The boat ...

As I have traveled round this sphere since November 28th, 2009, when I came aboard in Tortola and now find myself nearing Niue and Tonga on the far end of the Pacific, I find that I have been remiss in my duties as writer to properly introduce you to the lady we call home: "Brown-Eyed Girl". She's quite a lady, too, and like a lady if she's treated right she'll give you the world in the palm of her loving hands and if you don't, well, you'll find yourself high and dry or adrift on a sea of loneliness. One might object to the way I give life to an inanimate object. But she's not inanimate. She's very much a living, breathing entity and I am a better man for having made her friendship.

She's a 53' foot Amel ketch. Amel's are built in France and were designed by none other than the great French engineer, Henri Amel. She was born in 1992 in La Rochelle, France and is number 86 out of 490 plus or minus made. Yes, she's a beautiful French dame and one of a kind to us. Unlike the Skip and me, this lady has already been around the world under a previous owner, Bill Gilmore, who clearly understood how to treat her like a lady. We have always like dark-hulled boats, so very atypical of Amel's, she changed the white dress of her youth into a sleek hull of dark blue as she matured and it suits her well, even if it requires more upkeep with salt stains. I thinks she likes the pampering. She has smooth, fine lines and makes good speed when the winds are fair. Apparently, she loves to come in first in her class, as she rocketed us to a first-place finish on the first leg of the trip from St. Lucia to the San Blas, Islands. Her interior is adorned with teak floors and African mahogany wood, which always requires quite a bit of cleaning but lets her show her internal beauty. She has a bench freezer as well as an upright freezer and fridge, all powered by the generator and battery banks. Her holds are filled with bottled water, coke, and all the foods non-perishables we can store, should the refrigeration ever fail us again. She even has a television that helps make those long night-watches go by a little quicker when one doesn't feel like reading or gazing at the stars. How many more times, though, can I watch "The Patriot?" As she rocks in high-seas, she flexes and creaks, and reminds us that she has more miles under her belt than us and we had better remember it. She's a fighter, too. She's the luckiest boat in the fleet when it comes to fishing, but that's to be expected as she's been round these parts before and gently hints to us as to what lures to troll and when. Her legs are the Genny, Main, and Mizzen we fly when the winds are there and the Perkins diesel when we find ourselves in the horse latitudes and doldrums. The Perkins has more miles on it than we shall ever know as the first meter broke, but as long as it gets copious amounts of 40 weight and changes, she keeps on truckin' on. Like any lady, she has her quirks but her beauty, strength, and practicality far outweigh those.

She carries a lot of gear in all the right places. A lifeboat, cooler, emergency jump bag, scuba gear and compressor :), gaffs, extra lines, and other fishing gear adorn her aft deck and lockers. Her cockpit is warm and inviting and the Captain's chair gives you the feel of freedom and power as you allow her to guide you through one of the harshest environments man has ever taken to. Autopilot control, self-furling sail controls, and large chart-plotter offer the creature comforts of a sophisticated, modern lady. But these things add to the list of gear to be maintained and watched with an eagle eye. Jerry cans of extra diesel are found on starboard and port secured tightly to her stanchions. An inflatable dinghy is secured on the fore-deck and gives us the mobility we love in port. We lift her with line and winch and gingerly drop the dink in the water and mover her aft to lower the motor using a pulley. Brilliant set-up. Her VHF radios and Single-Side Band radio are our connection to the world and other boats in the fleet and we keep scheduled contact with our brethren to lend a hand if need be, or heaven forbid, receive help should it be beyond our ability to rectify.

She's a lady through and through and now you have made her acquaintance. Maybe, one day, if you haven't already you'll get to appreciate her up close. Words don't do her justice. As always, love and miss you all. Te amo, Merce.

"Brown-Eyed Girl" out...