WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO LIVE THE DREAM

Everyone jokes about it. Some dream it. A few set course to do it. But only the truly bold actually live it. When was the last time you said to your spouse or best friend, “let’s just quit our jobs, sell everything we own and sail around the globe?” Maybe it’s time to ask the question again.

Meet Joe and Mandy Rosello. They are the truly bold. Right out of tiny Dunedin, FL. To be fair, they’ve been around the globe, they’ve only sailed the Gulf of Mexico, central Atlantic and Caribbean so far. But if their heart, passion and determination is a fair indication, their day is coming, and it won’t be that long.

For now, anchored a few hundred yards from the Dunedin City Marina, they virtually live aboard their 47 foot catamaran they christened “Kuma Too” after a beloved family cat, Kuma, who passed away just too soon to accompany his sister, Lillie, as well as Joe and Mandy in their great venture. Kuma (the boat), stays busy part of the year as a charter vessel, enjoying day trips, sunset cruises, and 7-10 day runs to Key West or the Dry Tortugas, 70 miles west of the Keys. 

Eventually, she has plans to carry the family to some of the most remote places on the planet, meet people they, or perhaps no one else has every seen before, and build a lifetime of adventurous memories, most of us will come no closer than a hit movie from seeing. Meanwhile, in the two years since they acquired her, the Rosello have watched her endure a nighttime of ten foot swells, two hurricanes (Irma and Matthew), and some amazing times meeting and hosting interesting people sailing to the British Virgin Islands and the Florida Keys. The great part is, that’s only the first chapter in the story.

So how did they come together, embrace, decide upon and execute their dream? What made them do it? I asked, “Was there ever a time either of you wanted to pull back and just go back to living a more ordinary life.”

Mandy: “No. Not one minute. Every step of the way, if anything, both of us were constantly pushing each other to make choices, and keep finding a a way to do what we really wanted to. Our whole relationship, we’ve traveled together. I love travel. Everywhere I’ve ever gone, I’ve said I could live there…”

Joe: “But there was never that one place we would say, that’s it, this is where we want to be for the rest of our lives. Or better yet, there isn’t any place we’ve seen that has done anything but make us want to see more and keep going places to do it. There had to be a way we could do that and we just knew that this was it.”

Mandy: “It’s what Jack Sparrow said in Pirates of the Caribbean, ‘the edges of the map are being filled in’. Well, we’re doing that. We want to see what hasn’t been seen before.”

Joe: “The one thing that I remember from every trip we take, is the relationships we’ve established. People who are lifelong friends we’ve met from a cruise, or in the BVI or anywhere we’ve gone. Once we planned to sail the Bahamas, but after experiencing minimal winds on the way over, which caused us to be a bit short on time, we got to the first couple of islands, and just explored the local scene. Most people never stop on these islands. They come into port, go through customs and move on to see the more popular destinations. We just hung back and met local people, who rarely talk to a white couple from Florida, and they treated us like family.”

Mandy: “They’re just discovering tribes of people who’ve never had outside human contact - in the Amazon. We want to meet those people. Not that we’ll tell anyone else who or where we met them, it’s just the possibility, the chance to see people and places, most humans will never know, or if they do, it’s an experience from a nature video.”

We all laugh. It’s true. I have to admit, how little of the world I’ve actually seen myself and how much time it takes to continue seeing and never see everything that this world has. When the world seems so small sometimes, it might be good to remember, if you consider all the things you haven’t seen yet, it’s a much larger place than you might be thinking. 

One thing I want to make sure is clear, as I spent three hours with the Rosellos, helped down at least two pots of coffee, there was not one minute their passion and love for what they are doing failed to come through. This is a life choice they’ve made. Or a better way of putting it might be they’ve chosen a life. If there’s anything to be said for writing your own life story, they are doing it, and doing it like no one else.

“It’s just part of the adventures and misadventures of travel,” says Mandy. “And the misadventures are as much a part of the journey as the adventures.”

Kuma herself has a story. A story of how she got here and the years she lived growing into her adolescence with her newly adopted family. She originally set sail from South Africa, a little over ten years ago. Part of one of the world’s foremost sailing charter companies, Moorings, she was originally commissioned as a fleet vehicle, then spent a couple years making her home off South America, was sold to a gentleman who brought her to West Palm Beach, and then finally purchased by Joe and Mandy in 2016. 

Before they ever knew of Kuma, Joe and Mandy dove head first into the long quest to be licensed as captains. That’s plural, captains. They both logged the hours necessary and learned the trade that is now their life. 

Joe: “We raced alot. Any hours we could log with boat time, we wanted as quickly as we could get.” 365 days, in four hour plus bites, they went all in - together. “It’s a good idea when you think about being at sea as long and as often as we do, to have a second captain on board. If I need back up, I’ve got it and you never know, especially when you have passengers - some experienced sailors, others who are novices. Mandy knows what she’s doing out here and you really need to when you consider the size of Kuma. She can put a hurt on somebody pretty quick if they don’t know how to handle her.”

