Margaritas in Mexico!
Operation Garbageman - Near LA
Jess and Rocket
Adam in Iraq - 2005
Jess in Iraq - 2004
If anything is going to happen , it’s going to happen out there.Truest quote ever Captain Ron

Adam

I sailed as a child… but not the kind you think of… I was the kid, trapped on a small sailboat, in a large lake with unpredictable mountain winds. I was the one who was told.. ”here, put this line around you… I’m going to haul you to the top of the mast to get that other line”
Should I worry about the wind and the lightening? “umm, nope, but you might want to hurry.”

Somewhere in my youth, I became a huge fan of aviation. Probably from hearing the Marine Corps Cobra Attack helicopters going wop, wop, wop over my head near Camp Pendleton.
I began flying when I was 18 and joined the Army at 20 to go to Warrant Officer Flight Training. Looking back… that was one of the best decisions of my life. 22 years old flying AH64 Apache Gunships…
My first call sign… Outcast 39.

I sailed Hobie Cats off and on over the years while in the Army, but I never even thought about owning a sailboat until I met a girl who lived on one.

Jess and I were lucky enough to be in the same Army National Guard Unit flying UH60 Blackhawks together and while it took me a few years to find her, the wait was definitely worth it. I’m a very lucky guy. Let me get this straight…. She’s beautiful, much smarter than I am, puts up with me..… and she wants to go cruising? I’m in!
Did I mention I’m a very lucky guy?

We’ve lived in boats, apartments, tents and Containerized Housing Units (CHU’s), but we always worked our way back to boats. Together, we sort of morphed our idea of living on a boat into one of living on a boat that isn’t tied to a dock. We’ve spent the last 8 or 9 years with the idea that we should take this show on the road and we’ve been steadily reading Volare for the trip since.

We usually make 2 or 3 long trips a year out to the Channel Islands. We’re longing for the day when we can give notice at our marina…. And stow the dock lines. As of right now… that date is October 2017.

Jessica

J essica grew up in the high valleys of Colorado. To call her town small would be an understatement. Her town had one stoplight but it had long ago stopped working. Good people though, in this part of the country.
To Jess’s credit… she’s unable to slack off. If she’s doing something… she’s doing it right and probably better than most.

She’ll just say that she’s good at school… but the reality is that she’s really good at a lot of things.

Aviation runs in her family and she has fond memories of flying with her dad in their PA 24-250 Piper Comanche. Maybe they got the bug from her grandmother. She taught weather classes to aviators during WWII,

After college, she moved out to California to pursue her career as a marine biologist… only no one was hiring. She eventually found her way into biotech. As she does, she decides that it might be an experience to fly helicopters so she joins the Army National Guard and goes to flight school. And of course… honor graduate.

On her own, she eventually decided to buy a boat to live on. Waterfront property in San Diego. Great choice!

As we got to know each other, sailing became a passion for both of us. Learning to sail and all the fun stuff that comes along with it like wonderful downwind sails and the real work, like mastering the art of anchoring.

Somewhere in there we started to form an idea that we should cruise. Where? How far? For how long? All great questions for dreamers.

Now, years later, with 2 years flying in Iraq behind us and a new boat with us, we find ourselves planning our global voyage… even if it just starts here!

Our third crew member is Rocket the Dog!
Rocket found us at the San Diego Humane Society right after we purchased and moved aboard our boat. Since 2007 Rocket has only known being a sailing, supping, swimming, live-aboard dog…. and he loves it!