Ernest Shackelton and Endurance

Glen Ellen, California

Some stories should be read, reread, and fully absorbed by all hands. Sir Ernest Shackleton's life should be part of any amateur historians short list of epics. His book, South : The Endurance Expedition is a well thumbed volume sitting upon the physical and electronic shelf of my life. It can be turned to for inspiration during times of difficulty and tumult. 

During my Coast Guard career leadership was a constant topic. What is it? Is it innate or developed, or maybe a latent gene activated during times of stress? What does it mean to "take care of your people?" What is the correct mix of nurturing and Bligh like discipline? The story of the rush to the South Pole is a terrific study in different leadership styles. Since I have been to the Antarctic while serving aboard a Polar Class icebreaker, The Polar Sea, I've always found all things Polar to be fascinating. Pictured below is Endurance's Lifeboat, the James Caired. Shackleton used this lifeboat to make one of the most treacherous journeys ever in the history of the nautical. He and a small crew crossed the Weddell Sea at the onset of winter in the JC, a 22 foot open lifeboat, navigating his way to South Georgia Island, and then mountaineering his way across the island to a whaling station. He continued to push to save his 28 man crew, and was successful. This unbelievable story took place from 1914-1917.

More than ten years ago, while on one of my numerous walkabouts around New York City, I stood at the chiseled marble steps of the The New York Metropolitan Museum staring wide eyed with my jam dangling. A huge banner read "The Shackleton Exhibit." Holy Ice Floes Batman!!! Within five I was running my fingers along the gunwhale of the James Caird, the actual boat pictured above. My heart thumping, nose pressing against the glass as I looked at Shackleton's journal, ships log, and the sextant used to navigate to South Georgia Island. 

Pearl Jam 20

Glen Ellen, California


I downloaded and watched Pearl Jam 20, the documentary by Cameron Crowe about the bands first 20 years. Apple TV rocks! I wrote a blog post regarding my time living in Seattle during the grunge explosion. Please read that post by clicking here. It did not disappoint in the least. PJ fans obviously will love the film.  I love a good story, especially captured in a documentary. This is in keeping with my latest theme of odd ducks. My respect for people who may do things a little different. Pearl Jam clearly followed the road less traveled, and still does. The first thing that popped into my head as the credits rolled is this is a band with a lot of heart. Not the fake kind, but true believers in their craft. Kind of in the vain of what I wrote in my last post about Sterling Hayden. Neither Sterling nor Pearl Jam were/are conformists. Not that I advocate

PJ20 Promo Shot. Pearl Jam: Matt Cameron, Eddie Vedder, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, Stone Gossard

necessarily how any of the people I write about live, but having a massive population consistently going along with societal flow breeds a boring society. One that is just not exceptional in any way shape or form. People who are in a constant state of protest over every conceivable injustice is fatiguing. But, they are the ones to agitate pushing back against those (me included) who like consistency. 

34th America's Cup Race in San Francisco

San Rafael, California


I was laying in the V-bunks aboard Christa the other night when it occurred to me the monumental nature of the 34th running of the America's Cup being held in San Francisco. Back in the day, I received orders to be stationed in San Francisco against my will. I had no desire to be stationed in the city by the bay. I mistakenly thought it was cold and rainy all the time, and that everyone had to be gay. I was way way askew in my assessment. The first time I walked through Sausalito, California I was floored. Some readers may know I lived aboard in Sausalito for seven years. The nautical heritage of San Francisco is significant, and is one of the huge draws for me to settle back down in the Bay Area. The America's Cup being hosted here in 2013 is just another feather in the cities seafaring cap.





The craziness of these sailing machine's is hard to grasp. Computer technology has pushed the sport into the stratosphere. I will be rooting hard for the American's and can't wait to observe the trials on the bay, the hoopla that the race will bring and of course the race itself will be great. Could be time to get a telephoto lens!





I hope to bring some personal reporting and photographs to the blog as the teams start to buy up pier space along the city waterfront. When things heat up, I'll be on scene. Could be time to join the CG Auxiliary and get more involved.

Blast From the Past

Jolly Harbor, Antigua 2008

Actually, not that much in the past. I just love the picture.

CC

Happy Winter Solstice!

