How a dream and some sketches turned into a Voyage of Exploration
In 1993 I started my company, Discoverer Scientific Charters, LLC. Headquartered in the bell tower of the old church we bought in Key West, Florida. The goal was To Provide Personnel, Logistical, and Vessel Support to Scientific Expeditions World Wide.
For quite a few years the "Vessel Support" meant other peoples boats. But a persistent vision continually invaded my head and worked its way into my notes scribbles, and plans.
But all this time I had a vision stuck in my head that I couldn't shake loose. My own small research vessel, with an international crew of young adventurers, sailing from one fascinating scientific research project to the next, and sharing the excitement of exploration on the sea. She would be the flagship of Discoverer Scientific Charters.
Here is a little back-story on how this dream became a reality:
For quite a few years the "Vessel Support" meant other peoples boats. But a persistent vision continually invaded my head and worked its way into my notes scribbles, and plans.
But all this time I had a vision stuck in my head that I couldn't shake loose. My own small research vessel, with an international crew of young adventurers, sailing from one fascinating scientific research project to the next, and sharing the excitement of exploration on the sea. She would be the flagship of Discoverer Scientific Charters.
Here is a little back-story on how this dream became a reality:
In My Heart I am a Sailor
In my heart I think I have always been a sailor. As a kid I read books by the great sailors like Bernard Moitessier, Henri de MonFred, and Tristan Jones. I dreamed of one day taking my own boat on sailing adventures, and got my first
exploration vessel when I was 13. It was a canoe.
I went to sea at 17 as part of the Alaskan Fishing Fleet.
exploration vessel when I was 13. It was a canoe.
I went to sea at 17 as part of the Alaskan Fishing Fleet.
Fun
Andrea Bosshardt took this picture off Boca Grande.
Probably the most fun I ever had on a boat was with my Junk Rigged St Pierre Dory, Undina.
I single-handed around the 10,000 islands and the Florida Keys for years with her. Thats how I came to call Key West my home port.
Key West
My own personal mermaid
Key West is a great sailing town, covering a tiny island in the middle of the sea.
I met Teresa there (she was sailing too), and continued to voyage whenever I could.
Along with other jobs, I went to sea as often on other people's boats, sailing to the Caribbean, Galapagos, South Pacific, and the Mediterranean.
I met Teresa there (she was sailing too), and continued to voyage whenever I could.
Along with other jobs, I went to sea as often on other people's boats, sailing to the Caribbean, Galapagos, South Pacific, and the Mediterranean.
Professional Mariner
"Tug Jim, Push Full on Port Quarter!"
During this time I worked my way up as a professional mariner, "Crawled up through the Hawse Pipe" is how they call it, attending the Maritime Academy for upgrades and working as a licensed mate and then eventually Captain on many odd vessel types around the Port and offshore, including Salvage Boats and Tugboats.
Shipwreck Salvage is a great way to learn What-Not-To-Do on boats. And to take the helm of an old tugboat is every Mariners dream.
Here's a story I wrote about working my way up from Deck hand To Captain of Tugboats.
Shipwreck Salvage is a great way to learn What-Not-To-Do on boats. And to take the helm of an old tugboat is every Mariners dream.
Here's a story I wrote about working my way up from Deck hand To Captain of Tugboats.
My own research vessel
painting by Sally Binard
But all this time I had a vision stuck in my head that I couldn't shake loose. My own small research vessel, with an international crew of young adventurers, sailing from one fascinating scientific research project to the next, and sharing the excitement of exploration on the sea. She would be the flagship of Discoverer Scientific Charters.
I filled countless notebooks with plans, sketches, schematics, and letters, and spent restless nights with wild visions of the possibilities in my head.
I filled countless notebooks with plans, sketches, schematics, and letters, and spent restless nights with wild visions of the possibilities in my head.
My crew
I showed my plan to friends, and started to assemble my crew for the future adventure. They would need to love the sea, and have a capability to share that love in some way. An artist, photographer, and film maker were as important as sailors and chefs. As a Scientific Advisor, Marine Biologist Ken Hayes was especially influential. His encouragement was tied to a love of exploration and discovery, as well as telling a good story about it.
Nova Scotia
And then one day, while leafing through "Boats and Harbors" I saw her, the same ship I was planning in my head and in my sketches.
4 months later Captain Hamilton Carter and I held a change of command ceremony at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and her helm was mine.
4 months later Captain Hamilton Carter and I held a change of command ceremony at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and her helm was mine.
We had a blast!
So we gathered the crew and contacted the scientist and went to work. We visited ports from Halifax to Havana, helped tag sharks and study coral, count fish and find shipwrecks. We were on a couple of tv shows, and were having a blast.
After 8 years
After 8 years of voyaging, this portion of the adventure had to come to an end. The economy tanked, research voyage jobs became scarce, and maintenance bills loomed large. I had to put her up for sale, and hope that the new owners would continue to treat her well. In January of 2009 she was no longer mine.
But plenty of opportunity for adventure existed, and soon I found myself Captain of the the research vessel that found Cleopatras Palace, the Motor Ship Princess Duda of legendary Underwater Archaeologist Franck Goddio. But that's another story to write...
But plenty of opportunity for adventure existed, and soon I found myself Captain of the the research vessel that found Cleopatras Palace, the Motor Ship Princess Duda of legendary Underwater Archaeologist Franck Goddio. But that's another story to write...
