First off, Maiden is so special. My time on Maiden has been the most adventurous and empowering part of my life so far. I started with her at 18 years old, fresh out of high school, and worked onboard for 8 months, half of it as an apprentice and half as crew. I joined at the end of the East coast tour in 2022 in Newport, RI and sailed all the way to the Azores, Senegal, and South Africa. I proceeded to sail on two of the legs for trialing race crew and delivery back to the UK from South Africa to Brazil and Brazil to the Azores. Maiden gave me my first taste, but it was more like a full immersion into the crazy and adventurous life of offshore sailing. She was my first time sailing overnight, first time sailing on the ocean, first time away from home, and my first Christmas without snow! The boat and her crew are a forever home and family for any Maiden who sails on her. This favorite moment is definitely engrained in my mind for selfish reasons, but I will never forget it. During our sail from the Azores to Cape Verde, we were one day out from Mindelo and the sun rose on November 17th- the day of my 19th birthday. It was blue skies, downwind sailing with the asymmetric spinnaker up, and Sharron Ferris-Choat (Maiden’s skipper at the time) gifted me the best birthday present ever— unlimited helm time all day! While driving during my mid-day watch, and out of the corner of my eye, a pod of 50 dolphins began flying through the air and water off our starboard side. These beautiful sea creatures hurried over to Maiden, and I like to think they came for me, to wish a “Happy Birthday”. At this point in my time with Maiden I was feeling a little homesick and this special “hello” on my birthday was so comforting. The most memorable port, for me, was Dakar, Senegal. The fast-paced and free-for-all traffic, the languages, the food, the clothing, the music… Most memorable, though, were the amazing people we had the honor to meet. I appreciate the time we spent with Special Olympics Senegal. Their female athletes were so inspiring, from their accomplishments in different sports to their businesses to their work on feminine hygiene education; these women embodied Maiden’s spirit through and through and I am so honored to have shared Maiden’s legacy of female empowerment with such an accomplished group of women. Maiden acted as a gap year between my graduation from high school and the start of university. I just concluded my first year of college at Maine Maritime Academy as an Ocean Studies major. I raced competitively on Maine Maritime’s offshore sailing team as the main sail trimmer. As of now, I am transferring schools and about to start at the United States Coast Guard Academy as a Government or Marine Environmental Science major. I will also continue to sail competitively on the Coast Guard Academy’s offshore team.