Shelton Connecticut
Mission? Visiting family for Christmas


Today is December 21st, otherwise known as the first day of winter. It is also the time of year when you start seeing commercials for the Chia Pet. Cha cha cha cha CHIA! That aside, the winter solstice is the day when the earth tilts at 26 degrees 26 seconds reaching its maximum angle away from the sun. What this means for us in the states is the suns rays strike the earth at its sharpest angle, meaning the rays are spread out over a larger distance. This is why, generally speaking, our side of the planet doesn't heat up in the winter. Since we are a round blue ball, the poles always receive the suns rays at sharper angles all year round, and thus doesn't heat up much. Under the same rule, the equator pretty much receives blunt  angles of sunlight all year round resulting in year round balmy temperatures. All of this is represented in the graphic below.

As I reported earlier, I'm going to start adding a "Blast From the Past" picture at the end of my blog posts for the foreseeable future. Since arriving on the east coast, I've accessed all my old pictures I've accrued over the years. It is funny, and quite logical, that the older one gets the more history is produced. I wonder what the human desire to leave a legacy is all about. Any psychologists out there what to chime in and tell us what is up with that?

Blast From the Past

USCGC Polar Sea in the southern ocean 1989

I took this picture when Polar Sea was on its way to Antarctica. The seas south of New Zealand and Australia were always huge. I shot this as all three of us were in utter shock that the ocean was coming aboard. All three of us almost went overboard. We surely would have perished. Surprisingly my little Vivitar camera was not damaged, other than a small dent. Dan Boller on the right didn't even know the wave was a comin! 

Capt Chris

Christian Allaire Is on the Road

Shelton Connecticut
At my Sisters

I rolled out of San Francisco this past Tuesday for a smooth month on the east coast. I'm be visiting family and friends during the period. I've used my sisters house for a storage facility for as long as I can remember. Living aboard a boat creates issues with space obviously. Over the years I've accumulated stuff I just don't want to part with.

As I mentioned in my December 10th post, I've always loved taking pictures. I built up quite a library of old school photo albums from days past. I'm now taking digital pictures of all my pictures and archiving them in the cloud and on Facebook, as well as on my MacBook for further back-up. It's been great fun to skulk through the past. Kind of gives you a check on how life has gone thus far.

I created the below slideshow in Apple's iPhoto 11. It really is a test run to see how it turns out. If I like it, I will make some more shows chronicling some other events in my life. How you enjoy!

Capt Chris

Grenada to St Thomas Across the Caribbean Sea Compilation

On a Mooring Honey Moon Bay, Water Island, St Thomas USVI

I am having great fun putting together these video's and learning about editing. Hope you enjoy. I have some footage of just prior to me leaving Grenada and some other stuff, but mostly sailing Christa north.



Capt Chris

PS: I've been also busy with my Canon G11. Please surf on over and check my pictures out in My Photo Album

Monday Night Movie Night on the Beach

On a Mooring Honey Moon Beach, Water Island, St Thomas USVI

Water Island is a special place. It sits off of the main island and has no stores and is only assessable by ferry. Most of the residence of the island either have retired to the islands or maintain a winter palace here. It is very organized, with a tight community of which they (the residence) embrace the boaters. One of the best things to experience is movie night. People come from near and far; an islander has a roach coach type of scenario and shows up with viddles and beverages. The kids are all kinds of amped up and it is a really fantastic time. Right as the sun is setting the fellow who runs the movie projector puts on some type of documentary, always followed by Cartoons and then then the feature film. The setting could not be better. I attended last nights festivities and forgot how enjoyable it is.

Onward. I put together a slideshow and loaded it into Youtube. Much of the quality was lost and I'm a bit disappointed. Thought it would be in HD, but not sure what the deal is. Still learning about all the technology. But I decided to post it to blog even though it's less than stellar.



Capt Chris

A Short Video Shot While Underway

On a Mooring Honey Moon Bay, USVI

I put this little doo dad together. I will be working on a longer clip that encompasses more material from my recent sail. Hopefully that Video won't take to long to edit.  Video shot using the Flip HD camera. Enjoy!



Capt Chris

Florida and Beyond

Summerfield Florida
7 days until Grenada

I had another successful, if not uneventful 21 hour train ride from New York's Penn Station to Deland Florida. My Dad was awaiting for further transport to Summerfield where my parents live.

