19-year-old Kiko Lopez had never set foot on a boat when he accepted an invitation to sail from Maine to the Bahamas with three friends. Choosing to leave the world of virtual classrooms behind, Kiko spent the next six months learning to tack and jibe, hoist sails, and de-escalate drama. For Kiko, this sailing adventure deepened his understanding of himself and his purpose.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Freaks by Bradley Carter • Brazilian Rhythm by Sunsearcher • Islands by John Berry • Scenery by Kai Engel • Melisa’s Dreamin’ by Bradley Carter • Wake Me Up by Publish the Quest • Delivered by Brendan O’Connell • Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
My wife and I listened to this episode while on a long road trip this weekend. We were horrified with the actions of the small sloop’s young captain disabling the engine on the boat at night while out of sight of land. Subsequently pretending to sleep while his equally young crew members problem-solved for 6 hours on a pitch black night almost to the point of panic as the boat drifted powerless and also unable to set sails because they were in a lull. What did Kiko learn from this? Oh, that you can power through things, even stuff that happens because of the bad actions of others. How is that the moral to this story?? That is the weakest premise of the whole episode. I totally support the crew member who left while they were in port in Charleston. He probably didn’t leave because he was bored, but because he totally lost trust in his supposed friend who was overall responsible for their safety. Kiko and the other remaining crew member should’ve done the same. I’m an experienced sailor and ex Canadian Navy. Obviously this colours my view, but any sane adult would come to the same conclusion.
A true rite of passage! You’re a brave soul. On to the next adventure! Make a movie about this! Write a book! Inspire others!