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Meet the Captains of Rum Punch
MEET ELLIE
Ben and I met in 2019, through working on School of Rock in the West End. My freelance career has taken me worldwide in many different roles, but my main and consistent being a Show Caller amongst management roles within the entertainment industry.
I'd always had a passion to travel, see the world, taken the unbeaten path and discover places few people had been. I also wanted a base, however. I'd moved around from rented flat to rented flat, touring shows, settling down with shows, jumping to TV & Film, constantly on the go and I loved that fast paced way of life - it was exciting and thrilling. However, there is another other side to this lifestyle that can wear you down and become exhausting. It can become too much, and balance becomes a necessity. I wanted both the ability to travel, the excitement of the outdoors to match my up and go mentality, but I also wanted a home to come back to at the end of the day. That isn't something you can necessarily obtain through staying with the norm.
This journey I have jumped into has been a whirlwind and I have learned so much already. Follow and learn along with us as we tackle how to refit a boat to me learning to sail, I'm so ready.
MEET BEN
My dream of buying a sailboat and living on her stems back to my childhood. I went sailing on the Solent with my dad most Wednesday's on a friend's 38ft steel ketch called Halfpast. Having completed my level one in Dinghy sailing, the need for speed was apparent and I wasn't about that life. I loved the cruising aspect, the slow life, the journey. At the time it was a childhood dream that, as I started to grow up, became more and more of a fleeting thought. Maybe one day I would buy a boat, but living on it? That was another thing all together. It wasn't until the pandemic hit in 2020, I completed my competent crew and started to believe this could become a reality. Coming from a Stage Management background, carpentry and the ability to fix things is one of my passions. The achievement and reward I know we will feel once we're on the water, sailing away in a boat we've built ourselves; there can be no better feeling.