I'm really excited about heading back to Christa. Awaiting me in Florida was some boat parts. As I had mentioned in my Hurricane Cradle Video I've developed some concerns about Christa's chainplates. I believe the existing chainplates may be the originals from 1975. I called Bud Taplin, the Westsail guru at Worldcruising Yachts to discuss the situation. Before I left Grenada, I polished the old suckers and checked with a magnifying glass to detect hairline cracks. I didn't see cracks, but one plate has rust on stainless steel near one of the lowest holes on the forward shroud side. Bud did indicate it is likely nothing to get to uptight about, as there are four bolts holding each chainplate to the hull. The rust that is dripping down the hull is not abnormal and derives from the bolts holding the chainplate on, and not a an indicator of the health of the actual chainplate. However it is highly recommended to change them out as they are of an unknown age.

With that knowledge I forked over the boat dollars and had six brand new shiny chainplates fabricated and shipped out to my folks house. Pictured below is the starboard side plate that connects the upper shroud. Now my program will be another accessment of the existing chainplates once I return and if I feel comfortable I will wait to replace the old with the new when I return back to Florida. Replacement of the chainplates is a fairly decent sized undertaking that I don't want to do in Grenada if I can help it. This is simply one of the many risk assessment calls sailors have to make all the time. Check out the new shiny part below and notice the jealous gecko looking on.

I am also excited to report that I spoke with the boat yard at Grenada Marine and have a scheduled launch date of November 2nd. This gives me just shy of a week to prep Christa before she is waterborne. I had the hull acid washed, compounded and then waxed. The acid wash is supposed to really strip the hull, including the lack luster painted on "Christa" and "San Francisco." I have high hopes that Christa's original shine will be shone again. So with that, I purchased new stickers for the hull pictured below. Check it out!

So, I have a fair amount of work ahead of me upon return to Christa. First of which, I can see myself returning late at night, foraging around the yard looking for a ladder to climb aboard and then getting some electricity up and running. Day two.....well I don't know. More later!

Capt Chris

PS: Don't forget to subscribe to my RSS Feed. Google Reader is my preferred reader.

A Keynote Presentation/A Story

On Assignment in Williamstown Ma

I've been utilizing my time boning up on my technical skills in preparation for entering school in a year. So in that vain, I put together this presentation. Enjoy!

Capt Chris

The Southern Edge

Anchored St Davids Harbor
Southern Coast of Grenada
12.01.00N 061 40.05W




I arrived on Tuesday June 16th after a short, but painful motor sail from St Georges harbor. This is as far south as I intend to go. Christa will be hauled out on the 29th and set ashore, in a hurricane cradle. What is a hurricane cradle vis-a-vis a regular cradle? I'll provide a picture once Christa is in the cradle and let the pic tell the story. But in normal fashion, and I guess it is par, that my last seven miles were straight into the teeth of the trades. You may recall when I sailed from Carriacou I tried mightily to sail down the eastern shore of Grenada to prevent the aforementioned seven mile beat to windward. But I failed and ended up in St. Georges Lagoon, which in hindsight turned out to be for the best, even though I had the recent tough sail. St Davids really is deep in a valley far from the conveniences of the main town of St Georges. I'd go nuts spending a month or more in St Davids.


Above is a picture of Christa's current spot on the planet, taken from atop an abutment at a small resort called the Bel Air Plantation that overlooks the harbor. The anchorage is open to the south and when the wind swings around to the southeast, as it does frequently this time of year, the boat starts to roll. But, thus far it hasn't be out of hand. I will spend the next couple of weeks getting Christa ready for long term storage. Some of the items to attend to are, change the main engine oil, strip the sails, strip and wash canvas, winterize the Honda 2000, same for the outboard, strip as much rigging as possible. Generally get the boat hurricane ready, just in case. I'll also try and pre-stage some things to make life easier when I return.


So what do I do all day? I know many wonder and it can some times be a tough question to answer. As some many know I plan on using the the GI Bill to complete college. I've been shocked at the amount of effort and planning such a transition entails. But that is what I have been doing. Submitting applications, working on personal statements, crunching dollars, checking time lines, thinking about the downside and generally doing some soul searching. Since I plan on using the new Post 9/11 GI Bill, just being rolled out, it has taken many Skype calls and research to digest what is happening. I even did an interview with the LA Times regarding California and how the new bill and California school systems are not meshing well. It can be very confusing and critical for me to understand the bill before I make any big moves, such as sailing back to Florida and trucking Christa to California, only to find the GI Bill will not cover the tuition. Wouldn't want that kind of Wuups. But I should know what I'm doing by September. So that's it for now from Grenada.


