I crewed on Romance in the BVI from December 1981-May, 1982, starting as deckhand and spending the last couple of months as Mate. Shipmates were Kim Tetrault (we came aboard at the same time after sailing on R/V Westward as Sea Semester students); John Dodge, Mark Seski, Pete McDonald and Annie --?-- for the first couple of months and then Don Lindsay and Patrick --?-- who had crewed on the Harvey Gamage before joining us.

Lots of wonderful memories... Skipper's singsong "marinaros..." to awaken us from our slumber as he prepared breakfast; the morning routine of washdown, loosing sail, breakfast, haul anchor and underway; Kim's Tarzan-like slide down the decks when tacking the mainstays'l; Mrs. K's wonderful meals and ready laughter; the mentorship and discipline learned from Skipper and Mrs. K that prepared me well for so many challenges that I met later in life; the beloved ship and how I loved the boatsmell of wood and oakum, especially in the foc'sl; how those sails looked when full of sail, the gorgeous maze of standing and running rigging that I grew to instinctively understand; the pride I felt in a job well done whether it was in the engine room or preparing and varnishing the aft cabin's skylight...

The very best memory comes from a day of open water sailing, a strong breeze and gentle swells, leaning back against the forestay, feeling the steady rise of her bow propelling me powerfully skyward, and the relaxed easy return... the raw sensuous power of fair breezes and a well-trimmed ship. I also remember the painful learnings of carrying out a position of authority (Mate) for the first time when I lacked sufficient maturity to do the job consistently well.. I learned from my successes and my errors and these have both enriched me immeasurably.

I count myself abundantly blessed to have sailed aboard Romance with Skipper and Mrs. K.

I'm now on the west coast, on the faculty at UBC as my signature below describes. Living aboard my own little ship for the past two years, a 37' wooden troller, a classic (1945) west coast fishboat. My sabbatical last year permitted 11 weeks of exploration on the BC Coast... a singular and fantastic experience. I'm learning a lot from my refitting and maintenance of Beverley K and am looking forward to shipping out in ten days for 3 weeks as crew on a 44' troller, hoping to bring in some of the eastern Pacific's bounty of sockeye salmon.

What a rich experience we veterans of Romance share! I'd be pleased to communicate with old shipmates (especially Kim and Don) and am most certainly,

Gratefully yours,
Kurt

-- Kurt Andrew Grimm
Associate Professor
Department of Earth & Ocean Sciences
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4
Canada
voice (604) 822-9258
fax (604) 822-6088
kgrimm@eos.ubc.ca

"Earth is a Living system."

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