Growing up in the same small town as Alyssa, Life was an Idyllic suburban childhood on the shores of Lake Michigan, 45 minutes north of Chicago. But it was trips down to Marco Island, FL where my lifelong love of the water began. As home videos will attest, I had a fishing pole in hand as soon as I could hold it and that became a very common sight throughout my life. When not down by the abundant Florida waters, I brought my passion back to Illinois. Fishing the ponds for bass and trolling Lake Michigan for salmon and trout, even jumping in the water whenever it was warm enough to get a glimpse of the underwater world.
At the same time, my brother Max, my elder by a year and three months, had developed some interesting hobbies of his own. Essentially the next Steve Irwin, he had taken to the most misunderstood animals, learning all he could about reptiles. By learning of course I mean, running and jumping face first at anything that looked remotely dangerous in a usually successful attempt to capture said animal for closer study. Being the classic younger brother, I followed him every time I had a chance and he never ceased to amaze. whether it was pulling huge alligator snapper out of a murky swamp in Illinois, or handling a deadly Tiger snake on a family trip to Australia. I studied his fearless nature interacting with these animals and couldn’t help notice his energy and enthusiasm for each and every critter. (An energy he shared with many others over the years through his wildlife education) Above all, these times with Max was when I learned about his strong moral code that he seemed born with and honed through experience. To enjoy each day, to endlessly explore and the energy he seemed to gain from each adventure. Bringing that energy back to share with family and friends, brightening each of their days. As far as role models, I couldn’t have chosen much better… well, maybe the police blotter would disagree.
Our adventurous side led us into more trouble as we grew up, always in good nature but not always in good standing with adults. Like the time Max interrupted a science class pool demonstration by jumping from the balcony for a cannonball, a jump so far that every year kids were dared to take it, but no one ever had in the many years of the school’s existence. He cleared the edge by inches, narrowly missing the concrete and landing into the pool! For his daring he earned a week suspension, a disorderly conduct charge and legend status with the student body. A year later, Max was banned from the science class pool demonstration but I wasn’t, a week suspension and disorderly conduct charge later, I wouldn’t have changed a thing, especially since I cleared the edge by 2 ft, eclipsing Max’s jump!
It was times like this though that my mom worried what the hell I was going to do with my life. She suggested summer camp after summer camp hoping I’d take to a field and have a better idea what to do with my life. Well, engineering camp definitely wasn’t for me but the next year, I traveled down to southern Illinois for one that had caught my eye. It was a week learning to fly, by the end of the week I was landing a small Cessna in a grass field and I was hooked. It combined so much of what I loved, a physical challenge, exploration and adventure. When it came time for College, I of course went where the fish were and it helped there were many colleges with flight programs down in Florida. So off I went to Florida Institute of Technology, in Melbourne, FL.
It was the beginning of college and I was settling in and enjoying the freedom and fun of the experience. For my new life, I had ordered a new toy, a speargun, that I couldn’t wait to get and call my brother about this new spearfishing sport I was getting into. Unfortunately, life has a way of surprising you and I never did get the chance to call.
On Sept 29th, 2005. Max had a sudden Cardiac Arrest and passed away at the age of 20.
There is no way to put into words the loss and I don’t think I’ll try in this short autobiography but the profound impact Max had on my life can’t be understated. His passion for living life, his energy for the natural world and love for friends and family has been my guide and inspiration for what I’d like to do with my life. I don’t think either of us had imagined a trip like the one Alyssa and I are taking but it aligns so many of the values that Max and I believe in that I can’t help to think that he helped push me towards the idea. I’m sure they’ll be some nights sailing in the middle of nowhere that I’ll be thinking of him, most likely smiling and laughing at the times we shared.
College years flew by (terrible pun) and I became a pilot. Graduation came and like any new graduate I needed a job! I didn’t want to follow the same old path though so I went looking for something a bit different that combined all I loved, I lucked into it when a follow up from an uncle’s old friend landed me a job instructing at a place called Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base. An incredible family owned business teaching people to fly seaplanes in old world war II era piper cubs. Flying around the hundred of lakes in the little two seat plane with door open, I had it all. Fun flying, freedom, the water and new students all the time to share the experience with, the last part a blessing and a curse. It was also a great learning experience that opened many a door for me. I learned to read the wind and the water, 
be calm under pressure, and all the other ins and outs of seaplane flying that only experience can teach. This job led to another and by now, I have had experiences flying a variety of seaplanes in many spots across the world; All throughout Florida and the bahamas, the Caribbean, Alaska, New York City, and Zanzibar, off the east coast of Africa. It’s been an incredible career that has let me see so much and filled with plenty of adrenaline filled moments to keep things interesting.