Capt Chris


PS: Don't forget that you can double click on the image to expand out. Also have a gander at my Picasso Photo Album and Youtube videos

Christa's New Anchorage/Sandpiper Departure

Sandpiper and Christa made a short move early this morning. If you click on the Goggle Earth image it will expand and then you can see the new anchoring spot. We are in the inner harbor of the Rodney Bay complex.

Sandpiper and I are heading to breakfast the last time for who now's how long?

More late

Capt Chris

The Way I Manage Information

S/V Christa
Anchored Rodney Bay
St Lucia Island
Caribbean Sea
14’05.1N/60'57.6W

You can see a graphic of my worklist that I saved as a JPEG for this blog entry. Ever since the early 90’s, when the Coast Guard (thank you Capt Mohn) sent me to Franklin Quest’s (now Franklin Covey) Time Management seminar I have loved to compile and manangae lists. Right up until the day I retired I used my Franklin Covey Day Planner with great success. In fact I still have most of the years saved in paper format that is an archive of what I was doing when over a good number of years.

I now have a hybrid system to keep me on task with all the goals and jobs, parts lists and expectations I have set out for myself. All now are in the electronic format as the paper Day Planner of the old school just does not work on a boat. That is okay because the information revolution has given me plenty of tools to work with.

This organization of information in my opinion is important to the cruising sailor. Managing a boat that is on the move or getting ready to go on the move has a ton of stuff to organize, each is important in its own right.

Just as an example of a small thing that needs yearly attention is the CG Documentation for Christa. Why my former employer wants to renew the doc every year is beyond me, but that is another issue. I know 45 days prior to expiration the CG sends out a renewal notice. How do I remember? That’s right, I dash it down in a list, but wait. I also have an electronic calendar that sends me an email to remind me. So I make a note to email the mail forwarding service to see if it has been received. Okay they have it and ask where to send it? Well now that is a hell of a question. Better get that on a list, consult the calendar and check weather to determine where I may be? Antigua? Does Jolly Harbor have FedEx? Can I stomach the $45 shipping charge to get my documentation? Guess I better because if I don’t get it, the documentation expires holding me up at Customs or causing an international incident at the next port with my expired registration and a vigorous round of ink stamping. What a hassle, but one that is made easier by being proactive. I can think of 100 things I need to be more proactive on, but one of them is not getting things on my worklists. Getting them checked off the list is much more time consuming. In fact here is a shocker. I’ve had on my worklist to mount my oars for the dingy for well over a year. That is right, I have been motoring around in the dingy with no oars for a long long time! What happens if the engine quiets you might say? Good question, ask Janina she’ll tell you first hand. No matter though, it’s on the list. But today I can proudly say with Tom Larson’s assistance 4 holes were drilled in 15 minutes, job complete and task swept away with one keystroke.

And here is my point. Just about everything I jot down on a list eventually gets done. I still have the “Goal Planning Sheet” from 1995 that says “Retire, go sailing.” Done. Maybe I should make a new one with the heading “Get a Job.” Sometimes I’ll assign myself the task of reading the worklist, that way I know right off the bat I can strike something from the list. I’m jazzed straight away.

The graphic is my MindMap. The software I use is free from Freemind. This is what I use to manage all the things I have going on in terms of worklists. I first learned about mindmapping while reading a book by Michael Gelb chronicling the genius of Leonardo da Vinci. Now Leo was a pioneer in the use of mindmaps but certainly not the first. The concept of the mindmap has to do with how the brain processes information. A mindmap looks similar to a brain cell with the root and dendrites branching out in different directions. The knoggin simply will be move efficient when looking at a mindmap as it processes the connection between between seemingly disconnected items.

I use mindmaps for anything that requires advance planning which for me is just about everything. That's how I roll.


Capt Chris

New Video

S/V Christa
S/V Sandpiper 50ft off my bow
Anchored Pigeon Island, Rodney Bay
St Lucia Island
Caribbean Sea
14’05.1N/60'57.6W

Sailing South/iMovie compilation from Christian Allaire on Vimeo.

St Lucia

S/V Christa
Anchored Rodney Bay
St Lucia Island
Caribbean Sea
14’05.1N/60'57.6W

Ahoy! I set sail Saturday morning from Dominica after waving goodbye to SV Buxom who set sail for St John. The weather was beautiful and calm. I was able to sail most of the way out of the large bay that makes up Prince Rupert but then got caught in the wind shadow of the large island. I fired the “iron genny” for a couple of hours before I picked up some wind. The wind was slightly south of east that put us on a close reach. The wind direction stayed south of east for the remainder of the 105 mile trip.

