2015 I stepped into the Gulf’s marine world by moving to Bahrain, a decision that marked the start of my captain’s career. It was a leap into the unknown, adapting to a new country, culture, and the demands of working at sea. The early days were about learning, understanding the Gulf’s waters, and building a professional network from scratch. 2017 Dubai became my new base, a city where the yachting scene is fast-paced and highly competitive. I faced tough challenges, including managing high-profile clients and navigating the dynamics of multinational crews. My focus was on delivering world-class service, no matter the pressure. By now, I had fully taken on the responsibilities of yacht captain, overseeing every aspect of vessel operations: safety, crew management, logistics, and client relations. This period shaped my leadership style: calm under pressure, decisive in critical moments, and always putting safety and professionalism first. Now with a decade in the Gulf’s yachting industry, I’m exploring a long-term goal — taking my leadership and operational expertise beyond a single vessel to maybe guide multiple yachts. The journey from Bahrain’s marinas to commanding in Dubai has been more than a career; it’s been a test of resilience, adaptability, and passion for the sea.

As I once told Jakub, in May 2025 I first time toke part in some trip from Gotenburg (SWE) to Pāvilosta (LV). I was going on small yachts and catamaran before, for such a short ways, like across the bay or something, for 2 days, no longer. And then - I got invitation to be a Cook on board for week or more. So it was so called love for the first glance.⛵️ The sailing in North Sea was extreme due to crazy wind and technical condition of boot, and it lasts for almost week instead of few planned days. From other side I may show my Best in kitchen, so the Crew was happy, while I thought a lot about feeding and food processing in much easyer and comode way as I did. Next scene in our Odyssey starts when the Captain drowns his mobile Phone between Eresund's bridge and the Baltic channel. With all the money, broadcast possibilities and navigation program, and at last builded in emergency call via sattellite system. We somehow got some extra Phone and went through the channel to Baltic Sea. Then on board appear water, no matter where from, and we stopped again in very South harbour of Sweden to repair the yacht. It was about twoo days to find a problem and fix it before crossing the Baltic Sea. Then all the winds were excellent, and in about three with something days and nights we reached our home harbour. I really enjoyed every step in this way, we all belove this small yacht Albin Cirrus 7.8, and in all positions every of us was the Best. And I can't stop about my future business, how to get life better and seagoing more pleasent.💝 I'm sorry for being short, but still have some technical problems to write here succesfully. Next time I'll share my experience wih feeding, so it is in progress yet.

I'm Vita. And I'm 15 years old. I don't really have much to tell, but here's what I do :) At first, I wasn’t ready for life on a boat. Well, I didn’t even know what it was like. And that’s no surprise. Imagine yourself as an 11-year-old child who’s lived their whole life in an apartment, with a spacious bed. And then suddenly, you’re thrown into a cramped space, constant rocking, and everything is always kind of wet… I remember how enthusiastically my dad spoke about the sea. “It’s not just a way of life, it’s a great teacher,” he used to say. He saw my life among the waves, while I, observing the not-so-comfortable conditions, just nodded hesitantly. “Well… Dad said so. So I guess it must be right 👀” Maybe that’s how the greatest relationships begin. With misunderstanding. You don’t yet realize what you have or what it might turn into. But later, I came to understand… And I’m sure I still have a lot more to realize :) I lived on a boat. Once I got used to that lifestyle, I didn’t see anything special about it. It was just how things were. And there was nothing else. Not that I needed anything else 😕 My mom already told this story in her post — the one about the mast falling. I was sitting inside, on the starboard side, eating pasta. Everything felt so calm, I wasn’t really thinking about anything. Just staring at the kitchen cabinet and chewing. Then suddenly I heard this loud creak and my dad shouting. I got scared and spilled my plate. I peeked outside — and there was half the mast in the water, and my parents trying to pull it out. Yeah, maybe it would’ve made more sense to cut all the ropes and drop it. But my dad was stubborn and wanted to save it. Not everything was lost yet. They were calling for help over the radio, but no one could hear us. Except for one boat… or rather, a yacht. A massive, giant yacht. Their dinghy was almost bigger than our whole boat 👀 You can read the full story in my mom’s post, so I won’t go into all the details. They towed us to Marmaris, where we lived for a while. It was a small tourist town. I went to a sailing school there. And overall, I was completely adapted to that life.

Hi, my name is Lia, and I’m a sailor. Here’s my journey to this point. In 2021, during the lockdown, we thought, "Why not go somewhere?" The first country that opened up was Turkey, which became our home. But then we had the issue of housing. My husband is a yacht interior designer and has spent his life living on the seas and fishing. So, he asked me if I wanted to live on a yacht. My answer was definitely YES. I fell in love with the sea life from day one. Under my husband’s guidance, I learned how to sail this small 28-foot vessel (yes, it was VERY small). But with this boat, we went through so much—from repairs to losing the mast while on the way. That was an adventure! We lost a pin for the stays, and the mast fell down, with the sails still up, sinking into the water. But we weren’t ready to lose it! We secured the halyards to the winches and called for help on the radio. Unfortunately, our engine died (Murphy’s Law) and we were being carried by strong currents and big waves toward the shore. Luckily, a MEGA yacht was sailing just 10 minutes behind us. I had never seen such a beautiful yacht. Their tender was bigger than our whole boat, haha! They helped us pull the mast back up, but of course, the sails were torn. My daughter and I were taken aboard their boat, while my husband stayed on our boat, towing it. We lost him twice because the ropes couldn’t hold. The yacht was going 12 knots, but our little boat wasn’t built for such speeds! It was flooding with water, and my husband had to pump it out using both a pump and buckets—quite a challenge. How can you not love the sea? There are no adventures like this on land. I’ve been living on land in Spain for just over a year, and I can feel how this land life is slowly killing me. But not for long—I’ll soon meet you all at sea, my brothers!

I’m not an owner of any boat, and so far I’ve only had the chance to be on a boat a few times. The first time was when I was 19, working as an au pair in Scotland, and the last time was last year when I sailed from Tangier to Tarifa, where I’ve spent the last three winters. I used to be a hardcore workaholic whose only hobby was building my own startups. Over time, though, I realized I didn’t want to sit 12–16 hours a day behind a computer or keep staring at my phone. That’s why I started thinking about how to gradually cut out social media and become Nonbusy. And so I began to wonder what other hobbies I could start enjoying. I believe for many of you yachting is a huge passion and a lifestyle, so don’t hesitate to share your years of experience, inspiring stories, how handy you are if you repair your boat yourself, and also possible opportunities from the yachting industry. Jakub Pacanda jakubpacanda.cz