After Gene and Doris left, we had 5 days alone before our next guest arrived. Darlene and I moved to the leeward side of Culebra to a mooring field called Carlos Rosario. I swam ashore that first evening an met an interesting family from Up-State New York. Harry was a painter, his daughter Heron a student trying to figure out what she wanted to do, and his other daughter, Rachel, was living in Spain. The family frequently traveled to Culebra and camped on Flamingo Beach. Another son and daughter was with them. We chatted about the state of world affairs on the beach, and then one day walked over the hill to their campsite and invited the family for a sail. It was Harry’s birthday so he was delighted.

Relaxing between guests visiting

Just before Darlene and I left, a corporation who heard me speak in Miami contacted Darlene about me doing some shows for them. We got into some very interesting discussions and I was contracted to do 30 shows around the USA. Jack put together the contract in record speed but there were still many loose ends, so we discussed meeting in person. Of course Darlene and I were going to be on El Gecco, so we suggested the meeting be done in the Caribbean. It was a juggling act of calendars, but finally Jack agreed to meet us in Culebra. I met him at the airport and brought him out by dingy. We had three hectic days of playing and having fun, while he briefed me on my audiences, who are appointed government officials, and the challenges each state was facing. We secured the rest of the dates and agreed the frame work of what would be involved. Jack would be introducing me at each keynote and wrapping up behind me. Major travel plans now need to be secured as we get into the season. I feel that I would not be traveling alone to shows, but be joining a friend and his team. This is exciting. Already we have booked more shows for 2007 than we had last year.

Work was not over. Overlapping with Jack was Alice and her crew. Alice works for a non profit organization that promotes libraries around the world. OCLC pioneered the inter library book lending process and major electronic databases for libraries. Recently they became focused on an advertising campaign to promote the importance of libraries to communities. Governing Magazine who they advertise with on this ad campaign heard me speak also in Miami and suggested that OCLC look at me for an endorsement. Alice contacted me and again trying to get onto my calendar was tough so we scheduled it for Culebra. Chris Rogers is a well known magazine photographer and does major ad shoots too. He was hired to shoot this ad and the pictures for a magazine story. We spent the last 3 days doing the shoot and the story. It was fun and exhilarating, at the same time exhausting. Darlene drove the tender for the off boat shots and fed us all for the on board shots. I drove the boat and did a lot of smiling. We shot in some very heavy weather conditions with a lot of spray flying as El Gecco charged through the waves doing 10 to 15 knots. I got to look at some of the images and they were amazing. It brought back a lot of memories to the days of my round the world sailing when I did a lot of photography shoots. This was a great team to work with and a very worthy cause to be supporting. Will let you know when the story is available on line. Chris will also be pitching other publications that he has relationships with for future exposure.

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