Dreams of a Sailor

The last message stated we were headed toward Conception Cay and then Rum Cay. Well, we missed them both. The wind was coming directly on our nose (of course) and was so strong we were only making about one knot. Download

We left Miller's cove, the south-west corner of Eleuthera Island, two days ago and did a one day motor/sail trip over to Little San Salvador. Download

Well, in our last installment we left Jeannie and Jim contemplating a raid on the local cruise line beach party. Download

Well, here we are sitting in a lovely cove on the Southwest corner of Eleuthera Island. We went exploring yesterday and found the most beautiful resort in the next cove over. We had sailed past it when we came in and it looked abandoned, yet all the lawn chairs were sitting out on the beach. We found that the resort has been built by the Bahaman government and rented out to different cruise lines... Download

Well, the last couple days have been amazing. We left West End, Grand Bahama Island heading for Hole in the Wall. It was very calm and we motored all the way arriving there the next morning. The bay was crystal clear and we had it entirely to ourselves, with the exception of an old tanker wreck. The next day the wind picked up so we decided to continue moving South. We had a great day sail going wing on wing most of the way. But as the evening arrived so did trouble. Download

I'm sick, you are sick. We are all sick if we are not doing exactly what we want to be doing. Yes, I know it's easy to say but sometimes we have to work to pay bills, to feed our kids, to help our aging relatives, to collect silly pieces of green paper. Why? Because we have been trained to be useful; to chase green paper because our beautiful, wonderful economy depends on people chasing green paper. Because we think that is life. Download

There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding a recent remark I made regarding eating your girlfriend. One reader writes: "I tried your suggestion but my girlfriend will not stay in the frying pan. I love my food fried. What should I do?" Another writes: "Do you prefer them baked or broiled?" Download

Do oysters work? As an acknowledged and self-proclaimed Casanova, and great lover, I am often asked: Do oysters work? Download

The sound came late at night. The boat swayed as it accepted a large weight on the port side. I was huddled near the radio trying to hear above the static, was there anyone else alive in this god-forsaken place ... Download

God, it was cold getting up this morning. The weather must be down around freezing. Took a while to get out from underneath the covers. A sheet, blanket, heavy comforter. Now I know what the cavemen must have felt like crawling out from underneath all the hides. The dock was so cold it had iced up, almost fell down going up the ramp... Download

This is the story of a dream come true. My dad was born on September, 1946 in Centerville, Iowa as the oldest of what would eventually be five siblings. After a difficult childhood bouncing between Iowa and Southern California he ran away from home the summer before his senior year. He would finish high school, and then spent four years in the Navy. Although he was in the Navy during the Vietnam War, he was stationed in the Atlantic and in his words the most action he saw during Vietnam was “throwing rocks at Cubans”. After his four-year tour, dad attended college and completed an undergraduate degree in Industrial Technology at California Polytechnic State University. He met and married his first wife, had what would be his only child, and went on to live his life. With a divorce, a second marriage, a second divorce, a graduate degree from the University of San Francisco, and a series of middle- and upper-management positions with various companies. Dad would eventually settle in San Diego, California, in 1997. He choose San Diego because he wanted to finally be able in indulge in what had been a life-long dream for him – sailing. After much preparation, he retired in 2000 at the age of 54 to start cruising. Although the start of his cruising life was a bit … rocky (see “Remembering Lazarus”) he left San Diego for Mexico and spent a year cruising in the Gulf of California. But his real target was the Caribbean. He had thought to sail down the coast and through the Panama Canal, but eventually decided to just put his boat – Vantage Point, a 38-foot Catalina – on a truck to Florida. And it was while staying in Florida, waiting for his then-current girl-friend to pack up and be ready to leave for the Caribbean with him, than he started writing. This is his story. In his words. Download