After clearing the south coast of Dominica the boat was jamming along between 5 and 6 knots. The current flows strongly between these islands, as trades drive the wind and seas and then is compressed resulting in a westerly set. So I had to sail harder on the wind to try and counter the set. I had dashed behind Martinique by night fall and the wind eased but did not die. So for the 30 mile length of Martinique I had to work the boat to keep us moving. For some reason I was very tired even though I had slept well the night before. So after clearing the south coast of Martinique I was once again in the open sea, I reduced sail to slow down so I could get some sleep. Usually I do just fine staying awake for 24 hours, but not this time. So with the boat speed at 2.5 to 3 knots I was able to sleep off and on for about 4 hours. With a start I awoke with, confused for a moment but then I felt a bit rested. I cracked on more sail and pointed for Rodney Bay.

I arrived around 9am and spent a good while meandering around the bay and then headed into the lagoon looking for Team Sandpiper and a mooring. Thwarted on both counts I headed back out into the Rodney Bay. I had a tough time getting the anchor in and never did get it to bight. The bay is very deep in some spots and then shallows up. The bottom is a sporatic composition of sand, rock and busted up dead coral. It took me several tries to get the boat anchor which is the last thing a sailor wants at the end of a long passage. Right now the anchor sits on its side on top of broken coral on a 10 to 1 scope. So basically the weight of the chain keeps us in position. But should the anchor drag, the hook will drag for ten feet and then hit a lovely sandy spot where it will dig in.

After this exercise I was very tired and passed out for 3 hours. I awoke in the late afternoon and started to secure the boat properly and that is when I heard on CH 16, “SV Christa SV Sandpiper over” and next thing you know I was talking on the radio with Tom. Amazing! They are in a bay just south of Rodney Bay and they will be here tomorrow afternoon. The last time I saw Tom and Amy was in Puerta Vallarta in 2005 where I flew down for a visit while I was still on active duty.

So very excited!

Capt Chris

The Boiling Lake Hike in Dominica

The hike is not for the unfit. Sources say the hike is from 9 to 12 miles total which is not out of hand. What is difficult is the terrain. It would be considered the black diamond of hiking. Up one side of a muddy mountain and down the other, slinging mud, roots and hazards abound. Team Prudence described the hike as "the death march."



But here is the thing and this is a truism not just exclusive to the boiling lake hike. Most places that shock the soul with beauty are not easy to get to and pretty much is unreachable to most of the worlds population. The summit of Everest is just out of reach for me but I have experienced the ocean alone, not an easy thing to accomplish but that is what makes the experience and the memory so juicy. Dominica has been like that, very juicy.

Anyway, I left with Colin and Lindsey from SV Buxom and was picked up by "Dr. Love" who is the "Rasta Mon" coach driver and we raced at a significant clip, reggae blasting (a little early in opinion) toward the southern end of the island. We picked up two more folks, Laurel from the UK, but is Dominican and then a Dominican girl named Aunucia. The thing about cruising throughtout the islands is that things are really never clear. So for Americans used to itineraries and clarity, these types of days can be rattling. I am one that likes a plan, but am getting better with the ambiguity that ensues. It tooks us about two hours to arrive at the trail head. The ride in and of itself is full of adventure as you travel through the rural sections of the island and the Capital of Roseau. Dominica is a very poor country and the housing is shocking. I will pretty much let the pictures tell the story. You can click here to go directly to My Google Album and the Dominican photo folder. The hike was really intense. In the Desolation Valley, which is the inside of an ancient volcano, the earth has opened up with bubbling and boiling water. The smell of sulfer permeates everything. As the Rain falls in the mountains the water flows downward and becomes superheated and flows to the boiling lake which is fresh water being heated by fissures in the earths crust. Multiple streams flow and because of the sulpher the water turns an aqua blue. It almost looks fake. We bathed in hotsprings with water around 90 degrees. It was awesome and really awesome day.

Two of the girls really struggled to make it back from the boiling lake. Shaky legs and aching legs. I finally made it back to Christa well after dark and sleeped like a rock.

I'm still on for a move south to St Lucia. I'll leave early tomorrow and should have a wonderful broad reach. Rodney Bay sits on the NW tip of the island and is about 90 miles from my current location. I may do it in one shot or I may anchor for a night in Martinique. So that wraps things up here in Dominica.