Back to those adventures and misadventures. “The misadventures bring us the best stories. Not that we’re looking for those kinds of experiences, safety is always first, but when you’re out at sea, at the mercy of nature, for days at a time, it’s bound to happen.”

Observing from my less adventurous vantage point, it seems to me Joe has developed an understanding of the sea the way an attorney develops an understanding of the law. There are rules - and then there are conditions, and circumstance. With my limited knowledge of the oceans, I say this recognizing that one who imagines the law applied in a courtroom trial to be clear cut and readily discerned is likely as self-misled as someone who imagines a weather report can predict all the bumps and buffets of a sail across the Gulf of Mexico. If you think in terms of black and white understanding - think again.

“When we sailed around the Keys to the Bahamas, we had to approach the Gulf stream. It’s an amazing sight. It’s a river right in the middle of the ocean, and you can see the current flowing, just like a river between two spaces of land. It’s very fast moving current and lots of people have lost their lives crossing in or out of the stream. Once you’re in, it’s quite a ride. Fast moving and exciting to see, but in certain conditions it can be very dangerous.”

Moving the story back to the Gulf side of the Keys, Joe then shares the harrowing story of a little jaunt to the Keys. Only four souls on board, not including Lillie, they set off from Dunedin for a short visit to Key West. The sail down was smooth. And they expected the same on the return trip. But as they weighed the timing of their time, a gulf storm approached. Four foot seas was the prediction. Nothing unnavigable, but maybe they should wait it out for an extra day. They were having an incredible time in the Keys, so why not extend by one more day?

One of their friends on board had a critical work appointment the following day and needed to get back. To their friend, the decision was non-negotiable. But as Captains, the Rosellos knew their job is the safety of those they bring aboard, and that is truly non-negotiable. They checked and re-checked the weather.

“It was late afternoon, and the storm was going to pick up strength overnight. If we were going, we had to set sail, like now,” Joe recalled. “So I made a call. It was a bad call, and it’s one I’ll never make again. If the weather reports were right, we should have been in good shape. But the reports were wrong. All of them were wrong. The seas were supposed to pick up, maybe 4-6 foot waves. And then they were supposed to back down.”

“That never happened.”

“We got out, maybe a couple hours at the most, before nightfall, and it started getting rough.” Mandy brings her perspective to the story. 

But Joe is eager to accept blame. “We could’ve turned back. Our friend was determined to get back, and I made the call then. We went for it. It was the one sailing mistake I will always remember.”

At this point, I’m thinking, they’re both here. Kuma seems none the worse for wear. Their friends

Joe continues, “As it gets dark we keep checking weather. All weather reports us it’s going to ease up. But it didn’t. So it gets dark and we get later into the night. Now the seas are 6-8 feet. We’ve got to close down the cabin and generally keep everything we can, and everybody, except me, inside.”

“We had everything closed off,” shares Mandy. “We were locked down inside the cabin and we were just doing our best to hang on as everything got thrown around.”

Joe: “I had to keep the helm. I had to be able to steer, Kuma even though we were at the mercy of the seas. But I kept checking weather reports. Every time we got a report, we were being told the seas will be calming down overnight. By morning the sea conditions should lighten.”

“That isn’t what happened. The seas got worse. Up to 10 foot waves, and they were consistent. By now, every time we crested a wave, we came crashing down into the bottom before the next wave would hit. And when I say crashing, you have to know what’s like in a catamaran when she comes down. You’re on two hulls and they don’t crest the wave together. When Kuma would come over, we’d dive into the lower wall of the wave and we came down hard.”

“Hours and hours went by like that. The water was coming over the top of the cabin and I was just getting hammered every time. It seemed like it was never going to end. We got to a point west of Marco Island, and I made another call. It was one I had to make. We pointed toward shore and headed in closer to land. When we got in closer the effects of the Gulf shoreline and the shallower waters, brought us into calmer seas. Then we just pointed the boat north and headed toward home.”

“When we got in, it was sunny and calm, just like today.” Mandy puts the capstone on the story. 

“The thing is,” Joe adds, “This table you’re sitting at right now, was covered with about two inches of sea salt where the waves had come over again and again and just piled it up.” The visual that popped in my head was a reminder of winters gone by in Traverse City, MI and cleaning off a car after a long, heavy snow storm that packed ice underneath freshly fallen snow. I could imagine scraping it off. One adventure done, many dozen to go. 

But Kuma hasn’t just survived a storm at sea. She’s also made it through multiple hurricanes with the Rosellos, including Irma and Matthew. Joe and Mandy can recount both with great detail. Irma was big, bad and by the time it reached the Tampa Bay area, had already devastated Puerto Rico, the Keys and areas surrounding Fort Myers. They shared their story after the monster storm, Irma passed on Facebook:

Kuma Too is safe and sound! We are beyond blessed that our beloved Kuma Too held strong, as Hurricane Irma passed by Tampa Bay. Thankfully, Irma was only a cat 2 when the eye passed about 20 miles east of our Hurricane Hole. So how did we prepare?

