Juan Miguel – 27 – Algeciras
“You got it man,” says Juan Miguel jokingly as he does his best impersonation of Al Pacino from the classic 1983 crime drama Scarface. It’s his way of agreeing to anything.
Painting is a regular task on board El Galeon, strapped to a harness, Juan Miguel hangs off the side of the ship to add a fresh coat.
Juan Miguel, also known as Juanmi, joined El Galeon last year when the ship was in south Florida as they were finishing up the last of their 2014 East Coast Tour. Like most of the crew, this was his first time in the United State and he spent most of it exploring the different cities in Florida. “Miami is my favorite without a doubt,” said Juanmi, who’s visited Florida’s melting pot twice so far. “It’s an explosion of fun.”
While he’s enjoyed his time in Florida, exploring places like Saint Augustine, El Galeon’s American home port, Tampa and Key West, there’s still no place like home. “There are a lot of nice state parks and the beaches are the best,” said Juanmi, who surfs in his spare time. He also misses having the options to mountain bike and snowboard. “Florida is too flat.”
While Juanmi hopes his degree in nautical engineering will land him a job working on a merchant vessel like an oil or chemical tanker, life at sea was not his original path. “I studied another degree in land surveying,” said Juanmi, which is the science of determining the terrestrial position of points and the distances and angles between them. This requires mathematics, physics, engineering and the law.
In the end, he chose the sea over land. Now, after four years of schooling, Juanmi is looking to earn his officers license. “I need one years practice,” said Juanmi, who has spent half of that time on El Galeon. “When I’m finished I will be a 3rd officer.”
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