The Soul of a Sea Lady: "This is an Inspiring Maritime True Life Story

By Alesia G. Lozito

About the Book
Is alluring, bewitching, addictive, strong, massive, boundless, sun reflects her smile, stars reflect her beauty, moon is her watchful eye, clouds are her warning, she is called, “Sea Lady”
About the Author
Alesia G. Lozito: I want to share my journey as a female mariner. Two wrongs never make a right! I defend the two wrongs that were done to me. Time is way overdue for women in the maritime industry. We will be respected; treated fair and work beside our fellow mariners and share the water with the same goal.
She’s calling her female Mariners to come and serve and protect!
Capt. Alesia G. Lozito/AKA Sea Lady

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dorrance Publishing Company
• Release date: Feb 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9781636619897

Book preview

Introduction

This is a true inspiring story about a father and his daughter. He became a legendary sport fisherman. She and her dad worked side-by-side in the family business and fished side-by-side. They were the first pioneers that opened this Marina in 1968, which now is one of the largest attractions on the East Coast. They both have the disease salt in their veins! This little girl at six-years-old got addicted like her father. She went to US Coast Guard Maritime School to get her license. She received her Master Capt. License February 19th, 1988. The first female Commercial Captain in her hometown. She applies for a Maritime jobs in her hometown and ends up in Title VII in the nineties. Maritime lawyers did not do their job. After her case, the Coast Guard advises her to go under freedom of information act the first time.

Over twenty years later, there’s a Maritime accident; she’s on her fifth Coast Guard Commercial Merchant Captain’s license. Maritime accident that leaves her disabled the rest of her life. Unknown to her when she asked for the Coast Guard Ship report on the Ferry from a different Maritime lawyer, she is advised by this Maritime lawyer that the lawyer that represented her in Title VII are still best and good friends. She is forced into extreme duress and conflict interest signing. She calls US Coast Guard and request the second time under freedom of information act, seeking the Coast Guard Ship report on the Ferry. Again the Coast Guard tells the truth in her maritime cases.

All three of these lawyers from the 20th century into the 21st century have their names attached to the most experienced female Commercial Captain of Virginia Beach.

This is my maritime story.

The Soul of a Sea Lady

UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

The U.S. Coast Guard is a Military Force. They are the law and law enforcers on all navigable bodies of water.

U.S. Coast Guard (Civilian Sector)

The United States Coast Guard is the Licensor for the Civilian Sector Mariners that serves on all Commercial Vessels. We are governed and licensed by the US Coast Guard known as Commercial Merchant Mariners and our license and ranks are established by the US Coast Guard. These licenses allow us to apply for Civilian Maritime jobs positions. These are some of the vessels we serve on: ships that import and export, MSC, Princess Cruise/Royal Caribbean, dining ship’s, fishing, cruising boats, diving, tugs, ferry’s, gambling boats, etc.

(Civilian Sector Mariners serve aboard all other vessels that are NOT Coast Guard vessels)

Our legal system for the Civilian Sector as Commercial Merchant Mariner are known as Maritime lawyers. Maritime lawyers have to work with the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard is Maritime law. They rule in all Maritime matters.

DAD’S BEGINNING TO A REMARKABE LIFE

This is a story about my father that was born in Italy. He came to America when he was ten and lived in New York City. When he was seventeen-years-old, he left New York with $14 in his pocket and came to Norfolk, Virginia and served in the Army. He was a US Army Air Force Bombardier. This is where he met my mom at an Army event, a dime a dance. When he got out of the Army, he worked for a man that had a drycleaners and that’s when he knew he wanted to go into business for himself. He borrowed money from his parents to buy the width of 48th St. and Colley Avenue Norfolk, Virginia. He opened Crown Cleaners 1955. He bought several UPS type trucks and converted them by welding pipes and making racks in the body of the truck. He then bought an army surplus boat single screw and went out to the ships and would tie up against the ships. He climbed the cargo nets and gangways and threw down the duffel bags of laundry to the boat and brought them back to the laundry trucks that were parked on the base and take him back to the plant. Dad would bring home the tailoring from the ships. I would help my mom take off old stripes, so she could sew on the new stripes to the uniforms. My father then took the uniforms back to the cleaners, having processed and take him back to the ships.

One day my dad noticed another vessel was out in the harbor and realized he was doing the same thing. So he took his single screw utility boat and traded it in for a twin screw utility boat and got majority of all the ships in the harbor. At least twenty employees at one time were working at the plant processing all the uniforms. He made all the deliveries and pickups with his one boat. There was so much work from the ships, they worked around the clock, they slept on cots. My father taught me, The people that work for you, you treat them with respect. They put food, clothes, and a roof over your head. You always help the less fortunate, you don’t hurt them that is ugly in God’s eyes. Mr. Williams was the dry-cleaning man, Gracie, Genie, and Claire were laundry pressers. These are just some of the people that worked in our family drycleaners. They worked with my dad from the day he opened to the day he passed away. He helped some of them get their homes and cars.

Lozito_001.jpgLozito_002.jpgLozito_003.jpgLozito_004.jpgLozito_005.jpg

MY FATHER BEFORE ME AND WITH ME

My father fell in love with the water after chasing the ships in the harbor for their cleaning. This is where he fell in love with the water and his boat. His unconditional love on the water and his boat all became one spirit in his soul. He was truly addicted. He taught himself about boats and fishing. He bought his first sport fishing boat, named it Miss M (after my mother). The next boats would be named Touché I and Touché II.

On September 19th, 1961, my father was awarded the Virginia citation plaque from the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. It was Virginia’s second state record for the largest bluefish in the tournament on record, fifteen pounds and ten ounces. The governor of Virginia would present the Virginia salt sport fishing tournament trophies to the top fifteen winners.

He was on fire fishing. He was in the paper every weekend that he fished from 1961 to 1964. He was offshore with the anglers from Long Creek Marina. He caught and brought back to the docks. A twenty-three-pound Wahoo, a sixty-seven-pound White Marlin, and 308-pound Blue Marlin that had hung in the office of the family drycleaners.

Lozito_007.jpg

   

Lozito_008.jpgLozito_009.jpgLozito_010.jpg