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Merchant Marine life is a great one though in the beginning it could cost you a lot. When I first started sailing in 1988 it was the best job I ever had. To wake up in the morning in a foreign country that still has old streets and structures of hundreds of years ago was very exciting. The education level was history, social studies, and geography 101. The book was reality and I was there. Unfortunately the American way is to first meet woman and drink or was that more the pirate way. That is how sailors carried themselves for centuries yo- ho -ho and a bottle of rum. Though my destiny would be Europe, I pretty much ran through all the Mediterranean ports. For the first 3 years all I did was drink and meet woman. I just followed the crowd. I did have much fun and learned different customs. The Spanish ones were pretty easy for I spoke Spanish not as well as them, but good enough to have conversation and get around. I ate like a king and drank like a fish. However it cost me a fortune for I would go through money just as fast as the ship sailed through the seas. What a break it would be for me, for before that adventurous experience I was strung out on the streets of New York. When sobriety struck I was able to see with sober eyes the beauty of these fantastic countries and enjoy its traditions with the upmost respect. My sobriety followed me into another part of the world where I did not walk as a drunk which was the Middle East. I stopped in Israel. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates, I flew like a millionaire to theses faraway lands under the expense of the company. How lucky I was to finally enjoy life as life should be enjoyed. On these same voyages I found my wife in Puerto Rico as I sailed the Caribbean. Until a bad fortune happened in August, 1997 had me retire my rudder and made me a land crab never to sail on the high seas again. Though my thoughts and memories along with my journals, keep it alive for every time I need to remember those glorious days of being at sea, and today I will thank God for allowing me to have the life of a Merchant Marine..

Have a nice day :0)

Tyrone Garcia

My book “Soap That doesn’t clean” will be out soon.