Captain Dan

     It's almost official.  In 2004 Dan & I both took enough sailing courses to allow us to charter as bareboat captains. However, in 2010 Dan began working on his official Captain's License via online coursework. He is not usually one to procrastinate, but life got in the way and, in this case, he did.  His sales job frustrated him; selling the house stressed him; sorting his necessities down to 10 moving boxes challenged him; learning to maintain all the systems on board Exit Strategy perplexed him.  When we finally set sail, there were other distractions that impeded his completion of the program.  It was too sunny to study; the mystery novel was just about to climax; the fish were biting; friends were talking him into joining them on another island adventure.

      This year's hurricane season  presented the perfect opportunity for Dan to finish the course, especially when I left ES for a two month home visit. He cleared the last hurdle a few days ago after finally taking a required "hands on" First Aid and CPR class here in the USVI.  So, Dan will officially be Captain Dan as soon as the ream of his application paperwork is processed by the US Coast Guard in Boston.

     You may wonder, What will this official title mean? Will he don dress whites when ashore?  Will he be able to marry you or bury you at sea? Will we need to bow a little more deeply when addressing Dan or add a touch more energy to our step when we step-to-it?  PRAY, NO!   

      The Captain hasn't given me any new orders yet, so I'll have to let you know.