By Nile Fortner | New Pelican Writer
One may think a captain’s job on a superyacht going to lovely locations is easy-breezy. When Kelly Gordon first stepped on a superyacht she discovered she loved riding effortlessly over the shimmering turquoise waves of an open sea.
But the farm girl-turned-superyacht captain, who is now a resident of Deerfield Beach, knew she had a bigger mission. “I didn’t even see the ocean until I was 23 years old,” said Gordon. “A lot of people view the yachting industry as glitz and glam, and it is. But being a yachty can have a huge impact on your mental health and I wanted to help with that.”
Gordon was raised on a small farm in Indiana. A chemistry teacher, she only found the ocean and warmer weather when she went to grad school in North Carolina. “I had a friend who kept inviting me to see the town and she took me to an event on a yacht,” said Gordon. “I remember walking down the dock with her and I realized this is where I want to be and this is what I want to do.”
In 2018, Gordon experienced the fury of Hurricane Florence, a behemoth of a storm that caused extensive damage. With her house destroyed, friends encouraged her to work in South Florida. Here, she realized the mechanics of a boat were similar to the mechanics of the tractors she’d operated on the farm.
Today, she’s the captain of a 108-foot Pershing Motor Yacht. But she’s come to realize that not everything aboard is beautiful.
“We get to go places that some people dream of,” said Gordon. “A lot of yachties are young, away from home, away from everything they need and know, and they are thrown into a tiny space. We have issues in our industry like bullying, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual harassment. On board your bully can be your roommate and you’re always stuck.”
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