Teen Sails 3,000 Miles to Start College

Sally Gardiner-Smith knows how to make an entrance.

Rather than opt for four wheels and a road trip to make her first appearance on the St. Petersburg Eckerd College campus, the determined 19-year-old from Woolwich, Maine, loaded up her boat and set sail for adventure. With only her trusty cockapoo Elli by her side, Sally managed a 3,000-mile journey down the eastern seaboard, to the Bahamas and up the Gulf of Mexico on her own.

The lengthy journey began on Oct. 1, 2014, from Portland, Maine. The new freshman arrived on campus in July with plenty of time to spare before the first day of classes. Taking advantage of that time, the avid sailor, who grew up with a passion for the pursuit courtesy of her parents, made sure to safely dry dock her vessel, named The Athena, before classes began.

The idea for Sally’s journey began to take shape shortly after she graduated from high school. The determined teen purchased her boat and began making plans for a “gap year” she set aside for herself before starting college, she told several media outlets.

“I decided to make this trip solo... because of a desire to prove to myself that I can do what I want with my life,” she explained in a blog post she wrote for the Portland Press Herald about her journey. The hope for the trip, she added, was to help “solidify myself as a person through hardships and, hopefully, successes.”

While she had plenty of offers from possible companions for the voyage, Sally opted to only bring Ellie along for a personal reason. “(I wanted to) prove to myself that I can do what I want with my life,” she wrote.

Sally’s journey wasn’t always easy. Mechanical issues caused a few hiccups along the way. A clogged fuel line here and problems with solar panels there, however, paled in comparison to a near-tragedy that occurred less than a week into the voyage.

While docked in Boston, Elli managed to get away from Sally and was struck by a car. The little dog ended up having to have her leg amputated. She recovered for three weeks back at home in Maine while Sally continued forward, the Portland Press Herald reported

“Sailing without Elli was hard,” she told Eckerd College staff upon her arrival. Even so, the seasoned sailor managed to muscle through the hard times and even “developed an appetite” for being alone.

Loneliness is no longer a concern for the Eckerd freshman though. She’s one of about 500 new students this year in the school’s Class of 2019. And, Ellie, her trusty first mate remains by her side.

As for the future, Sally remains undecided about her major, but she’s certain there are more adventures on the horizon.

Photo courtesy of Sally Gardiner-Smith and Eckerd College