Boats and Fish

I'm going to have to bug Noëlle to write some new posts for this blog, or else all that we're going to hear about is boats and boat building. Anyway, I've got some more pictures of the boat in progress. The big news this time is that I have built bunks on the trailer and have managed to get the boat up onto the trailer (since it's a catamaran it wouldn't fit onto the rollers and bunks that came with the trailer; it required extensive custom changes). I still have a bit of work to do before it's road worthy, but it's close. As far as the boat itself goes, I finally have the fiberglass cloth I need and a gallon of epoxy should be arriving tomorrow, so it is nearly time to coat the hull! On a different subject, we have added a new addition to our fish tank. She is a bright blue lobster! Okay, I know it's really a crayfish, but can I at least call it a mini-lobster? It sure looks like one. So far we are just calling her "Little Miss", since we don't officially name any of our fish until they have survived a week in the tank. Finally, as a special bonus with this post I am adding a couple of pictures of "Ia Ora", the eight foot rowing/sailing boat I have owned since I was sixteen and living on "Te Natura" with Mom and Dad. We had the boat custom ordered from the factory in St. Augustine, Fl, while we were living in Daytona Beach. It's amazing that I still have that boat after everything I've been through in the last 12 or 13 years. Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays as much as we are! Take care.
-Cory

The Boatbuilding Adventure

Here's the back story: In early 2004 I came up with an idea for a boat design while living on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. I started building my design on the porch of my apartment. In 2005 when I moved to California to be with Noëlle I had the boat shipped out there. I continued to work on it while it was in Noëlle's Dad's yard. Then, in 2007 when Noëlle and I moved to Durham, NC, I had the boat shipped out here. Now, after four years of work, the boat is nearly complete! Here are some pictures showing it's current status.

Sailing Videos

Now, for something a little bit different, I thought I would post some links to cool and exciting sailing videos.

This first one was taken by my Dad and my friend Dylan sailing on a borrowed International 14 off the South Coast of Grenada.
International 14 Sailing

This next video is of my Dad and some of his friends from Bequia messing around with wakeboards and water toys.
Bequia Wakeboarding

These next few videos show a side of sailing that most people never see. Remember when sailing was defined as "the fine art of getting wet and becoming ill while slowly going nowhere at great expense"? No longer... Take a deep breath and hold on tight!
Yacht Racing
This is Yacht Racing
More Yacht Racing
Extreme Sailing - make sure to watch past the first minute
ABN AMRO
Extreme 40
Sailing in the Surf
Pirates of the Caribbean - not the movie!

Now I'd like to share some of the more humorous moments captured on film on the water:
Water Fun
Funny Boat Crashes

That's all for now. I have hundreds more that I may post over time. I hope everyone enjoys these!

-Cory

Settling In

Noëlle and I have been rapidly and comfortably settling in here in Durham, NC. Noëlle has been attending classes for a couple weeks and I have taken a position as the 3rd keyholder (shift manager) at Overton's, which is a store that specializes in selling boating gear and watersports equipment, so those of you that know me know that this is right up my alley. The job is great and the work is not too hard. I like the people that I am working with so I really have no complaints. We have been settling in, trying to establish the routines that make life run smoothly, and we have been having a lot of fun in the process, although we seem to be continuously tired.

Noëlle's Mom and Sister came out and visited for a few days last week and we all had a blast. We went out to eat and we all talked and laughed quite a bit. In a couple of weeks my Mom will be visiting for a few days, and we are really looking forward to that. We'll keep updating as new adventures happen!