Going back to college time, that spearfishing hobby had taken a hold and quickly became a full on obsession. I started spearing down in the keys and Marco Island on quick weekend trips. Starting small at first, just lobster diving and spearing small fish in shallow reefs but that spurred me to get better at the sport. Before I knew it, I had the ability to dive a 100ft on a single breath and I was traveling the world, in search of the most pristine and bountiful spots to practice the spearo lifestyle. These travels although focused around spearing allowed me to see so much beauty in nature, whether it was diving with sperm whales, whale sharks, hundred of bull sharks or the clearest water with a pristine coral reef. I’ve got countless memories I’ll never forget from these explorations. Beyond that, the people I’ve met and travelled with have become best friends and made life a better journey. Other hobbies have come along the way as well, learning to kite board, surf and to capture all the fun times on camera, I was quickly becoming a modern day waterman.
So it seemed to me that the happiest and most important days were days that I was exploring the world with those closest to me or a new friend. It was out of this concept that the idea to buy a sailboat to live this lifestyle full time came to fruition. To endlessly explore, to live closer to nature in a much more green way than I could ever accomplish tied to the “normal” world, It appeals to my every ideal and I know it’ll be a hell of a lot of work and it may all go up in smoke, but I can’t wait.
By now you can probably guess, I’m a bit of a dreamer, but in my wildest dreams I never figured I’d find a girl up for such a crazy adventure. I knew I’d found a good one in Alyssa after our first trip to the Bahamas, she was up for a last second adventure and was the sweetest girl I’d ever met, as fun loving as they come. After that, to me it seemed that we’d always end up together but I think it was more of a shock to her! Knowing this and also knowing relationships are a huge amount of sacrifice, I never developed my sailing idea into a pitch, but when she told me how she’d had already tried to plan a week long sailing trip in her past(Albeit with an old boyfriend, he couldn’t sail and eventually didn’t make the cut) I spilt out my idea… To my amazement, she was up for it! I don’t think she thought about the rationing of water, the constant motion, cramped quarters, and other realities of living on a sailboat. But she’s been a trooper as reality clashed into the dream scenario, learning the ins and outs of sailboat life right alongside me and making the journey that much better. Having someone to share the experience with makes the fun times that much more rich and I can’t wait to explore the world with her!
Hi! It is very strange to try to write about yourself… not quite sure where to begin. I guess I will start from my very beginning.
My parents have always said I was the messiest, toughest, most stubborn and snuggliest child there ever was. I never wore shoes (still don’t), or clothes (sometimes do), and if there was trouble I would find it. 
My nickname (not that I think you will care) is skittle from an old board game where you tie string around a top and pull the string as fast as you can and then the top spins through various rooms knocking pegs over as it goes – I was suitably named such because I would tornado through whatever environment I was in and get into everything. That being said I have had a severe case of FOMO (fear of missing out) since a young age – I hate being left out, missing out, etc. So I guess you could say I’ve been a bit of a curious adventurer from day 1. I loved to explore and spent my childhood pretty much living outside. On the other hand I also love to snuggle (and sleep) and my favorite thing in the world to do is snuggle in with someone I love and just hang out preferably in a mountain of down blankets (which is one my personal biggest downfalls of boat life).
Growing up on Lake Michigan (just north of Chicago) I had my fair share of beach days – I love the beach, the water and have been swimming for as long as I can remember, though Lake Michigan (if you haven’t seen it, you really must) is beautiful, but it is not the ocean. My love of the ocean I think really stemmed from my mom.. 
My mom,
(who is my absolute best friend, and my soulmate for so much in life) has instilled her deep love of the ocean in me. She has gotten me hooked on shelling, swimming, and exploring the ocean since the early days of this girls’ Vitamin D heavy life! I have now taken that love to a different level literally- becoming an avid scuba diver and currently working on my freediving skills.
