Capt. Mark Colby writes: Many years ago at the young age of 18 years while ending my high school education a program of Independent Study was offered to those who wish to pursue, for a month, an interest in their own choosing. Interests ranged from writing poetry, monitoring hospital procedures including the operating room, as well as other subjects covering a large range of subjects. My interest and project was perhaps unique to all others. Not knowing exactly what I wanted to do for the month of May I had difficulty in choosing. I lived with my parents who were employees at a private school in central Maine. My father, then a teacher at the school, had noticed an ad in a periodical looking for crew on a square rigger in the Caribbean Sea, What interested him was that it was posted by Capt. Arthur Kimberly. This name prompted my Dad to write a letter to see if this was the same Arthur KImberly he was shipmates with while serving in the U.S. Navy. According to my father, they spent many hours talking about sailing and the love they had for it. My father lived in Maine and on the coast where boat knowledge was not only fun but a necessity for the transportation back and forth from the island to the mainland where he lived. In his life and in mine, sailing was an extension of necessity and love. Dad heard back from his old shipmate from the tanker they both served on while crossing the German Submarine infested North Atlantic. He, my dad, talked to me about this opportunity and encouraged me to write Capt. Kimberly as soon as possible, and I did. Just in time and before the deadline of projects to be submitted, I received his reply and was welcomed aboard. My project was to learn about "old time" sailing with an effort to learn and document all I could from sailing on the Romance. I spent the month of May in 1968 sailing out of St. Thomas aboard Romance. First time aboard was while she was in dry-dock in San Juan and within minutes of arriving aboard I was asked to go aloft. I realize now that that was a test to see how "seaworthy" I was. I was in great shape and had a high school history of participating in sports for those four years. Heights didn't bother me then but now at 75 years old I would decline any invitation to climb the rigging, laying-on the footropes of the Royal, and leaning over the yardarm to furl the sail. I'd do it in a second if I thought I could! For several reasons I was asked to be the Mate. That meant an extra .50cents a day! It was not the fact that I was as knowledgeable a mate as I should be but I soon caught on to how things worked, names of lines, and shipboard routine. Plus, I knew how to run an outboard and was willing to venture forth with whatever needed to be done. One of the most important life adventures in my life. Later in life I continued with sea duties making world wide deliveries in mostly power boats and working the waterfront of my hometown of Boothbay Harbor sailing Capt. Herb Smith's Appledore V, the Friendship Sloop Bay Lady, and made the run to Monhegan for three years aboard the Balmy Days II. I ended up with a 1600 GT Master License and a 100GT Aux Sail license. After 39 years being licensed I retired a few years ago. I still spend time on the Island not far from Boothbay Harbor so I get a boat ride in my 13' outboard motorboat now and again when visiting. I also attended the University of Maine and joined their Sailing Team. Capt. Gib Philbrick of the schooner Nathaniel Bowditch fame was my coach. After serving for four years in the Coast Guard (Arctic Ocean to the Antarctic Ocean, I was a bit older than most students with maybe a bit more salt water spray on my bones. I ended up with a Master's Degree in Educational Administration and so taught Elementary School for a few years. But the sea called and more work, this time commercially in Tugs and Offshore Supply Boats which brought me to the Gulf of Mexico and to work off the coast of Nigeria for three months. I've had a great seagoing life and regret none of it but always put my experience on Romance first. By the way, I got an A on my high school project.