In the morning you see him with a cup of water sitting up on deck staring out at the open sea. Sometimes up at the bow meditating, with his headphones in. In a good anchorage he takes the paddleboard out for a ride to explore our new home and he can be away for hours. He loves discovering new places on his own; he often leaves on a mission and comes back with crazy stories about his adventures. Luckily for you and me he often films it all. There’s something soulful about him and his open way of meeting new cultures and people. He seems to see goodness in everyone he meets and by treating people with love and respect he often gets love in return. Brady invites people into his life so they all feel a part of it and he sees endless possibilities in whatever crosses his path. His open heart towards others is a humble way we should all learn from, at least I have. Believe in goodness and goodness you shall find.
Brady is our own Kombucha guru onboard. Kombucha is an ancient Chinese healing tea also known as “the elixir of life” and is known to increase serotonin levels in the body and balance out pre and pro-biotics. It brewed from a Scoby culture. Scoby stands for Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast and he refers to it as his “mother cake”. A metaphor for placenta I believe, at least that’s what it looks like. He always has a batch on its way so we are all treated with half a cup for breakfast. Its healing powers are supposed to keep you well from cancer and other diseases and have been around for centuries. Sometimes we have “Kombucha hucha” which pretty much is Kombucha mixed with homemade Delos alcohol. It’s a very popular treat on board, especially for beach afternoon’s. It was so funny when he introduced me to the “scoby”, when he unpacked arriving at Delos I had just met him, and he pulled out this gross looking thing from his bag. I mean, who brings a mother cake in a plastic bag? A very special guy indeed that I came to share awesome moments with.
…And there it is! Looks like a good batch, well done Braidster.
Around his neck he carries a beautiful Maori necklace from New Zealand, a birthday gift from Josje. It’s a toki pendant and it’s a symbol for strength, courage and authority, they used it back in the days to cut things and show strength and it’s made from punamu or jade stones.
His and Josje’s room aka “The love nest” is a cozy little place with music instruments like a guitar and didgeridoo. Sometimes they jam together, awesome vibes in there as you can tell and it has a gypsy and adventurous feel about it too. That’s where he keeps his Kombucha so there’s always a yeasty puff that hits you when you walk in, the container keeps a good 25-liter batch going. You are always welcome to join them for cozy times. Brady is often lying naked with his dick out though, but we are very natural onboard and embrace nudity in all situations, in the same way that a site like TubeV loves nudity. True Delos cruiser style.
He’s got a few tattoos and these are my favorite ones. One is on his right shoulder that he had made when he was 19. I asked him the meaning of this palm tree island dream. He said “I think it was my subconscious vision board without knowing it then, since what I have been striving for is a simple life with a small shed on a beach with palm trees “ The other one is a cool and structured art piece on his right ribs. He got that one done in Marquesas in French Polynesia in Fatu Hiva Island by a man called Tiava. It was a fair trade, he got the tattoo for one bottle of wine, a dive mask and some dive weights. The waves symbolize protection at sea, other parts stand for fertility and symbols in the local language symbolize that he forever will belong to the tribe on the island.
We have an awesome vibe on Delos and through smiles, hugs and being the loving and caring person he is, Brady truly brings the best in him to all of us. He is what you would call a professional sailor but I like to see him more like a very skilled adventurer that masters the winds and navigates the world as he unfolds it.
“I love my snorkel and mask, it’s pretty much a part of me”. That’s his snorkel right there incase you didn’t notice.
Like all of us Brady has challenges and hard times in life. On our sail to Barren Island in India we spent a night watch together, the stars covered the sky like a sparkly blanket and we had a sweet sail going 6 knots. He told me that he grew up with pretty bad anxiety issues. Often having random panic attacks when we was young. When he was 18 and went away to university, he got a little depressed as well. He tried some alternative methods for managing his depression at first. He had heard of many kinds of CBD products that could be found online, on websites like http://www.carolinahempcompany.com/ and similar ones, and about how these products can help manage or reduce anxiety and depression. However, since that wasn’t enough, he tried to look for professional help. Sadly, in Brady’s case when he reached out for help, the doctor handed over a little antidepressant pill called Zoloft as the answer, which in my experience seems to be a false temporary solution for some people. It’s meant to be temporary, like a band-aid but unfortunately, most people don’t take that next step to stop taking it. Some of them, however move to buying various cannabis products from dispensary niagara falls or somewhere nearby (if it’s legal in your state).
