Today we’d like to introduce you to Rayon Carruthers
Hi Rayon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am Captain Rayon Carruthers, I’m a Marine Research Vessel Captain. Now, It took me a long time to be able to say that. But, that’s all I’ve ever wanted to say. My first time on a boat was almost 40 years ago. I was only about 4 years old, on vacation in The Netherlands. My sister and I went on a boat in one of the canals and something happened. It dawned on me that a person, anyone, could step onto this floating thing and take to the seas. I was hooked, entirely engulfed by this notion that I could be out there. That I could GO out there, into this unending space of magic, mystery and adventure. On that day, I swore to keep going out there. I didn’t know how to do it, or how I was going to make it happen, I made a promise to myself to be an adventurer.
Many years pass, many ups, many downs, life and such. I always found my way to the sea, in various ways. Marine science being the primary avenue. Scuba diving was a major part of my world as well. But, one day as I sat in an office on the UCSB campus (University of California Santa Barbara) as I was about to commit to starting a PHD program, I had a moment of determination. I said to myself “Rayon, what are you doing!? GO BE A CAPTAIN!!”
Let me rewind a bit. I remember when I moved to Negril, I was 18. I was taking a boat out every day for work, getting water samples for analysis. Years later, when I was working at NEPA, I realized that I hated a lot of what came with being a scientist in the government. Then, in Florida, I was working with a private environmental consultancy firm and I hated a lot of what came with THAT.
Then, I remembered that what I actually love is simply being at sea. I love boats and the ocean, it was literally that simple.
So, years later, in that office in Santa Barbara. I said to myself “What the hell are you doing, Rayon? You know what you love. Go do what you love. Go be a captain!” I got up and walked out with a challenge of finding a way to make a proper living doing what I love, being a professional captain. The very serious responsibility of having to make a living makes it scary to take risks. Especially, when you have a newborn child. But, I wanted to teach Meadow to not be afraid to chase her dreams. I couldn’t stomach having to, one day, tell her that I didn’t chase my dream because I was afraid. And I was so afraid, Meadow was literally months old when I walked out of that office.
I want her to see how hard I worked, how much I tried and failed and tried again. I did scuba diving boats, towing boats, fishing boats, party boats, all waiting and working towards getting a chance to be a MARINE RESEARCH VESSEL CAPTAIN, because what’s the point of dream chasing if you’re not chasing YOUR dream?
One day, Meadow and I were at sea on our boat somewhere in the Santa Barbara Channel. We were watching whales and dolphins and just hanging out. I thought to myself that every child should have this. I wanted every Jamaican child to have opportunities to enjoy the sea, be out there on the ocean, seeing the wildlife, feeling the motion, communing with the spirit of the sea. So, I started Oceans For Everyone Jamaica to provide them with exactly that, COMPLETELY FREE OF COST. I want them to know that boating and the ocean isn’t just for people with money. I want them to know that they can be out there too. I want them to know the endless possibilities for adventure. I want them to feel themselves being out there. It means so much to me because I know what being out there has done for me, personally, emotionally, psychologically, even professionally. I want to give them all a chance at feeling their own version of that realization. I want them all to become the captains of their own vessels, on whatever ocean that calls them.
I remember one day, Meadow and I went on one of the Oceans For Everyone trips and she kept saying “My daddy is the captain.” Which I wasn’t, lol, not of that boat anyway. She writes me letters thanking me for saving fish and whales and stuff. She draws pictures of me on boats. She knows that I did it, she knows what I am. She sees me as the version of myself that I want to see myself. I cannot stress how valuable that is to me. She knows, she saw it, that it’s possible. That means everything to me. This is who I am. I’m Captain Rayon Carruthers, and Oceans For Everyone is my attempt to pay it forward.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This has been an incredibly difficult Journey. I have always wanted to share my love for the sea with Jamaican kids and create a way to expose more and more of them to boating and the joy of being out there. But I didn’t have a blueprint to use as a guide. So after I started the organization in 2017 it took me over 2 years to pull off the first trip. And nowhere eight or nine trips in and I don’t believe that the process has become any easier, but I do believe that I’ve become a little better at it. It’s worth it to me, so I do it. A big part of my difficulty is finding funding for these trips. They are not cheap and I’m not made of money so I’m constantly trying to drum up donations and sponsorships. Honestly, I’m terrible at fundraising. So a lot of it you often ends up coming out of my own pocket. Which again I am okay with, because these trips are that important to me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a research vessel captain. I spent quite some time as a marine biologist as well. But my deepest desire was always just to be out at sea as much as I can be. And that ultimately is what motivated me to make the switch from being a marine biologist to being a research vessel captain. The work I do involves all sorts of oceanographic research. Essentially, we’re on a quest for data. Biological, chemical, physical, geological, data about the ocean. Technically, that’s what my job is. But, for me, being at sea is a deeply personal and spiritual experience. I’m blessed to have scrapped and fought my way through a world and life of uncertainty to a point where I can genuinely say I’m doing what I love as a career. The path I am on, the path I’ve always been on, was given to me via opportunities that many Jamaican kids won’t get. I believe I was given this life so that I can give Jamaican kids more opportunities to explore not just the sea but all of the possibilities that lay before them. I don’t know what sets me apart from others. It’s not something I think about. I’m not trying to be different or special. I’m just trying to be myself. The most authentic version of myself that I can conjure up in this life. That’s what I think about, that’s what I care about.
What are your plans for the future?
My main goal is to expand my program across the entire island of Jamaica so that more and more kids can have opportunities to go to sea. And then just keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ofejamaica.org
- Instagram: @oceansforeveryoneinc
- Facebook: @ofeinc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@oceansforeveryonejamaica7699
