Welcome aboard SV Songbird– there’s room for everyone here on my mighty 27 foot, full keel sailboat. Whether you’ve been following my journey from the beginning, or just joined this passage, I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself and tell my story in my own words.
I’m Luke. I’m a sailor, musician, educator, and pursuer of a fulfilling life.
Since I was a kid, I loved singing, playing instruments, and teaching others how to participate in music. In Spring of 2020, I graduated from university with a degree in Music Education, ready to pursue directing youth choirs, bands, and orchestras. I struggled to find full-time employment in the midst of the pandemic, as making music in large groups was a health hazard. My year-long job hunt frustration led to hundreds of hours of escapism online. I became obsessed with watching sailors on YouTube navigate far flung locations and rich cultures, from Madagascar to Southern Chile. Beyond the blue water, bikinis, and passport stamps, I was hooked on what these sailors seemed to have in buckets: fulfillment.
I reached out to Washington locals with boats. I studied diagrams and textbooks and how-to videos. In just a few short months, I felt that I knew the basics. I got online and connected with cruisers in Mexico who were taking on crew. For two months, I hitchhiked with skippers who taught me the nuts and bolts and soul of sailing. Then, I got the Music Education job I had so desperately wanted.
Have you ever gotten just what you want, only to realize it isn’t what you need?
I spent a year in a windowless room, teaching middle schoolers how to sing and play their instruments. Each day, I arrived before dawn, and left after sunset– a year without sunlight. I loved my students and was proud of the progress we made, but the work was difficult and often thankless. I came home at night exhausted, sat on the couch, and watched videos of people sailing. Toward the end of that first year in the classroom in 2023, I purchased SV Songbird with the money I’d saved teaching. With advice and assistance from the incredible folks I met at a South Seattle marina, I worked on Songbird endlessly– varnishing, plugging holes, plumbing, rigging, welding, solar installation, and much, much more. I quit teaching.
I frequently am asked how I make sailing work financially. The truth is, I had planned to simply sail until I ran out of my savings. I was frugal to a fault, oftentimes forgoing nutrition (Pasta. Every. Single. Night.) and utility (Who needs an engine anyway?) for the sake of saving a few dollars. Even so, I never anticipated being able to live this dream for more than a year or two. It was many months into my journey that I met a few folks who were financially successful making online content. From them I learned I could post videos and make products that might fund this adventure. Most importantly, they inspired me to begin to tell my story. So, on this website, you will find SV Songbird branded gear which when purchased, will help keep Songbird afloat.
SV Songbird may be small, but she holds the greatest gift I’ve ever been given: a fulfilling life. Please follow along, reach out, connect, take risks that are meaningful to you, and pursue a fulfilling life. With your help, Songbird and I will make it around the globe.