Lin and Larry Pardey

Before PGI, think BR (Before Retirement) we were Texans. We sailed on Galveston Bay with the TMCA (Texas Mariners Cruising Association), the largest boating organization on the Gulf Coast.

One wonderful day while walking down the dock our commodore's cell phone rang - Lin Pardey called to arrange hosting by TMCA a seminar to be given in our area. So impressed with receiving a call from a famous person, John walked around for weeks with his hand against his ear saying I'm walking down the dock talking to Lin Pardey on my cell phone!

Upon handing me the Publicity function for TMCA, John advised me: if I don't have anything to say, I just make stuff up. Soon after receiving this advice, stories of tsunamis rolling through Offats Bayou, pirate ships ghosting along in moonlight and fair winds that blew us both up and down the bay appeared in local marine publications. Making up stuff works for politicians and it worked for me. People showed up at our monthly meetings just to see who we were!

Now, years after Lin and Larry honored the TMCA with their visit, I was honored to introduce them at the Punta Gorda Civic Center where Lin talked about The Compelling Power of Adventure. Rather than ramble on and on listing all of their accomplishments, I opted to relate the story of John with his cellphone and his advice to me and then said that for Lin and Larry, I didn't have to make anything up!




Bull Canyon, Lin's latest book remembers her relationships while building a wooden boat in the mountains. I recommend it to sailors and nonsailors alike.

Outland Hatch Covers

Outland Hatch Covers on Eagle's Wings

Our old hatch covers were falling apart. The sharp looking  navy covers with white piping matched the navy blue bimini but appeared to be expensive to repair or replace.  So when I saw an ad in Cruising World for these Outland Hatch Covers, I decided to give them a try.  So far so good -  Easy to install; easy to remove.  To order, the website provides detailed insructions for measuring your hatch dimensions, but James at Outland has many hatch patterns already so just tell him what hatch you have before you bother to make exact measurments.