Thank You and Welcome!

Welcome to the newest addition to the online presence of The Emuna Endeavor!

Every Wednesday at 10am Pacific time there will be a new post that tells the story of our adventure from the beginning.

Thank you for stopping by!
~ Niccolea 




Check out our main website and our YouTube channel when you get a chance. ^_^



Hi! My name is Niccolea Miouo Nance.  I am a poet, artist, amateur fire-spinner, and soon to be world traveler via sailboat. I love learning new things and challenging myself (hence this project). Above all else, I love to enjoy life and be spontaneous.



Below are links to press regarding the sailing trip around the world. Plus, a local Portland, OR TV station may pick it up as well. Stay tuned!

Black Poet Readies to Make History as First African American Woman to Sail Around the World - https://lockerdome.com/7759088872341313/8375857752317972

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Everyday People: Astorian hopes to make history sailing the world - http://www.dailyastorian.com/Everyday_People/20160502/everyday-people-astorian-hopes-to-make-history-sailing-the-world

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Port Life - Winter 2014

The chill of fall got inevitably more harsh as the year came to a close. We were about to spend our first winter aboard the boat.

We prepared as best we could with extra blankets and two space heaters. Those wouldn't help any against the gusting winds of winter storms that rattled the boat around many an evening.

Every morning at 5am, I had to brave the wind and cold on my walk to work. It was grueling some days, but I survived.

We were fortunate that my first winter in Oregon happened to also be one of the mildest that they had in years. My Arizona acclimated blood might not have lasted otherwise, I bet!




Thanks for reading!
~ Niccolea



Check out our main website and our YouTube channel when you get a chance. ^_^

Hi! My name is Niccolea Miouo Nance.  I am a poet, artist, amateur fire-spinner, and soon to be world traveler via sailboat. I love learning new things and challenging myself (hence this project). Above all else, I love to enjoy life and be spontaneous.

Below are links to press regarding the sailing trip around the world. Plus, a local Portland, OR TV station may pick it up as well. Stay tuned!

Black Poet Readies to Make History as First African American Woman to Sail Around the World - https://lockerdome.com/7759088872341313/8375857752317972
 .
Everyday People: Astorian hopes to make history sailing the world - http://www.dailyastorian.com/Everyday_People/20160502/everyday-people-astorian-hopes-to-make-history-sailing-the-world

School Days - Fall 2014 through Spring 2016

Niccolea on the deck of the Forerunner with a barge in the background

I came to the Pacific Northwest a complete nautical newbie. Prior to my invitation to sail around the world, I had only been on a rowboat on a lake!

When I saw the pamphlet in the employment office for the maritime program at the community college, taking some classes seemed like a GREAT idea. So, I enrolled.

Since we were off schedule getting the boat ready to leave in 2015, I figured I could take the one year certificate program and we could leave in 2016.

I spent the fall term learning the basics of reading a chart and being a crew member on a repurposed 40 foot fishing vessel called Forerunner that served as the school ship. I learned (mostly) the nautical rules of the road. I even had some helm time and did docking drills. (!!)

I met some great fellow mariners who were in school to have a leg up when they entered into merchant mariner positions in the industry. I was an oddball lubber who was learning for learning sake, but they accepted me and I made some really great friends.

The classroom courses were HARD! I struggled EVERY DAY with the book work. I felt so lost and totally out of it. I felt like I had no clue. And yet... I managed to get all As and Bs on my tests and final exams! I was able to be a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society!

It was a wonderfully challenging experience to do all those classes and to spend all that time out on the river with fellow mariners. I wouldn't trade it for the world and will probably go back and finish the AS degree later.

Thanks for reading!
~ Niccolea



Check out our main website and our YouTube channel when you get a chance. ^_^

Hi! My name is Niccolea Miouo Nance.  I am a poet, artist, amateur fire-spinner, and soon to be world traveler via sailboat. I love learning new things and challenging myself (hence this project). Above all else, I love to enjoy life and be spontaneous.

Below are links to press regarding the sailing trip around the world. Plus, a local Portland, OR TV station may pick it up as well. Stay tuned!

Black Poet Readies to Make History as First African American Woman to Sail Around the World - https://lockerdome.com/7759088872341313/8375857752317972
 .
Everyday People: Astorian hopes to make history sailing the world - http://www.dailyastorian.com/Everyday_People/20160502/everyday-people-astorian-hopes-to-make-history-sailing-the-world

Port Life - Fall 2014

The bright and shiny days of summer inevitably shorten. The days of lounging in the cockpit enjoying the sun would soon go away and we would be faced with the slowly fading days of fall.

After we settled in to the "new" boat, we began to settle in to the rigmarole of living life. Dovid had his income so I had to find mine. I ended up spending a lot of time looking for a job so that we could make ends meet.

Days were spent at the Workforce office using their computers to job hunt. I finally found a gig within walking distance and we settled into a routine that ended up lasting THREE YEARS. O_O

One thing that came out of the trips to the Workforce office: I found out the local community college had a MARITIME program. I began the process of applying for financial aid and prepared to learn more about navigation and spend some time on the Columbia River

Stay tuned for more about the school days next week. ^_^


Thanks for reading!
~ Niccolea




Check out our main website and our YouTube channel when you get a chance. ^_^



Hi! My name is Niccolea Miouo Nance.  I am a poet, artist, amateur fire-spinner, and soon to be world traveler via sailboat. I love learning new things and challenging myself (hence this project). Above all else, I love to enjoy life and be spontaneous.

