Morning coffee...

In case you are wondering, this is the view you get with your morning coffee living in St. Thomas as a watchmaker. Just another piece of inspiration for me because the Lesser Antilles are the the final destination.

To develop the story...

One night before falling asleep, I was reading Sailing Magazine at the Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex near Allenwood, PA (pause for effect). Just to be clear, I was not incarcerated there nor have I ever been accused or convicted of a crime, but a friend of mine's father is the Warden and I was spending Christmas with him, his wife and their family. Yes, I spent Christmas at a federal penitentiary. This gives you an idea of how unconventional I can be, which may prove to be an asset on this adventure. Anyway, I read an article about two high school friends that bought a sailboat after graduation and sailed down through the U.S. Virgin Islands. What a great adventure I thought, and realized this was just another sign that I should make my idea come to fruition.

How it all got started.

When I had a spontaneous whirlwind weekend that included a 20th high school reunion, a wakeboarding trip on Biscayne Bay, visiting old friends in Delray Beach, FL, and dinner at Calamari in Coconut Grove, FL with a childhood friend and his family, I really should not have been surprised to sit down with a watchmaker from St. Thomas and a chocolatier from Naples, FL... but I was. Granted, dinner with this family has never been boring and I have a lot to thank them for over my lifetime, but that is another story entirely. "So what are you in Miami for?" I ask my new acquaintance. "Oh, I'm here for a little vacation and I'm bench testing a new employee for Breitling." Of course you are. I hear that all the time at parties. Ok, not really, but fascinating nonetheless. She asks me what is going on in my life and I tell her I am a month from finishing my masters degree in architecture at Virginia Tech and I'm planning a sailing trip from Maine to Key West. I want to write a book on the "true" stories behind yacht names and why people escaped their normal everyday lives to go live on a boat and subscribe to the mariner's lifestyle. Of course you are. I hear that all the time at parties. Again, not really, and so the story begins.