Mickey Starling
reporter3@greenepublishing.com
Hannah Lancaster grew up in Madison, nurturing an adventurous spirit and a contagiously friendly demeanor. Her sense of humor was widely known and enjoyed by her many friends. She graduated from Madison County High School in 2014 and employed her cheerful banter as a server with Cracker Barrel in Tallahassee and Valdosta over a two-year period.
Her love of adventure found her longing for a new frontier to explore. An opportunity arose to move to Bellingham. Wash., where she landed a job with Solstice Senior Living. “I loved working with the elderly, though it was always sad when someone passed,” said Lancaster. Her first time away from home presented her with many challenges to overcome. It didn't take Lancaster long to discover that living in an apartment was draining her finances. To remedy that situation, she bought an RV and parked it behind the nursing home. This arrangement came with its own set of problems. The clients adored Lancaster and often showed up at her door during their early morning walks. “They would even bring cat food for my pets,” remembers Lancaster. “Though they often showed up unannounced, they were very helpful and kind.”
The real problem showed up with the arrival of winter, which is entirely different from what she was used to in North Florida. “I don't think I can do this,” said Lancaster as she struggled to keep the RV sufficiently warm. Still wishing to build up her savings, the resilient young lady decided to buy a 30 ft. Santana Schock sailboat and anchor it at a nearby marina.
As the COVID-19 pandemic set in 2020, Lancaster left the nursing home and decided to pursue a job closer to her newfound interest in sailing, taking a summer job as a dock manager and boat detailer at Bellingham Yachts. The company was near her boat and the experience taught her a lot about sailing and boat maintenance. Finding that she really enjoyed this kind of work, she went to work with Sea View Boat Yard, where she is currently employed. She has taken a liking to physical labor as she spends her days doing oil changes, painting or buffing and waxing boats, even recently helping to tear down a building that was no longer in use. “I find the work really rewarding and my co-workers are great,” said Lancaster.
Life on the boat has definitely continued the adventure for Lancaster. Though there is little threat of tornadoes or hurricanes in Washington, the winds are commonly pretty strong, often gusting to around 60 miles per hour. She has her boat well secured, but the howling winds create a lot of noise around the dock. “Ear plugs take care of that,” said Lancaster, who seems to be undaunted by most challenges that come her way. The boating community has been a blessing to Lancaster, as her neighbors all look out for each other. “It has a great small town feel in a large town,” said Lancaster. Bellingham has a population of over 90,000 people, and the locals laugh when she remarks about the town being large. “I'm used to four red lights, so it's big to me,” laughs Lancaster.
When she isn't working, the boat leaves the dock and heads for the open waters, where Lancaster continues to perfect her fishing technique. She is quickly mastering the ability to catch all types of crabs, which often make for a delicious dinner. She finds it ironic that she landed herself the nickname of “Captain” during her high school years, when she visited St. Augustine every summer with her grandparents. “One of our traditions was that we could purchase one keepsake from each year's trip,” recalls Lancaster. “One year, I picked a captain's hat, and the nickname just seemed to fit.”
Now the captain of her own ship, she has hopes of upgrading to a larger boat and eventually sailing back home to Florida, which should take her about four months. Though she returns home for yearly visits, her fond memories of St. Augustine have her wanting to call the nation's oldest city home. She and her two cats, Baby Cat and Little Cat seem up for the move, though the 17-lb Little Cat might consider a diet first. The move would also have Lancaster closer to her grandparents, Bob and Sue Lancaster. “Anything I've done that is good, I credit to them. They always taught me to be good to others,” said Lancaster. “As for my coolness, I got that from my young friend, Autumn Starling, who I spent a lot of time with when she was growing up.”
Lancaster has plenty of coolness to go around. Her zeal for life and her ability to never meet a stranger will have her sailing the high seas for years to come and everyone she meets will be happy to call her Captain.