What about Bob?

I was born in Lake Worth Florida, in the sign of water. And it is there where I feel my best.

I was raised by my Dad and Step-mom Bob and Rustie. They were both into water activities.

My Dad Bob dove in High School and College(Lake Worth High and FSU). Although he taught SCUBA, he made his presence most known in high profile positions like President of the Palm Beach Fin Divers Association. He also organized some of the first charter trips to the Cayman Islands, that involved Palm Beach Fin Divers, Orlando Otters, and groups from Houston. I can remember staying in Cayman when the only place to stay on Seven Mile Beach was the Holiday Inn.

My Step-mom Rustie started out as a lifeguard and ended up a WSI trainer. Rustie coached and taught swimming for the YWCA for many years, and has by now certainly taught at least three generations of families to swim, saving countless lives. She has even taught the kids of famous people to swim, like Jimmy Buffet, and Royal Families from Europe. She has always had the patience it took to teach people to swim and SCUBA dive.

They both were one of the first NAUI certified SCUBA instructors.

We were all members of the Palm Beach Fin Divers Association. Some of my earliest fun memories were hanging with other kids at the meetings, and the yearly fish fry at Phil Foster Park.

I grew up on the Intercoastal Waterway in Juno, Florida. I also was a diver and competed in High School. I started SCUBA diving when I was 7, and certified when I was 13. I also competed in swimming (AAU and County), and was a member of the Palm Beach Gardens High School Swim and Dive team.

I was into anything that had to do with the water. I skiied all year long. In the winter I simply put on my wetsuit. I was the first kid in the area with a kneeboard, it was called a Glide-n-slide. I suspect I was most likely the first ever to do a flip on purpose, and occasionally cleared 15 feet of air when a sportfish boat would come by and leave a big enough wake.

I also sailed and on a good day could just about get a Hobie from one end of little Lake Worth to the other on one hull. Sailing sure is peaceful to me.

I spent summers in Cayman and the Bahamas, mostly diving with charter groups. According to my logs, I had around 400 hours by the time I was 13, and 2000 hours by the time I was 18.

Where is my Mom in all of this? She played an important part in my life, she always wanted the best for me. I guess she thought it was best that I live with my Dad, so from 3rd grade until I was an adult, I lived with my Dad. There were times when I lived with my Mom, and they were memorable ones too.

I now live in Lawrenceville, Georgia. I am on my second and final marriage. My first marriage lasted around 12 years. I am glad I did it, and am still friends with my ex-wife. I hope we always will be. We went through a lot together.

I traveled for the first 4 years of my career, and had the opportunity to dive the Great Barrier Reef, Papua New Guinea, and the Red Sea to name a few.

I am married to a wonderful lady named Laurie. We have three quickly growing kids, hers, named Alex Emily and Kate. Laurie grew up in the Tulsa, OK area, and sailed in High School and College. Judging from her abilities on our honeymoon, she was certainly more than just ballast.

When we were married, we honeymooned on a 32' PDQ called Bird of Paradise(BP). This Catamaran is located in Sopers Hole, BVI and was chartered out of BareCat Charters(www.barecat.com). The owners of Barecat, Mike and Sydney, are great folks and I highly recommend them if you charter. This is the second sail trip I have made to BVI. It was a typical trip, with the exception of the tail end of TS Marty, which provided some great sailing, at times pushing BP to the edge of her abilities. We would get up in the morning, have a quick breakfast, sail the morning to our next anchorage, snorkel, beach comb, or nap, and have dinner ashore. We ate at Donovans Reef, Cooper Island Beach Club, Soggy Dollar, Quito's, and also had a cheesburger in paradise at Stanley's Welcome Bar. We also had the unique opportunity to participate in a full moon party at Bomba Shack in Carpoons Bay.

The first trip was with my best friends Terry and Cindy, and their parents. We were on a 39' Privilege. We had a blast, and I immediately become hooked again on sailing.

So what is this website about?

It is about Laurie and I, and our love for the water, as well as sailing. Laurie and I plan to embark on adventures, both on land and at sea, after we get the kids off to college.

We also have a website that is about our family, church family, and friends. It is located at www.bobandlaurie.net.

This website is also about our dreams for the future, and the exciting adventures it holds.