Letters From The Horizon: A New Series

Dearest Loved Ones,

Two years. It’s incredible how much can and has changed in that time. Looking back, I can hardly recognize the person I was all that time ago. In my eyes, I was a wide-eyed 17 year old boy with a heart full of curiosity and a head full of dreams. I was saying goodbye to the comforts of home as I knew it to be and hello to an impossibly small bunk room that would become my homebase for the next six unforgettable months of travel, friendship, and growth.

Back then, I was just a boy chasing a spark of light, eager to explore the great unknown beyond my hometown of Vancouver, BC. Many of you followed along as I embarked on that adventure; a journey that we now know shaped me in ways I could never have anticipated. I’d be lying if I said watching dolphins jump beneath a starlit sky didn’t transform me. Or that standing under a waterfall in Dominica, feeling the powerful rush of water fall over my head, wasn’t completely life-altering. Those moments cocreated a new version of me. One filled with gratitude, wonder, and an insatiable thirst for more of it all.

Now, two years later, life feels both familiar and completely new. Sure, my surroundings are a little different in the present. With most of my time in London, Ontario, I’d say it’s not quite the same. That being said, each morning I still take time to think back on the incredible places I’ve been honoured to visit, and I dream about the ones that lie ahead. My story isn’t over, it’s just beginning.

Recently, I’ve also found myself clinging to a simple yet powerful question: 

If not now, then when?

It’s a mantra that I read and put aside at first but since have returned too. It fuels me to embrace life with open arms and break free from the boxes we so often confine ourselves to. I realized we all have moments when we stand at a crossroads - moments that demand courage and action. For me, this goal has always been to seek discomfort. For you, it might be chasing a long-forgotten dream or taking the leap you’ve been afraid of. Life doesn’t wait so why should we?

So, when the chance to return to my second home, the Alex-2, came my way, I couldn’t say no. I was sitting at my cabin one quiet August afternoon when my phone lit up with a memory from one and a bit years ago. Until that moment, I had refused to look at anything on my phone for the fear that it would pull me away from the moment but something told me I had to look at whatever it was. Sure enough, it was a photo of me on the bow of the Alex-2 off the coast of Saint Martin, wind in my hair, sun on my face, and a spark in my eyes I hadn’t seen in a while.

In that instant, it hit me: I needed to experience that feeling again. Before I could second-guess myself, I was looking up the upcoming voyages. The pull was real to say the least, and I knew this wasn’t just nostalgia, it was a call back to something I wasn’t finished with. That same afternoon, I put in my request to join the crew, my heart already halfway back to the Caribbean. Soon enough, my flights were booked, plans were set, and now here I am, ready to board my first of five planes to Paramaribo, Suriname where I’ll reunite with the ship that changed everything and ultimately, set me on the path that I continue to roll down today.

But this time, it’s different. This time, I’m not just a student. I’m stepping aboard as a Leichtmatrose, or a Light Sailor, which is a member of the professional crew. It feels surreal, like the best of both worlds. I’m returning to the boat without the classes that sometimes pulled me away from the thrill of sailing. Excitement doesn’t even begin to capture what I’m feeling at this moment.

I’m calling this next series of writing and my life Letters from the Horizon. It’s the continuation of my story that’s just getting started, and trust me, you’ll want to follow along. There are adventures coming that I can’t wait to share with you at the right time. So as I wrap up this prologue, I want to thank you for being part of this journey and even more than that, the community that has supported me along the way. Your seemingly endless commitment, curiosity, and encouragement mean the world to me. Stay tuned, because this next chapter promises to be one for the books.

So heres to saying yes. Here's to asking ourselves: If not now, then when?

Welcome to Letters from the Horizon

With love,

E