-Cory

Starting up in North Carolina

Well, I never thought I would end up in North Carolina, but here I am. Cory and I moved here so that I could start start my PhD in coastal & ocean policy at Duke University. We've really been having fun exploring Durham, which is where the main Duke campus is and where I'll spend my first year. It is so green here! We just had a fantastic thunder & lightning storm this morning, which we never got back in California! Also- rent is super cheap here, which is very exciting! I could do without the mosquitos, though. They've been eating me alive.
Right now we're in the lull before the storm, with school starting in just over a week and Cory interviewing for jobs out here. I was a little worried about moving to the south (bible belt and all, eeek!) but luckily this town is pretty liberal (you actually see more anti-war bumper stickers here than pro-war ones). So that's been a relief! I've attached a few photos below of our move and new place.
-N
Above is the little house we're renting here, which actually costs just a little over half of what we were paying for a STUDIO in Los Angeles! I can actually plant vegetables here! yay! :)

We stopped in Colorado on our way across country, and this Columbine flower was growing up at about 11.000 feet elevation in the rockies.

Here I am getting settled on our new (used) super-comfy couch!

Back from Caribbean, off to North Carolina

Hi all!
We're now back from the Caribbean, after six weeks of adventure. We're super busy packing for our cross-country move (the truck arrived today!). Just wanted to share some pictures from the islands we visited. Enjoy!

This picture is of 11-Mile Beach on the island of Barbuda. When you get up close, the beach sand looks pink because of the many crushed pink shells. We explored all along this beach and even found some turtle tracks where a turtle had come to lay her eggs. Very exciting!!

This is a photo I took at a botanical garden on the French island of Guadeloupe. The flower petals are all very hard and waxy!

Here's an example of the crazy tree roots we saw on a paddle upriver on the island of Dominica.

Falmouth Harbor, Antigua

Well, it's been about a month since our last post, and a lot has happened! We left our jobs in California and set out to visit family in the caribbean for a couple months. Right now we're in Antigua, where a classic yacht regatta is currently taking place- there are some gorgeous sailboats here!! Anyhow, I'm writing this from a little bar which also serves as an internet cafe- so I can't attach any pictures now. But we'll get some pics up as soon as possible!! I've got to go for now because folks are about to start a hike up one of the mountains here. More later!
-Noëlle

Back from East Coast

Just a quick update- after looking at 5 different graduate programs in 6 days (in 5 different states!) we're back in CA and planning our next moves. At this point it looks like I'll be choosing to study for my Environment PhD at Duke University- I'm very excited!!! It is a great program- I'll be studying at the main campus for one year and at then I'll finish the last four years at their marine lab studying coastal and ocean policy. You can check out Duke's school of the environment here and the marine lab here.
-Noëlle

East Coast Trip Coming Up

Hi everyobody! I'm really just testing to see how to add a post. Noëlle and I are really busy getting ready for the Top Secret east coast trip. Today is Tuesday, we're leaving Saturday. Right now I am dealing with the hassle of getting Ital's papers in order before we can take him to Paradise Ranch (a cat boarding place). Lot's of fun and excitement coming up... we'll keep everyone updated!

-Cory

what 2007 brings...

Many changes are in store for us this year!

For our friends and family who we've been out of touch with for awhile, here's a quick recap of our story and how we've ended up where we are now... Cory and I met in the summer of 2004 while we were each visiting our respective families on their live-aboard sailboats in the country of St. Vincent & the Grenadines. At the time, I was a student at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Cory had been living and working in the U.S. Virgin Islands for about five years. After a week of sailing, snorkeling, and swimming, I flew back to California to finish the last year of my environmental studies degree at UCSB and Cory sailed on with his parents to Grenada.

Fast forward through a year of hurricanes, phone calls, and few-and-far-between visits, and Cory and I ended up moving together to Los Angeles where I found a job writing environmental impact reports with an environmental consulting firm. Neither of us loves Los Angeles though (smog, high rents, waay too many cars), so we've been planning our escape from the concrete jungle ever since!

Okay, so with that long-story-short version of where we are now, here's where we're going:
...Actually, we don't know exactly where we're going! That's because I've applied to several graduate schools (to get a PhD in marine policy) and I'm still waiting to hear back from most of them. However, they all happen to be on the east coast of the U.S., so we know that we'll be making a move cross-country this summer. Since we'll be moving this summer so I can go back to school (for a long time!), we've decided to quit our jobs in April and do some traveling before finding a new place to call home.

-Noëlle