>> Well I love to sail so there's the benefit of getting out on the water all the time.
One of my favorite expressions of gratitude from a guest
when they were getting off the boat they said, "Captain Iris, I feel like I've been hugged."
And I thought that was fabulous.
So most people really respect the age of the boat and the way we keep her.
We keep her in pristine condition so that there's a lot of accolades and response,
very positive response from our guests and I enjoy that.
It makes me proud, it makes me feel that I've done a good job.
I enjoy helping other people have a better vacation experience.
So that's very rewarding.
Yeah, the challenges for me with this business one is burnout
because I'm running 13 hour days six days a month.
I've been doing it for 10 years.
People get on the boat and they ask the same questions.
How olds the boat?
What kind of wood is this?
Those questions over, and over, and over, and you don't want to sound like a tape recorder
so there's a challenge in having it come off as fresh every time.
So if I can get eight hours a night I'm lucky and you need that sleep because when we are
out on the water when it starts getting dark from 7:30
to 9:30 concentration level is very high and I can't afford to be tired out here.
Sweating it out when the phone doesn't ring.
How come my phones not ringing?
What am I not doing?
Right now Google Search, if you put in sailing at St. Michaels the Selina comes
up the first thing on that Google [inaudible].
But keeping after all those details, making sure you're number one on Trip Advisor;
there's a lot of work that's involved in that and I sweat that because
at the end of the day its bottom line.
Am I going to be able to pay my banker?
And trust me the bankers are kind and warm but they want their money.
So it's a love hate relationship.
You love what you're doing in terms of having guests aboard, sailing the boat, the front end.
The back end, the infrastructure to keep it all running smoothly is a lot of work.
And sometimes it keeps you awake at night.