For three weeks, junior Austin Maciey woke up each morning on a boat, cherishing his trip on the other side of the world.

Maciey received the rare opportunity of traveling around parts of Europe and the archipelagos just north off the coast of Africa, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 18.  His uncle’s boat docked at the ports of Bordeaux, France, the island of Madeira, Portugal, and the Spanish Canary Islands, located near Africa.

“The trip was awesome!” said Maciey. “It was a cool opportunity to travel.”

Maciey’s uncle planned to buy a Lagoon 400, a 40-feet long boat, from a factory in France, and he invited Maciey, his mother, and another uncle to go to pick up the boat.

After picking up the boat, they planned to sail to a dealership in the Caribbean, where they would officially purchase the boat at a cheaper price. While sailing there, Maciey and his family traveled around parts of the world.

After flying from the Oakland International Airport to France, Maciey, his two uncles, and his mother spent some time on land buying food for their trip before setting sail. The boat was equipped with a fridge where rations could be stored.

Driving through a cloudy France by car, Maciey saw old brick and stone buildings, little towns, and farms.

“It was pretty cool,” said Maciey. “We also visited the beach before we left by boat.”

Although Maciey did not get to steer because the boat was on autopilot, he gained new knowledge during his trip, including learning new aspects of navigation, headings, bearings, and currents.  Maciey had hands-on experiences such as learning the adjustment of sails for the wind, and he also got a chance in the Canary Islands to speak Spanish, the language he is learning in school.

One of the highlights was when a huge blue whale was spotted. Maciey and his uncle were watching for the whale that his uncle had seen just a few minutes ago when the whale made an appearance again by flapping its fin and tail out of the water and spouting water from the top of its head.

“It was awesome,” said Maciey. “We were so close to wildlife.”

Maciey also saw sea turtles and dolphins, which jumped out of the water near the boat.Maciey and his family explored where they were docked by day and slept on the boat at night.

“My favorite place was Portugal,” said Maciey. “A guy showed us around the island and told us the best places to eat.”

His favorite dinner on the Portuguese island contained a lot of seafood, including bacalao (salt cod), shrimp, limpets (a type of mollusk), and sea snails.

“The snails were different but good,” said Maciey. “They were salty, slippery, and chewy.”

Meals were also scrumptious on the boat because there was plenty of free time while at sea, and Maciey and his family used a bulk of the time to cook. In addition, there were good rations.

When the fishing bell on the boat rang, the towlines were pulled and Maciey and his family got fresh seafood to eat. The bell, which was attached to the fishing line, rang whenever a fish tugged at the bait.

“My uncle filleted a tuna,” said Maciey. “We made sashimi. He cut the tuna into thin chunks and chilled it.”

While the food was good, showering was not. There was no hot water, so showers were generally unpleasant and short.

“We had to turn the shower head off, soap, then turn it back on,” said Maciey.

The weather got warmer as they headed south, so  a jacket and sweats were usually sufficient during the night, Maciey said.   And other than the first day on the boat, Maciey said he did not get seasick.

While Maciey’s experience on the boat was unique, he still had a routine of everyday life, incorporating schoolwork along with his vacation.

“My routine was wake up late, breakfast, homework, lunch, read, homework, and really whatever else came up afterwards,” said Maciey.

Maciey said compared to the load of make-up assignments he had to complete when he returned to school, he did not mind doing schoolwork while on his trip. Before he left, he asked his teachers for the assignments he would miss during his absence so he could work on them during the trip. Maciey was still required to make up tests when he returned to class.

While on the boat, Maciey usually used his free time to use his phone or cook. The boat had air conditioning and a diesel generator that enabled Maciey to charge his phone. Although he did not have cell service, he did use his phone to listen to music and to read.

While Maciey was away, though, his friends felt his absence.

“We missed him,” said junior Sammie Fox.

Junior and friend Oliver Speltz envied Maciey’s experience on the boat.

“I’m jealous,” said Speltz. “I’ve always been interested in sailing but I’ve never had the chance.  It was a fun experience for him.”

Maciey’s uncles and mom are still aboard the boat and are heading toward the Caribbean, where they will dock. After purchasing the boat, they will bring it back to the U.S.

Maciey flew from the Los Rodeos Airport in Tenerife, Spain, back home by himself last month.

“I would definitely go on a boating trip again,” said Maciey. “I loved it.”