British Virgin Islands, January '99 - We and a courageous crew started the sailing season early by chartering "Daybreak", a Moorings 405 from Footloose.
Our first stop was Norman I. with its caves.
Following that, we dove on the wreck of the RMS Rhone.

Always an obligate stop in the area is the Baths with its beautiful tropical beaches and huge boulders scattered about.
Of course, we also did our usual share of SCUBA diving.

Boston, July 4th, 1999 - In spite of our impending wedding, we did the 4th of July aboard "Here's Howe" again. We planned to spend the next day in the cool of the Boston Harbor Islands, but there were still lots of wedding plans to be made, and we rushed home early into the brutal 100+ degree temperatures. There, all she did for the rest of the day was water her flowers. I knew it was going to be a rough week, (and it was)! I just didn't expect to get abused like that. Anyway, we got hitched in a beautiful ceremony on the beach. Then forget all the time and effort maintaining two boats, forget those wonderful extra-long sailing days in the New England summer, we're off on a honeymoon to someplace where it's winter!
Aug. 7 was the second anual snorkel trip with a good time had by all.

Labor Day weekend the courageous crew was back together again, this time aboard "Ichiban" . We'd intended to sail through Wood's Hole, but instead decided to catch a late current in the Cape Cod Canal to meet a friend's boat out of Scituate. They'd intended to head to Wellfleet, but it was too far, and we all settled in Barnstable just at dark. The next day we sailed to Scituate; on the way getting a good look at an ocean-going Sunfish and a few Finback whales.

September 25 Dawn and I took a long week-end and motored from Scituate to Provincetown, spent two days, and then sailed back to "Ichiban"s Mooring in Buzzards Bay (11 hours that day).


October 5 Spencer left aboard "Conquest" for an open water sail from Newport to Atlantic City. We were delayed a day by boat work, and finally departed at 8:00 PM with silicone sealant still wet. The winds were gentle enough, and we motored 6 hours to Block Island. Once we turned the corner onto our final course, we let out the foresail (only) and sailed good time directly on course through the night. At sunrise the next day, under a smiling cresent moon, the winds dropped a bit. In anticipation of the predicted winds, we raised the mainsail "reefed" to less than its full size. Then as predicted, the winds turned from the West, and kept building quite in excess of the predicted 30 kts. Eventually, we had to pull in the foresail, and continue only on the reefed mainsail. This configuration doesn't lift into the wind, and we were now 30 degrees off course. By sunset, we were rolling around in 9 foot seas, still in very high winds, 95 nautical miles offshore. None of the crew felt very well, but the only prospect seemed for these miserable conditions to continue into darkness. That they did, but even with her helmsman unable to anticipate the oncoming waves, "Conquest" performed well. Early in the night, the wind shifted to Northwest and built even higher. Though still miserable, we were at least able to make a course towards our destination. The worst conditions occured in darkness. The concerned captain estimated that some wind gusts were to 60 kts, and the seas must have topped 10 feet though we couldn't see them. By sunrise, things were slightly better, but still just as miserable as the sunset before. At least we were on course. Conditions continued to improve very slowly, and at 1 PM on October 7 we motored into Atlantic City with winds and seas calm.