Hi. My name is Dean. I have broken into sailing feet first. Let me explain. I have been a first mate on line boats pushing barges up and down the
Ohio,
Mississippi and Tennessee rivers and even have more then enough hours at the
wheel to be a
captain on a line boat if I like. (I do not choose to). I can fix about anything That breaks. I have worked on everything from buildings to space shuttles to battle ships for the
navy. I am no know it all because I am still
learning every day. I started looking into sailboats about 20 years ago. Last December I found a few dozen I like and could afford. In January I found one and went to buy it in Colonial Beach, VA. The woman gave it to me. Fantastic. This kid in
Long Island called and he was responding to my interest in his boat. I explained I had just got one. He came way down so we went on to
New York where I have my second sailboat. Several days on board it
cleaning rewiring doing things to it I got a call. This guy in DC I had emailed in December had just got back to me. I explained that it was to late and I have 2 sailboats already. Well Charlestown,
Maryland Was on the way back home to
North Carolina any way so I went by to see what he had. He drove from DC to show the sailboat. I spent several days
cleaning it rewiring it doing basic
repairs then had to get my fanny home to make some more
money to start the journey of getting them ship shape. Well back to Charlestown I went and I had to mount a
outboard on the Avantgarde to get her home. I then proceeded to leave the marina only to find ice about 4 inches thick a few miles away. Well I kind of bumped it and some broke. The
motor was coming loose after a few bumps so I climbed out on to the swim ladder and held my Evenrude on the mount. So I bumped more like a beauty queen Avantgarde cut through and made a slushy out of the Chesapeake for about a mile and got through. I read part of a book and watched some videos on how to sail and learned to trim the
sails a little too for best performance and speed. I learned what Gail winds on the Chesapeake meant the hard way. As big as my sailboat is I figured those small craft warnings were for them others. (about died) I used daft logic for distance calculations and my first trip and time on a sailboat I
single handed 585 miles. I now live on Avantgarde at Cape Fear Marina in Wilmington, NC. As of 5/3/2014. So that's the short part of the story. I don't have 40 years of sailing like that Mark guy and it don't take me that long to learn anything. I guess I am above average. I would like to meet you all and possibly do this trip with you. I have to be honest though. I can't do it free. I have no
income yet if I am not working. I have very few bills but some. I don't know what your looking for exactly but I can
repair and maintain your vessel and take watch skillfully and safely with the best of them. I am a
cheap date smoke free, alcohol free mostly. I did the Intra Coastal night and day by my self with a handheld
GPS. Never run a ground at the
helm even in the Dismal swamp at night. I am 45 6ft. very good looking (lol) of Dutch, Irish and German decent and strong as an OX. I like to meet people smarter then me. It sounds like it would be a very nice experience so I hope you will consider me and give me a call. I am Doc Master now at the Cape Fear Marina. They hired me the day I arrived as a temporary Doc Master. (910)747-11six five