Though I didn’t start these under the water activities until the last couple years but I can’t say enough about it – there is such peace and beauty under the water that is unlike anything I’ve felt above sea. (I will let Adam go on about our love of the sea – because for him the water is so much more than the vast unknown it’s a way of living). Aside from my underwater activities I love above sea level activities too! Shelling is one of my absolute favorite things to do. Though I don’t have my mom’s expert eye, I can’t wait to find and collect shells from all of our world travels – they are such a beautiful memento from a special place wherever that may be!
Growing up in a family of six I think really shaped me into the person I am today. I am the second oldest of four, my older brother Jason spent his youth conditioning me to be tough (practicing choke slams and daring me to do/touch/swim in/grab everything), and my two younger 
sisters soften me up and brought out the teacher, nervous mother and 
protector in me. My parents say that they knew I was going to be adventurous when I grew up and when I told them that I was quitting my job, selling all my belongings and moving onto a sailboat – they said they both thought to themselves what took her so long.. That being said I don’t think they foresaw me spending all my money buying a sailboat and set off to sail the world at 28 (sorry.. love you!)
I spent most of my high school and college days watching Pirates of the Caribbean and dreaming of finding Captain Jack Sparrow… (I guess I’ve always had a thing for pirates..) and partying a little too much (sometimes I worry I’ve killed off too many braincells in my early years to retain much else i.e.. sailing).
Through college I started to realize I was a little different than many of the people I was around, I hate rap – I really cannot handle it. I love the “oldies” (at least they are to me) – Jim Croche, Springsteen (which I spent my high school years fist pumping and downing bud lights to), Bob Seger (I’m sounding pretty basic…) -going to stop now- buttt last but not least I also love Jimmy Buffet (but who doesn’t while sailing around) and finally country, I absolutely love country :)! On the boat we love to make playlists of a little bit of everything to keep things interesting- I just normally defer to music from previous generations it seems more genuine to me; that being said I can still sing all the words to any pop song you throw at me. Beyond my seemingly now very basic music selection, I also had different feelings about the future… I was so depressed and daunted by the idea of following the norm and getting a job, marrying the guy, buying a house, having 2.5 kids and waiting till I was retired (and frankly tired) to start really exploring the world. Though the vast majority of the people cruising are within the genre of retired, I didn’t foresee that in me.
I was fortunate enough to grow up traveling quite a bit and as I got older my travels became more often and to more exotic places. Some of my favorites have been Barcelona in college to visit friends – here I first sort of learned to travel by myself and realized I wanted to see how the people 
lived there rather than how late the bars stayed open. Italy with my big extended Italian family which was amazing- It is a priceless thing to explore a place unknown to you and your travel companions (i.e.- my family) and to take it all in for the first time together. Memories from the trip will stay with me forever. 
And by junior year of college I signed up to travel abroad, moving to Lesvos, Greece for a few months of all fun and no work. Our classes were on lawn chairs on the beach looking out over to the Turkish coast and evenings were spent eating octopus and fish straight out of the ocean and mass amounts of bread dripped in the best olive oil imaginable and of course the daily gyro. (I will refrain from putting up any pictures of myself from those few months because the carbs really got to me…..) 
Following graduation from Michigan State as a nutritional scientist I moved to Chicago and started nursing school (I love to learn- and pay off student loans apparently ha!). It was in nursing school that a started to realize that I wanted something different than city life was offering me – I wanted to see the world and even more so I wanted to learn about other cultures and bring my medical knowledge to theirs and combine. I think with my nutrition background and nursing love, my passion for learning
different ways of healing spawned. I love essential oils and learning about different ways people treat illnesses -and now since moving I’ve gotten much more in natural medicine. I hope to learn and use so much more of it in the future – really I just want to be Alyssa Neri Medicine Woman of the 7 seas 🙂
After nursing school graduation I signed u to do a medical mission trip in Cambodia and planned to go backpacking through the country after. 
Best decision! I met some amazing people and my eyes were opened that I wasn’t alone in the feeling of wanting to explore and find a little more from life than my big city back home. 
The mission trip was life changing – Cambodian people were so gracious and so sweet and the country was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen! (PSI: if you don’t know much about Cambodia and its people, google just for a bit, there is so much we don’t hear about and that doesn’t make our news in America..) – I will forever have a special place in my heart for Cambodia can’t wait to get back there and show Adam.