Capt Chris

PS: You can check my position and track history by clicking "My Position in Google Maps" located under my Photo's, Video's and links on the right hand side. Expand the map out and you can see the amount of real estate I have covered.

Having a Blast in Dominica

I've been busy with touring around and meeting some good folks and even running into some of the old crowd from last year. Tomorrow i'm off bright and early for an all day guided hike to the boiling lake. I'll have a full report of course.

Looking ahead, I have a tenative plan to depart this coming weekend for a 24 hour sail to St Lucia to meet up with Team Sandpiper. Wahoo!

Capt Chris

I'm Fundamentally A Homebody

Sounds very strange given the fact that I'm moving amongst the Caribbean islands. But given that home is where the boat is, the status of homebody is easily obtained. I know I know, all these wonderful islands and cultures to investigate and draw a more rounded view of the world from. But what can I say, I love puttering about Christa for days on end with only a small itch to get ashore. Habits are so easily formed and I suppose I don't have significant needs, but the needs I do have are pretty strong.

Take my nearly two weeks in St Maarten. I didn't budge outside of the area known as Simpson Bay. When I first arrived I had every intention of doing some exploring. But on the first night sitting in the cockpit I was watching an incredible stretch of car lights that snaked through the hills towards Phillipsburg. I thought back to the bus service on St John USVI and begun to worry that I could be stuck for a substantial amount of time on my way to.....well I don't know where. Part of the cruising experience? You Bet. But by then I had my aforementioned strong needs readily taken care of right in Simpson Bay. So I fell right inline with my well worn habits of a great breakfast joint, wifi, bookstore and of course the infamous beaches. So really my exploring as of late has been linked to my running regime. These sojorns normally lead to some type of adventure.

I ended up generally doing the same in Antigua. I didn't budge outside of Jolly Harbor. I hide behind the fact I was only their for 4 or 5 days. So now that I am in Dominica I'm now on day 3 and have been off the boat only twice, once to visit Customs and once to stretch my legs down the main drag. So I'm now self consious of this and am going to make more effort to interact and get out and about. What can I say. It is not like I'm sitting in a room watching TV. The anchorage and the surrounding beauty is like Reality TV. So much going on and so much to soak up. I'm now saturated and plan on getting some serious hiking in this week. More Later.


Capt Chris

PS: Please check out My Photo Album and Youtube Videos

Outboard Woes

Capt Chris, 80's, winds East 15 to 20 knots
01/10/2009, Coral Bay St John

Pictured is my new Yamaha 4 horse four stroke outboard purchased today in St Thomas. The passed 3 days have swirled around outboard troubles. I've been trying to shake off the troubles with the Honda 2 horse which was less than five years old. I had a fuel leak deriving from a rusted carb bowl which was masking the fact that I had an oil leak as well. So after spending nearly 100 boat dollars to have the carb fixed, the very next day much larger problems developed. Oil was leaking into the exhaust somewhere which killed it. It likely can be fixed but at great expense. I just bought a new engine. I had been thinking about upgrading anyway as the two horse was not cutting it.

For the folks back home having an outboard go out is tantamount to having car trouble but worse. You see, if your car breaks well you just drift on over to the side of the road. If the outboard craps out your really in a bind. Most dinks are terrrible for rowing and your generally left adrift which is just what happened to Janina and I. I had to swim a very long way back to Christa while Janina nursed her fresh bee sting. Why a bee is out on the ocean still is a mystery. But I got back to Christa and got her fired up and slipped the mooring to go rescue Janina in the dink. Since we now had no way ashore I decided to anchor down in Coral Bay which is less isolated than Johnsons Bay.

So with this trauma I flew into action and made my way to St Thomas and Offshore Marine. I am so thankful for Wandering Dolphin as they were their to help me with the whole thing. I picked up the new motor and spent the night aboard Wandering Dolphin after they bought me a big juicy steak at a nice hotel overlooking the harbor. Next day we shared a breakfast and Christopher dropped me and the new motor at the ferry dock. All in all the mission was complete in less than 24 hours which is amazing to me. But I am now shy $1380 dollars.

So I spent sometime breaking new motor in today. Ran like a champ. So tomorrow, weather pending Janina and I are going to make the sail over to the north shore and grab a mooring at Maho Bay.

More later

Capt Chris

Movie Night Set Up!

Capt Chris
01/03/2009, Coral Bay ST John

Here is a picture of the movie night set up on Water Island. Enjoy!

Capt Chris