Audentes

During the past few weeks, it has become obvious why most people who hold office jobs do not maintain journals: put simply, life in the nine-to-five world is just not that interesting. Even if my limited free time were spent jousting with the forces of evil, writing the great American novel, and delving into the […]

After three weeks working to develop a strategic plan for Arch Chemicals, I am slowly gaining an understanding of the biocides industry. Although it would have helped if I had paid attention to my chemistry class in college, I have at least learned that the suffix –cide is used to describe a product that kills […]

It is a curious feeling to return to the U.S. after an extended period abroad. I clearly remember coming back to the States after spending six months working in Tokyo and experiencing culture shock for one of the few times in my life. Richard Burton said that his home country was “the only country where […]

The passage south to Trinidad was fairly uneventful. After an excellent last meal in St. Martin on Saturday, we set out early on Sunday morning. Although we were able to beat into moderate winds on Sunday and Wednesday, light winds forced us to motorsail on Monday and Tuesday. There were several notable events during the […]

On Saturday, I finally identified and corrected the cause of the engine overheating. Or, to be more accurate, it took me so long to identify the cause that the problem eventually made itself obvious to me. While running the engine to cool the refrigerator, the cover on the heat exchanger came flying off and seawater […]

On Sunday, I decided to move the boat over to Baie Orientale. This new location would position the boat a short dinghy ride from Baie De l’Embouchure, which I am told is an excellent place to learn how to surf. I envisioned myself spending the days experiencing the exhilaration of riding waves, returning to the […]

My first full week on St. Martin was one of relaxation. The easygoing routine that I settled into was less the result of a need for rest than an attempt to slow my rate of spending. The weak dollar makes high living difficult on an island where everything is priced in Euro’s. On Tuesday, Zach […]

The passage from Virgin Gorda to St. Martin was difficult. Although we only had to cover 72 miles, it took us 32 hours of beating into wind, waves, and current before we finally reached our destination. For those readers who are not familiar with the concept of speed, 2.25 knots per hour (2.6 mph) is […]

My final week in St. Thomas was spent preparing the boat for the trip to St. Martin and spending time with the friends that I was fortunate enough to meet in Red Hook during that past two months. One addition to the boat that I acquired this week is a 15-foot two-person kayak. On Wednesday, […]