Below are links to press regarding the sailing trip around the world. Plus, a local Portland, OR TV station may pick it up as well. Stay tuned!

Black Poet Readies to Make History as First African American Woman to Sail Around the World - https://lockerdome.com/7759088872341313/8375857752317972

 .

Everyday People: Astorian hopes to make history sailing the world - http://www.dailyastorian.com/Everyday_People/20160502/everyday-people-astorian-hopes-to-make-history-sailing-the-world

The First Summer Part 3 - The Maiden Voyage (In the Marina)

The summer was glorious as well it should be. We had the excitement of a new(er) vessel that was a much better living quarters as well so we decided to take the bigger boat and motor to the other boat for the move.

Instead of schlepping all of our things down one dock and up the next, we took SV Emuna 2 and passed our things from deck to deck. ^_^

Here's the video of that voyage:

We left out the stuff flinging from the video, though! :-P

Thanks for reading!
~ Niccolea




Check out our main website and our YouTube channel when you get a chance. ^_^



Hi! My name is Niccolea Miouo Nance.  I am a poet, artist, amateur fire-spinner, and soon to be world traveler via sailboat. I love learning new things and challenging myself (hence this project). Above all else, I love to enjoy life and be spontaneous.

Below are links to press regarding the sailing trip around the world. Plus, a local Portland, OR TV station may pick it up as well. Stay tuned!

Black Poet Readies to Make History as First African American Woman to Sail Around the World - https://lockerdome.com/7759088872341313/8375857752317972

 .

Everyday People: Astorian hopes to make history sailing the world - http://www.dailyastorian.com/Everyday_People/20160502/everyday-people-astorian-hopes-to-make-history-sailing-the-world

The First Summer Part 2 - The Bigger Boat

We got a bigger boat!!! ^_^

After a month on the original Emuna, Dovid and I found that the 25ft boat was just a tiny bit too small for two adults in separate berths. SO... Dovid scoured craigslist for something in the area that would be more suitable for us.

In the end we lucked up and found out that there were boats for sale right in our own marina! Right across the marina on the next dock over, we found a dream boat for a song!

Sadly, the owner had passed away and his son already had two boats so he sold Dov the boat for about a third of what similar boats were going for online. It was a great new home for us and Nigel!

We moved all of our things over and began our new live aboard life in more comfortable digs.

Stay tuned next week for videos of our maiden voyage and more pictures of the "new" bigger boat.


Thanks for reading!
~ Niccolea




Check out our main website and our YouTube channel when you get a chance. ^_^



Hi! My name is Niccolea Miouo Nance.  I am a poet, artist, amateur fire-spinner, and soon to be world traveler via sailboat. I love learning new things and challenging myself (hence this project). Above all else, I love to enjoy life and be spontaneous.

Below are links to press regarding the sailing trip around the world. Plus, a local Portland, OR TV station may pick it up as well. Stay tuned!

Black Poet Readies to Make History as First African American Woman to Sail Around the World - https://lockerdome.com/7759088872341313/8375857752317972

 .

Everyday People: Astorian hopes to make history sailing the world - http://www.dailyastorian.com/Everyday_People/20160502/everyday-people-astorian-hopes-to-make-history-sailing-the-world

The First Summer Part 1 - Homecoming on the Water

We made it through the road trip from Louisiana to Oregon without killing each other! The childhood dream of Captain Dovid was coming closer to being a reality.

We spent our first week in Oregon in a little motel at the marina overlooking the basin. Dovid's cat Captain Nigel Shortbottom was ecstatic to be back near the familiar smells of his kitten-hood home and rolled around on the floor with joy. ^_^

We got right into the process of clearing out the boat and cleaning it to make it livable. We got a storage unit to put things in that didn't fit on the boat with us and got as comfortable as we could while we started to make a plan of how to get the boat able to sail.

Dovid had modified his Cal 25 to have standing room in the cabin so that had to be reinforced to withstand the wind and waves. Also the mast was down and in storage at a friend's so that had to be dealt with as well. In the meantime we began the experiment of finding out if we could even live together in such a small space.

I had the v-berth and Dov slept in the salon and at first things seemed tolerable. Then after about a month it became clear that more space would make the long journey much better for both of us. The search for an affordable larger boat was underway!

Stay tuned for the next chapter of the adventure to find out what boat we found!


Thanks for reading!
~ Niccolea




Check out our main website and our YouTube channel when you get a chance. ^_^



Hi! My name is Niccolea Miouo Nance.  I am a poet, artist, amateur fire-spinner, and soon to be world traveler via sailboat. I love learning new things and challenging myself (hence this project). Above all else, I love to enjoy life and be spontaneous.

Below are links to press regarding the sailing trip around the world. Plus, a local Portland, OR TV station may pick it up as well. Stay tuned!

Black Poet Readies to Make History as First African American Woman to Sail Around the World - https://lockerdome.com/7759088872341313/8375857752317972

 .

Everyday People: Astorian hopes to make history sailing the world - http://www.dailyastorian.com/Everyday_People/20160502/everyday-people-astorian-hopes-to-make-history-sailing-the-world

.

Astoria