Kuma Too was secured by seven lines into the mangroves, with an 80 lb Rocna and 33 lbs. Bruce anchors. The Rocna was set first then we ran a spring line into the mangroves. The Bruce was set at a 45 degree angle with the dinghy. From there we ran as many lines into the mangroves as possible. Our knot skills came in handy as we tied many lines together, and we learned that we need to purchase more lines! Each line tied to the mangroves was garnished with a chafe protector. In the end every single line and knot held! Although, one line and chafe protector actually melted together and was dug into the trunk of the mangrove!!

The headsail and bimini were removed and stored in the salon, and the mainsail was wrapped with every available line including the reefing lines and halyards. Every loose shackle was removed for safekeeping, and our deck light was taken off the mast because we noticed a missing screw. The grill, life sling, horseshoe ring, washing machine, small kayak, and helm backrest were all stored down below. Tape was added for additional security to the electronic covers. The mattresses and books were storage in the companion ways in case the hatches leaked. Joe rigged up safety lines to secure all the front hatches that do not have locks (anchor, 2 storage, and windless cover). 

Once the winds were predicted over 50 mph, we packed up to head to my grandparent’s house. Joe ran Lillie and I in on the dinghy where family was waiting to pick us up. He then had to return to secure the dinghy, which was tied with vendors to the leeward side of the boat and filled with water. He brought in the big kayak and locked it to a palm tree. It was very emotional to leave Kuma Too; we were fully prepared that it may be our last time onboard. We were still concerned with debris, but we had done everything that we could control to the best of our ability!

“We knew we couldn’t take chances with a storm like that. We’d discovered a cove in the Bay, which is close to a 14 hour sail from Dunedin by the time you get all the way in. We knew a spot that had a good, thick muddy bottom for when the storm surge ran the water out, Kuma would be flat on the muddy bottom unharmed. and we decided to moor Kuma to the mangroves at the base of the cove. By the time she was all tied in, we didn’t have much time left before the storm hit.”

“It wasn’t long after we got to my grandparents, it got really bad. In fact, we lost power in the afternoon, several hours before they had predicted. But we didn’t get hit as hard as everyone expected. Instead, we were able to get back out and check on Kuma within two days.

“It was a miracle. Virtually no damage at all! We couldn’t believe how well she took the storm. The location apparently was perfect. Our own secret cove, almost no one else knows about and it was an amazing blessing that Kuma held so well.”

But Irma had arrived only after some lessons were learned from 2016’s storns. Joe shares what they learned:

After experiencing Tropical Storm Hermine while we were in a slip, we made the decision to ride out Hurricane Matthew on anchor since our area would only be experiencing tropical storm conditions while he slammed the East Coast. We evaluated the area where we wanted to put Kuma and found it to be a great location for the impending storm. Thick muddy bottom, shallow water, and minimal other vessels around. Plus, we were protected from wind in most directions except to the North. The main reason for going on anchor was we needed to see if Kuma could handle such a blow if she had to. It sounds like a dumb decision to some, but we knew we were within the safety parameters of Kuma. We prepped Kuma for the storm and when it hit, it was surprisingly a smooth ride in 40-50kts gusts. Mandy and I were on board keeping up to date with weather and Netflix while monitoring Kuma. All went well! 

On the other hand, maybe our co-captains are overly humble and deserve more credit for Kuma’s safety than they take. Regardless, between boat and crew, Kuma has survived her share of rough weather and proven she’s battle ready.

After our first conversation together, Joe and Mandy kindly invited me to join them for a few hours of sailing to see what it was like to be on board Kuma out on the water. The day we went, for early September off the Gulf Coast, the conditions could not have been better. It was hot fur sure, but the 15 knot winds coming from off shore, helped us enjoy every minute. We saw our share of dolphins, they seem to have an affinity for Kuma’s hulls, and unfortunately, more than a few dead fish due to the toxic effects of the Red Tide, which has made its way all the way up to Pinellas County this year. But on th whole, the day was nothing short of amazing. A great ride and even better company. All with more great stories than I could share in a short novel. 

For Joe and Mandy, this is just the beginning of the season. “We know we’ll be in the Keys the last week of October, and again over the New Year. And we’re going to spend most of February and March in the British Virgin Islands. We’re not chartering out of there yet, but we’re getting a feel for what we need to do to be able to when we’re ready.”

A map, a plan, and more than a little uncertainty. The things that are known, however, are filled with great and natural beauty - water, wind, sunsets, sea life and new beaches and unexplored places known to but a very lucky few before them.

One thing that impresses me without any question about Joe and Mandy, they are very sure they’re doing it all together and they are committed to the same goals. Wherever Kuma goes or doesn’t go, they’re sharing this adventure together. The boy, the girl and the boat - a love story as unique as every trip out of port.