It was great meeting you and having on hand for the survey.

By the way, the guy on the left in that first photo, Patrick, had some fascinating stories to tell. I don't know if you heard them all. I only caught snippets of them while I was shadowing the surveyor.

Patrick is from Dominica. When he was 12 he met a US sailor, a doctor,who came through on a Gulfstar 41 on his way to Europe, single handed. He asked Patrick if he'd like to come along. Patrick was excited, his mother and grandmother less so. He convinced them it was too good an opportunity to pass so off he went. A few days out, the doctor took ill. They rendezvoused with a big cargo ship and the doctor was lifted up in a basket. The ship's captain wanted Patrick to come aboard also but he refused to abandon the yacht.

The captain kept pressing Patrick to no avail. He quizzed Patrick for the entire first day. "What would you do if a storm came up?" "My captain said I should heave, put the sail on one side and the tiller on the other." "How would you know where to go?" "I'd go to east until I found Europe." The captain eventually relented and Patrick headed east.

A US navy ship in the area heard all this on the radio and accompanied Patrick part of the way, delivering milk and cookies to him. He made it to Portugal and was a huge celebrity. Six years later, aged 18, he got his own captain's license in the UK. He's now based in Annapolis where he takes care of boats like Gorgeous Girl for wealthy owners.

He also had stories of his times crewing for Dennis Conner, Gary Jobson and Ted Turner. What a character. And I like Patrick's advice when faced with a big storm. Just heave.