I learned to sail by taking a USCG Auxiliary Sailing and Seamanship Course in 1979. I bought a 14’ Vanguard that year and sailed it on lakes in Kansas. In 1982 I bought a Venture 23’ and sailed on lakes in Kansas and Missouri. In 1985 I bought an O’Day 27 and sailed it on Lake Perry in Kansas. In 1987 I completed a Preparation for Handling A Cruising Auxiliary Course by the Annapolis Sailing School. In 1988 I passed a week long International School of Sailing’s Developing Coastal Bareboat Competence class in the BVI. I chartered a 37’ Beneteau with the Moorings in the BVI’s in 1988 In 1989 I bought a Moorings 432 in their charter fleet in the BVI’s and sailed about 200 days over the next eight years on it or similar boats in the BVI’s St. martin, St. Lucia, Grenada, Guadeloupe, and the Greek Islands. I also chartered and skippered Moorings 51’ monohulls three times in the Caribbean. I have chartered out of Chicago, St. Petersburg FL, Boston MA, and the USVI. In 1997 I sailed offshore across the Gulf of Mexicofrom Key West FL to Corpus Christi TX as a student on a Hinkley 49. In 1998 I sailed offshore from Bermuda to Norfolk, VA as a student on an Island Packet 40 with the Maryland School of Sailing. In 1999 to 2000 I lived aboard and Island Packet 45 for a year. We sailed from near Ft. Myers FL to Trinidad and Tobago and back to Maryland in the Chesapeake. Offshore passages included 10 days from Miami FL to Fajardo PR and 5 days from Miami FL to Norfolk VA. We cruised extensively in the Caribbean and the Bahamas anchoring most of the time. In 2001 I bought an Island Packet 37’ and sailed it from Bradenton FL to Key West, to Miami, to Ft. Lauderdale, to Palm Beach. I then sailed as far north as Cape Canaveral and returned to Bradenton via the Keys doing several ICW and near coastal cruises, some multiday and overnight. Next, I sailed to Panama City, FL where I cruised that area extensively. After that I sailed to Corpus Christi TX and eventually Port Aransas and Rockport. In 2007, I bought and Island Packet 45’ and sailed it from Rock Hall MD to Ft. Lauderdale via the ICW with a few offshore legs. In 2009 I bought an Island Packet 445 and cruised it extensively from Ft. Lauderdale to Brunswick GA and back numerous times. I also sailed it as far north as Wilmington NC, stopping at Savannah, Jacksonville, and several other ports. Many passages were overnight, near coastal, and ICW. I single handed the boat on some voyages. In 2013 I lived aboard for 5 months sailing from Bradenton FL to Key West to Ft. Lauderdale. Eventually I sailed back to Bradenton. In 2007 we chartered a 40’ catamaran in the BVI for a week In 2017 we chartered a 44’ catamaran out of Miami and cruised the upper Keys for a week. In 2017 I crewed for a friend on his 49’ Catamaran and sailed offshore from Brunswick GA to Norfolk VA and then up the bay to Annapolis Maryland.
