. Once we were feeling better we made our way to Spain for Avalon to take her AP exams after which we hopped a plane to Florida for prom. Largo joined us in Florida because he was not going to miss Avalon going to prom and as a result, he got to tour the campus he is currently enrolled in a dual enrollment program online with. I loved having several months alone with Avalon before she launched for college and I hope to do the same with Largo, but wow, it was exhausting.
June
Family visits.
We arrived back to the boat one day before our first family member came for a visit. It was a bit mayhem, but we love having guests and had not had any through Covid. After the Sueiro family departure my mom arrived a couple of days later and she stayed on the boat with us, she did great. Our marina was not very accessible to the city and Curacao does not have a ton going on beyond water sports, but we had a fabulous time regardless. It was the first time either of our parents got to be on the boat with us while we were moving.
July
Avalon graduates, turns 18 and they all take free-diving lessons from a champion.
This month was all about the four of us. July is the birthday and anniversary month in our family and this year we even added in the kids finishing school and Avalon’s high school graduation. We spent several weeks on anchor in Bonaire (it was a short sail from Curacao) enjoying each other, island life and soaking up our last bits of alone time just the four of us. Avalon turned 18 (holy shit I have an 18 year old)! Plus, Largo, Will and Avalon took free-diving lessons. I decided to sit it out because I am slowly recovering from a near drowning situation that occurred in February.
August
Avalon left the nest.
The big college drop-off! But, not before getting Avalon her permit in Los Angeles (we are Cali residents) and visiting friends (with Largo in tow), a quick hop to Palm Springs to visit more friends, then Texas for more friends, then Boston for family/friend time, dropped Sentry at her first cat sitters and then the final destination…we dropped Avalon off at school at Carnegie Mellon University. After over a week of orientation and move in it was time for us to leave her. We then closed out our US trip with a visit to my parent's house in Maine before returning to our boat in Curacao.
September
Back to school for Largo, a multi day sail to Colombia and the big 5-0!
We sailed to Colombia from Curacao after 6 months in Curacao with a month in Bonaire. The original plan was a couple of weeks in Curacao, I guess you never really know in this lifestyle. Largo started 9th grade and we did our traditional “back to school” dinner with a crazy hat that reflects where we were in the world. And I turned the big 50! We did a glamping weekend in the rainforest and then had a bigger celebration with Avalon in October after the boat show in NYC.
October
Parents weekend, the Annapolis Boat show, NYC for my 50th and a new driver.
In October we hit 4 states in 1 week. Parents weekend in Pittsburgh, the boat show in Annapolis (loved meeting all of you in person), and then a couple of days in NYC to celebrate my 50th. We just kept it low-key in NYC and did the local stuff: walked the city, ate bagels and NY pizza, the kids saw Hamilton, and Will and I had a date night. It was over before we knew it and the boys went back to the boat in Colombia while I proceeded on to Los Angeles to take Avalon for her driving exam… she passed. This month is also when massive amounts of boat work started on Friendship (which would go on to last until today-Dec 23) and we hosted our first WorkAway volunteers! We loved it and will do it again.
November
Yippie, we hosted our second group trip in 2022 to Morocco! And I got assaulted.
We hosted our second WorkAway right before we left to host our 2nd group trip of the year to Morocco! Again we had a fabulous group of travelers, with big hearts and loads of curiosity. Before I returned to the boat I was assaulted in Morocco which I chose to talk about in this community. You were all so supportive and shared your private stories of assault while traveling. Thank you for trusting me. The assault has since taken on a life of its own which has caused me to re-live it, but it has a happy outcome because the men were fired and a woman from within was promoted to their positions.
December
The month of teeth. Avalon returns home. The boat work is all finished.
Will left Morocco before Largo and I and returned to the boat. When Largo and I returned we came home to a handful of guys working on the boat (with Will) to prepare her for several months off the grid as of Dec 28th, well, off the grid with wifi. I took this opportunity to have an implant put in my mouth (and have 10 other doctors appts) and Largo got his wisdom teeth removed. And as of two days ago….Avalon is home for Christmas. I think you are all caught up.
So would I do it again. hmmm, well, we survived, but it was not always pretty. I guess that is life right? Big dreams don’t happen in a nice and neat, well rested package. Yes, I would do it all over again, but I hope we don’t get another one quite this intense.
Time to rest!
With everything going on we were still able to keep up with our work with WorldTowning the business, but the last couple of months have left us a bit sporadic with the Friday YouTube vlogs. Sorry. We will be back to our regular schedule in January, as you can see we have had a lot going on in 2022, some great, some good, and some not-so-good. I continue to deal with the assault in ways I had not anticipated, but each day is a better day and I am hoping these two recharge weeks will be just what I need.
Thank you for joining me here
I started this newsletter a handful of weeks ago because I was missing the written word connection with all of you after years of blogging. I was nervous about coming back. Has the written word died? Does everyone want a video? Could I maintain the weekly posts? Then I just decided well, why not give it a shot? Your response to this connection between us and what I share has been far more than I had anticipated. I am so grateful to all of you. And for those of you who have taken the paid subscription route, an extra thank you. I don’t get paid for this except through paid subscription. I love doing it, but it takes my time and my experience and I do need to still pay bills, so thank you. I have loads of ideas on how to share more, deeper, etc, but I will let that all unfold as 23 gets rolling.
Happy holidays, may it be just as you imagined with those you love, less stress, more traditions you love, less of the ones you don’t, yummy food, big love, and full of memory making.
We love you guys.
Jess (and Will, Avalon and Largo because they are part of this as well)
To learn more about us, our mission, and our business you can visit us at WorldTowning. To view our most recent group trip offerings head on over to WorldTowningvoyages.com. If you are interested in booking a coaching session to realize your travel dream, schedule it here. If you want to follow the travels of our WorldTowning family, you can find us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
What a year!! I felt exhausted just reading this so I hope you're taking some time out now to rest and hibernate during this season. We've followed your journeys for a while, you inspired us to walk the Camino de Santiago this year and your review of the year has inspired me to write my own for the first time, so thank you for all that you do! x