From Cambodia my travel itch only spread… (that sounds slightly gross) so when a handsome seaplane pilot (Adam) whom I grew up with but only recently had starting seeing bought me a ticket to Za
nzibar to visit him, I didn’t hesitate. I repacked my trusty (massive) backpack and
jumped back on the plane. Our time together exploring Zanzibar, Pemba, Kilimanjaro, and the safari lands of Tanzania will stay with me forever. It’s where we fell in love and decided that we wanted to live our lives together and see the world.
Following Africa I went back to Chicago where I had gotten my absolute dream job – working at Lurie Children’s Hospital in their Cardiac ICU. I loved the job, I loved the people, I loved the babies; but after two years of missing my salty travel companion (whom was now living in the Caribbean) I quit my perfect job. 
I left Chicago and my amazing friends and family (who I miss every day) and moved down to St. Croix to live on a sailboat (Adams’ company housing) with the pirate I’ve always been dreaming of.
Now to learn how to sail, how to live aboard and how to make this ridiculous dream into reality!
Adam and I were both raised in a small suburban town north of Chicago, we both then went on to college and stayed the course of normalcy (for a few years at least). Though Adam graduated from FIT (which is not the Fashion Institute of Technology.. rather Florida Institute of Tech ;)) his career path had already been swayed yea
rs earlier when he read a literacy classic, “Where is Joe Merchant” by Jimmy Buffett.
Following that read he began pursuing the path to become a seaplane pilot- and low and behold today when we are forced back to work by money constraints Adam is lucky enough to go back to the sea by flight and cruise the islands by air. And it was by air that Adam would eventually sweep Alyssa off her feet.
Let me start from the beginning:
Though we went to grade school and high school together there was only ever the casual hallway flirtation. But as the years went on and Adam and Alyssa would see each other at Adam’s family’s benefit party every summer…She started to notice that he was “quite the stud” and he started to think, “Alyssa.. what a babe”, and all those innocent smiles slowly became texts and Facebook messages and eventually…. Ten years after meeting in middle school Adam asked Alyssa out on a date… and brought all of his family and friends along with, (though he says they just happened to all be going there anyways….). But it was a great first “date” and two days later Adam sent this ridiculous text to Alyssa:
“Plans for new years? Want to go to the Bahamas with me on a seaplane?”
(Umm what?!)…So Alyssa nervous but excited obviously agreed to go.. all the while wondering who in the world was this guy, is he going to murder me, did I drunkly sign up for the bachelor series… It all couldn’t be this easy… But it turned out to be just that. “We went to togeth
er like peas and carrots”, we quoted Forrest Gump, sang Pat Green songs, pretended to not know every single line to Pirates of the Caribbean and before we knew it the long weekend was over and we were smitten. hahahaha too much?
Neither of us thought much would come considering we were living in different parts of the country and leading very different lives but in the coming months the phone calls became more frequent and trips to each other became more often than not! So when Alyssa had graduated and accepted her dream job of working as a nurse in Chicago on a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care unit 
and Adam simultaneously was buying her a surprise ticket to visit him in Africa a bit of conundrum arose. She went on to visit him in Africa where he was working for a start up seaplane company in Zanzibar, Tanzania (but really was just fishing every day)…
While in Africa we scuba dove off of Pemba, a small island just north of Zanzibar- (it’s amazing, go there),
went on a camping safari through the Serengeti and attempted to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, though in classic accident-prone Alyssa fashion had to be rescued off the mountain due to sepsis from a coral wound weeks earlier on Pemba (oops)! Once the trip was over we both knew we had found the person we were always looking for and our desire to travel the world together was only stronger.
As it turns out the city life and the dream job didn’t make Alyssa as happy as the salty seaplane pilot half a world away so she quit her perfect job, sold all her belongings (aside from a few essentials…. ) and moved down to where Adam was, which happened to be St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands for the winter flying around the Caribbean! (rough..) Which leads us to learning how to sail, living on a sailboat and eventually buying our big girl Heritage ? Read on in the “About a Boat” tab and then follow us through our blog posts as we learn how to sail and make our way around the world!
Thanks!!