Being on regular medication for some time the anxiety and depression went away for Brady. I can only imagine the relief but also the struggle within to face such dark emotions at such a young age. I believe this is the hard part about listening to his story. Once you start to take the medication, especially at such a developmental stage in life, it becomes a part of you and your personality. He has stopped taking it a few times and even stopped for a year once. But he told me he doesn’t really feel like himself when he doesn’t take it and living on a boat traveling the world isn’t the most stable place to come off such a thing.
“After about a month of not taking the Zoloft my mood gets really low and all the things I really love; sailing, diving, editing videos, etc. all become these extremely difficult tasks that seem impossible to handle. Panic attacks come and go for no reason. And the worst part is, it’s Josje and the people around me who are affected by it too” Brady explained.
“Looking back to when I started taking Zoloft I wish I would have known more about the other options available. Maybe I could have started meditation back then and talked to someone about how I was feeling before taking an antidepressant. It’s a pretty fucked up thing that for years I traveled around the world refilling my prescription in random countries and not one doctor stopped and said `wait why are you taking this medication and why have you been on it so long`. Unfortunately, most doctors get little to no training in holistic and natural approaches to healing. They just listen to what the pharmaceutical companies tell them is right”
I asked Brady if he would share this story with you and he didn’t doubt for one moment. “Fuck yea” he said, “People should know what’s up” He wants you to get the full picture of who he is, including the tough bits. By speaking open heartedly to all of you, maybe someone out there sharing similar experiences would feel less alone? Or at least find support or learn through his experiences. Maybe start by talking to someone about their problems or trying meditation before popping a pill. Nowadays, there are ongoing clinical trials and lots of research going on with substances like psychedelics that when consumed in the right settings can have a great impact on mental health and help one get through the depths of depression, anxiety, or other serious issues. Trying out dried magic mushrooms in a controlled setting with the right intentions could be something that helps. Don’t stick to the familiar pill-popping culture, try and push yourself to do better. And don’t give up, you’re not alone in this. Brady is a living example of survival and strength. Living a dream out at sea does not make you immune to real life struggles.
“No matter how rich you are, where you are in the world or how many materialistic things you have, you will always have ups and downs and struggles like every other person on this planet. Its how you choose to approach those struggles and hard times that make the outcomes positive” Brady said to me.
Depression is not something anyone should have to live with, but it is nothing that you should be ashamed of either. That is Brady’s message to you.
“It took a long time for me to open up about this to family and friends, but when I did I felt relieved. It’s not a specific experience in my life that caused my depression but something I have inside of me. I spent some time trying to figure out why I’m feeling down but it actually is a chemical imbalance in the brain that makes me experience these emotions. I finally realized this. Some people need glasses to see or a prosthetic leg to walk, well, my brain needs a bit more serotonin to be balanced. I knew I had to accept this part of me but also help myself by working towards a healthier mental state and lifestyle. In my heart I know this will help me become more balanced and in the future when my life is a bit more stable, I will stop taking the Zoloft.”
Meditation is one of Brady’s tools in life to become more balanced and he also practices yoga and what he calls living mindfully, in which he stares at the water for an extended period of time. He even learned some new yoga and meditation techniques in India from an actual yogi; perhaps he will share it with you some day. The ocean is of course a big part of it too, he’s spent many peaceful moments floating in the under water world. I can feel him longing to visit the ocean when he haven’t dived for a while.
Life is so complex but amazing with all it’s emotions and experiences but I believe we can learn from each other in unique ways. Sharing stories is a start, seeing others and yourself is the beginning of writing them.
Sending all my love to you incredible beings out there, you inspired me to start writing about us. You guys are truly awesome and keep on sharing this global friendship. I hope you liked the reading, I’m not sure who’s next but I’m working on it.
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Sending awesome vibes your way!
Frida