Hi there, They say that the happiest days for a boat-owner are when he gets his new one and when he sells his old one. I guess I'm the exception. I have two, and I love 'em both! I'm a Merchant Marine engineer, and a former member of SNAME. In the 60s I worked for awhile for Getty on a coastwise tanker out of Delaware City and later became port-engineer for the ferry company on Lake Champlain. I've also run a 1000 ton railway dry-dock and a marine construction operation. We did all our own ship repair and refit, as well as having to deal with USCG inspections. In the 70s, I oversaw the construction of several new CG-inspected passenger/car ferries at Gulf and East coast yards, as well as instituting a temporary vehicle/passenger ferry service between Bayou LeBatre and Dauphin Island (Alabama) following Hurricane Frederick in '79. In 1976, I was involved in the salvage and repair of a stranded and heavily damaged 700-ton ferryboat. Growing up on the water, I sailed all kinds of craft, including iceboats. I started sailing Sunfish and sail canoes in the 50s and later club-raced and cruised an O'Day 28. I like robust boats, and so I bought a Westsail 43 in '97. I took a year to refit her for a circumnavigation which didn't happen. Sailed out of Norfolk in '98 and got as far as Trinidad. Since then, I've kept her there on the hard except when I sail her in the Windwards each winter. I'll go again January 3 and return to the States in April. Bought my Skookum 53 troller in August of this year from a fellow who had her for 10 years. He took her around the Horn (W-E) a year ago following a refit at Townsend Bay Marine in the PNW. Met him in Trinidad last May on his way back to the East coast and had to have the boat. "Seahorse" (formerly "10 & 2") has exactly the same Awlgrip colors as my Westsail 43 and he is from my home town! So, I figured it was "meant to be." Gave up the land entirely and moved aboard last October. Reading Beebe's book, I was pleased to find that she is strikingly similar to Passagemaker in many respects. This is the last week of work for my girlfriend, Penny. She's a graphic artist and she moved aboard Seahorse six weeks ago. We'll go to Trinidad Jan. 3 and sail the sailboat until April. She is an avid sailor, and whereas we don't plan on a circumnav, we do want to do some summer cruising in Maine and the Canadian Maritimes, Labrador and Greenland, where "Seahorse" already knows her way around, having learned those waters under her PO from '94 to '01. This is planned for summer 2006, for 2005, we'll summer on Lake Champlain, where my family is. We have also talked about another trip to the PNW, as I have always wanted to "do" Alaska. Unlikely we'll attempt Cape Stiff the wrong way round, though; comfort has rapidly overtaken bragging rights in order of import, as I have just celebrated my 60th. Hawaii is looking pretty tempting enroute to Alaska, though. I look forward to exchanging knowledge and experiences with other listees; I'm especially interested in learning about flopper-stopper installations. I really need to change the way mine are rigged, and I'm not a believer in reinventing the wheel. Best regards, John Camm & Penny Ferry "Seahorse" lying Jacksonville, FL