I love hearing stories about how couples meet, don’t you?  You may have had some incredible encounters yourself!

As The Hollywood Dating Director, I am often asked, “How did you meet your husband?”  When I say, “On a sailboat cruising the Mediterranean,” I’m usually met with, “Wow.  That’s so romantic.”

And it was.

However, without an understanding of relationships or having the skill set of what to do, my story could have  been about a brilliant affair that lasted a week.  I probably would have blown the most amazing and important romantic relationship in my life.

So as I’m telling you how we met, I’ll be giving you some very important Dating Director Tips so you won’t blow it in your own love story!

After my father died in 1994, my mother and I spoke for years about taking a trip together.  But where would we go?  Alaska? The Grand Canyon?  Tahiti?

Finally, Mother found a sailing trip that began in Malta and traveled up the coast of Italy, ending with a tour of Southern France.  She asked if I wanted to go.  Would I!  Twist my arm, Mama!  I love Italy.  I love France.  I love the sea!  When do we leave?

In October 2000, Mother and I flew to Malta and boarded Le Ponant.  Here is a picture of the boat.  Isn’t it fabulous?

When Mother booked our trip, she told me I would probably be the youngest guest on the boat.  What she didn’t tell me was that she would be the NEXT youngest guest on the boat!  Yes, I’m serious!  But these people were great.  They were sophisticated travelers, interesting and wonderfully fun to be around.

Here’s a photo of Mother and me on a zodiac (the small shuttle boat) that took us on to the island of Sicily.

We chose this tour because Le Ponant was stopping for three hours on an island called Ponza.  I had been to Ponza twice before and loved it.  So much that I was writing a screenplay set on Ponza and was studying Italian in hopes of making a film there.

I wanted to practice my Italian before arriving in Ponza so I could communicate with some friends who lived there. The detail was, they didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Italian.  When I’d been to Ponza before, my Roman friend, Daniela, did all the talking.  I pretty much smiled, nodded and drank my Pinot Grigio.  Non problemo!   But this time I was on my own!  I needed to “parla Italiano” as much as possible before Ponza!

Here’s a photo of Ponza’s harbor.  See why I find it so charming?

Turns out, the entire crew was French!  Except for one Italian.  Lorenzo.  I could find him in the bar.  Talk about convenient.

The first night, I saw this young man, head down, mixing a drink.  I approached and said, “Lorenzo?”  All I remember was a pair of deep, intense, azure eyes looking up at me.  The light reflected through those brilliant blues and I was like WOW.  My first thought was “Cute.  Young.  NO WAY!  This man could have any woman he wanted.”

“Parlo Italiano?”  I stuttered.  Which translated means, “I speak Italian?”  (Note the question?)

I have no idea what he said as he prattled on in Italian.  He seemed pleased I spoke the language.  Which, as we know, I don’t.

DATING DIRECTOR TIP #1: Generally whoever speaks first is considered the “masculine” energy in a relationship.  At this moment, I was not there to find a date.  I was there for business (speaking Italian), so it was appropriate to initiate our conversation.

I confessed I was just learning Italian (as if he couldn’t figure that out) and asked if he could practice with me.  He said something to make me think he would.  English is Lorenzo’s third language (French is first; Italian’s second), so there was/is always a question of, “do we really understand each other?”

From then on, wherever I was, he was.  Coffee in the morning, Lorenzo was there.  Lifeboat drill, Lorenzo was there.  Evening cocktails, there was Lorenzo.  I thought, “Is it my imagination or is this man circling me?  Nah, it’s a small boat.  It’s normal he’s everywhere.”

DATING DIRECTOR TIP #2: When a man is interested in a woman, he will often “circle” her, making sure it’s safe before he “makes a move”.  (I found out later his presence was intentional)

The third night on the boat, we were sailing past the island of Stromboli.  After dinner, all the guests went up to the top deck to watch the fiery red volcano bursting in the air like fireworks.  On this night I was exhausted.  The sailboat had been pitching through rough water the past two nights so I wasn’t sleeping well.  I decided to escape from the crowd by going on the back deck to watch alone.

Then, of all the people on the boat, who should appear on my deck, but Lorenzo.  I thought, “If it were anyone else but you, I’d say ‘good-night’ and go to bed.”

We spoke for a while…the best we could.  I felt at ease in his presence.  Lorenzo told me he was thirty-three, an “old man” among the crew on the boat.  After three years traveling to Greece, Canada, America and the Amazon, he was looking to leave Le Ponant and start a “real” life on land.  I remember thinking, “He’s older than I thought.  How nice to find a ‘little buddy’ on this boat.”

The next few nights, we continued to meet on the back deck and talk.

Mid trip, we arrived in Salerno on the Amalfi Coast of Italy.  Instead of going on the bus tour to Pompei, I decided to take a walk through town.  Lorenzo was on deck as I was exiting the boat.  Surprised I wasn’t with the tour, he asked where I was going.  I told him I needed a walk and asked if he would like to join me.

DATING DIRECTOR TIP #3: It is always appropriate for a lady to ask a gentleman for “escort services”. Lorenzo told me he had to stay on the boat, but he would love to show me another island.

I said, “That’s great.  What are you thinking?”

He said, “uh…How about Corsica?”

I said, “Great.”

DATING DIRECTOR TIP #4: This was the pivitol moment of our courtship.  I did what’s called a “bait and switch”.  That means I turned a casual acquaintanceship into a date.  In my former, unskilled dating life, I would have said something stupid like, “No.  That’s all right.  You don’t have to do that,” because I would not have recognized that he was actually interested in me!  (Yes, I was that dense!)  When Lorenzo said he wanted to show me around another island, I pretty much knew he didn’t have a plan, but I positioned it as if he did by asking, “What are you thinking?”  At that moment, Lorenzo went from “little buddy” to “man I’m interested in dating”.

The next day we stopped on Ponza.  Here is a photo of Mother and me with my friends, Pino, Adele and their two children, Jacomo and Emanuella.

I spoke very butchered, very baby-like Italian.  They were very impressed.

That night, we sailed under the clearest, most star-filled, balmy night I’ve ever experienced.  Lorenzo left for a moment to help move a table.  I was standing on the back of the boat, watching the sky, when the most perfect, most amazing shooting star rose up behind the stern, arched across the back of the boat and fell to the other side.  It was magnificent.  It brought tears to my eyes, it was so beautiful.

At that moment, Lorenzo appeared and I told him what I saw.  Suddenly, he embraced and kissed me.  I was shocked!  All that was running through my head was “What are you doing?  What are you doing?  What if someone comes?!?”

No one came.

The next day, we stopped on Corsica where we had our first lunch date.  I ate pizza.  He ordered moulles frites (clams and French fries).  We shared a carafe of local rose and talked about our past and our dreams.  He was going to develop real estate with his father in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy and I was going to make another film.  Right.  No one could have predicted then that he would give up sailing and Europe for me.  And DUTY DATING is my only feature to date.

Here’s the only photo I have of the two of us on Le Ponant.  Ponza is in the background.  Unfortunately, you’re not able to see those brilliant baby blues that bedazzled me!  In other postings, you will.  I promise.

So that’s how I Met My Husband Sailing On The Mediterranean.  Mother never dreamed I’d bring home such a souvenir!

May all your meetings be magical.