See the story of the beginning here. The Beginning
Captain Steve
A former Firefighter/EMT in Chicago and Missouri, Steve's love of the water began early in life from time spent visiting the Lake at his Grandfather's home in Wisconsin. Having been to far away places while in the Army, he grew his love of travel. Learning sailing from a fellow firefighter, he decided to get his feet wet with a Catalina 27' on Lake Michigan. After moving to Missouri, the sailor in him was hardly hidden as his favorite attire was one of many trusty, wrinkled Hawaiian shirts. Once the go ahead was given from the Admiral, plans went full steam ahead until he was on water again, this time for good. Admiral Mimzie
After leaving her job in the corporate world five years ago, Mimzie stayed at home to begin homeschooling the youngest two of their five children. Her love of sailing began before she can even remember. Raised on a lake in Missouri, she was on the water almost daily. She grew up with the privilege of having a Captain for a father and with her family, took several chartered trips aboard Morgan OI's. She has traveled to many foreign countries, learning about their cultures. Putting that all on hold to work and raise children, she is ecstatic to be able to follow in her father's footsteps (a previous liveaboard) and to give her kids the same unforgettable experiences that she had as a child.
Part-time Mate Brandon
The eldest of the boys, Brandon, known as B, enjoys spending time on the boat during summer and breaks from school. A skilled basketball player, he plays year round for his school as well as on a travel team in the Amateur Athletic Union league. He has attended basketball camps for the San Antonio Spurs and College of the Ozarks. Besides basketball, Brandon enjoys fishing, hunting, anything athletic and traveling. Having extensively traveled around the US, he is looking forward to getting some stamps in his passport during future cruises. You may even recognize him from his print ads for Bass Pro Shops during their national print ad campaign in 2009 & 2010. Being the sports nut that he is, he will be our contributing sports columnist during his visits. Mate Jacob
Also known as Jurassic Jake, Jacob is a charismatic and brave 13 year old young man. Jacob is a proud advocate for Autism. Having been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 2008, he has been a critical player in helping decide his course of treatment. He enjoys educating people on the aspects and spectrum of Autism as well as reading, reading and more reading. Jacob's interests are varied but dinosaurs, legos and astronomy are at the top of that list currently. One of the main reasons for moving onto a boat and simplifying our lives, Jacob is proud to be free of medication (previously on three) and stress. With a change in latitude, attitude and diet, he is thriving and is excited to contribute to the family blog as our resident "professor".
Danielle, AKA Dolphin Dani, is our 12 year old resident "marine biologist". Currently in 7th grade with her brother, Danielle's love of animals, dolphins and most things aquatic seems to have no limit. She is a proud member of ASPCA and Save the Dolphins. She is an amazing artist, a lefty, an animal activist, an avid recycler and our very own fashionista. She is small but mighty and despite her small stature, will always fail to go unnoticed. Danielle is very studious, accomplishing skipping 5th grade, which was out of a desire to be equal to her brother! Be on the lookout for posts from our little biologist, Dolphin Dani, as she is looking forward to giving a perspective from a boat kid's eyes
Swab Ralph
Ralph is our 7(?) year old rescued country boy. His age is vague because of his condition when they found him, the vet was unable to be exact. When we brought him home, he was starving and near death at 75 lbs. Now he weighs in at 100lbs and is the glue of our family. He doesn't get around well because of the abuse his body took in his previous life but he makes up for it with love. Ralphie is the biggest teddy bear anyone has ever known. He looks scary enough to keep away unwanted visitors and is tender enough to keep us warm at night.
Swab Sophie
Sophie is our 9 years young, rescued Chicago girl. She is all spunk and 100% crazy. As Ralph's wife, she wears the pants in that relationship and is the voice behind the big dog that alerts us to any unknown visitors. She loves the boat life and upon the words "Boat Ride" will dance merrily, impatiently waiting for a dinghy ride. We are very lucky that both our dogs love the water and have integrated into the boating life very well.
