Danita Cole

The strange thing I find about dreams is that they have a way of messing with a person. What I mean by that is that they have the power to set us free or destroy us: depending on whether we rise to the challenge and fly; or cower in a corner, with our dreams held aloft under a cloud of excuses and 'what if's'. I feel I can say this because I once was a corner cowerer, thinking that to follow a dream was what other people could do, but not me. I was paralyzed but 'what if's'. Then one simple statement from a common person changed all of that. One day I was talking about what I would do if I wasn't stuck by the 'what if's'. He looked at me and said simply, 'you know, if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle!' And it hit me! If's and wishes and all that, were useless. Staying safe and secure was an Illusion. Destiny and fate has a way of finding us regardless, I was just not living how I wanted to live. I concluded that it was a waste, then vowed to change it. I had no idea exactly how.
I had led a very sheltered life based in fear. My Mother had wanderlust and so we moved and travelled my entire childhood. Although we were travelers, never attending the same school longer than a full year, we were sheltered and guarded by a sexually abused single mother who never allowed us to immerse in any relationship or place for fear of demons. To her credit, she did a great job custodially; however, I knew only fear and 'what if's' so therefore DON'T.
At nineteen, I fled the oppression and joined my pirate father on the high seas, travelling by boat to points further than I'd ever travelled before. It led me to challenge my dream, which at the time was to travel by boat, delivering cargo to far away, exotic islands. At 21, using my fathers money, I got my first ship. My father helped me put a 3 1/2 tonne hydraulic knuckle boom crane on the deck above her 3 tonne cargo hold. We changed some injectors on her engine, and converted her forward cabin into my quarters. After four months in the yard in Fort Lauderdale, we took her out to Nassau Harbour, in the Bahamas. That is where my father left me, to cower or fly. A baptism by fire so to speak. I called him two weeks after he had flown out of Nassau to find out when he was coming back. He said, 'You wanted that boat, it's yours now. You get her back and make it work.' Well, I chose to try to fly. After pulling my little ship out of the marina and by some miracle, not hitting anything, I headed out to the anchorage where it was free to anchor. At least it wouldn't cost me anything while I tried to figure out what to do. Those poor people! I knew a little about anchoring but had never done it before on my own. There were probably 15-16 beautiful, perfectly painted pearls of perfection all lined up bowling alley style in the anchorage where sailboats are supposed to be. Enter the novice, me, on my little brick ship house of 30 net tonnes, a single screw and 6 ft. draft which all amounted to no speed, no steering. Her bow rose 16 feet in the air from the water which meant I couldn't see anything in front of me. So here I go, out to begin anchoring. Now, to fill you in on some local knowledge; Nassau Harbours' bottom is solid coral rock with 3-4 inches of loose sand and a ripping tidal current almost constantly due to the narrow harbour nestled between New Providence Island and Paradise Island. For the sailboats that weigh probably between 7-12 tonne it would be one thing. For me and my 30 tonne beast, it was a nightmare that left me exhausted after several hours of being petrified and literally shaking at the helm, waiting for her to drag when the tide changed. Which it did.
Fast forward slightly to where I made it back to Dania Beach alive and my Dad was never on another trip with us again in the five years I owned that boat. The whole experience was scary and challenging but I did it and that changed my life. I follow my dreams now, no matter what. They come from my heart which is truth to me, and they lead me to where I am supposed to be. I am free to live my life in honesty That to me is real freedom and security. I always know where I am.
After some years bouncing around on boats, a new dream formed in my heart. I wanted to live aboard a sailboat and be an artist as a means to support myself and my family while exploring the earth. In 2000, I bought a 35 foot sailboat that was named after a mans mother. At the time, I was a single mum of an 11 year old boy, and felt it was appropos. After spending three years fixing her up, (she had been abandoned for seven years) and spending every spare penny on supplies, we sold our 1968 Musatange coupe and bought spare parts, food and spear guns. On January 1, 2004, we left our dock on Las Olas Blvd and headed out from Port Everglades, Florida on the first leg of our intended journey around the world. we had exactly $37.50 cents. We couldn't be happier! Our adventure had begun and we looked forward to living off the land and sea and selling artwork.
The reason why I'm telling this story is because I want to illustrate how a dream brought me to the artist I am now. When we got to the Bahamas, the sailing season was in full swing with tourists and cruisers every where. We entered into art shows and sold artwork but also got in the water to shoot fish and lobster everyday after a breakfast of fresh coconut. That brought me to being a professional artist and it started with a simple dream and the patience to bring it about one step at a time.
My work is about the Ocean. I paint what I see because I want to bring that into someones life in a permanent, daily basis. Which is what happens when someone invests in a painting. Not only for themselves, but for their children and theirs alike. It can be a generational experience. If I can breathe the whisper of a dream into someones life, I feel I have a worthwhile job and am blessed by our Universe and want to share that.
I am currently moored in Charleston, Sc. My eldest son lives aboard his own boat now and I am raising my second son still living aboard Syrena. After an accident while six months pregnant, my son was born at 23 weeks of extreme prematurity. He fought hard for his life for 157 days in the intensive care unit. He won the fight, but paid for it with his eyesight. Dalton is completely blind but like me, see's only possibilities and beauty. He experiences energy and grace, weather and music and the dolphins in the harbour listen when he dreams. As for me, our life has brought new challenges and opportunities to serve our community by bringing artwork to the Ronald McDonald House and the ASPCA on an annual and permanent basis. We intend to sail abroad this summer and experience the island life through touch, hearing and smell. We are at peace on a little sailboat named after a boys mother!

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