The adventure begins . . .

SailTrim is on her way to Oz . . . (actually waiting to get underway, boarding starts in about and hour)

I had intended to have the Blog updated, website updated and the test vol.2 newsletter before heading to bed last night, however, it is amazing how many little things need to be attended to when you are leaving the country and not returning to the "home base" for . . . a month. So, we will have the additional details attended to by arrival in Sydney (Feb13th).

SailTrim would like to put out there a special thank you to her trip sponsor and one of SailTrim's top professional supporters; Ed Furry of Sail22. I have had the pleasure of sailing with, working (if you need a good ear for sorting out creative ideas . . .Ed is the man for the job!) and enjoying a nice cold rum drinkie after a day of sailing.

Sail22 is ran by Ed Furry, a professional sailor, sailing coach and campaign manager (providing support to some of the industry's top teams in race boat management). He is a great asset to sail with; very mild mannered on the boat (no screaming from him!), always a smile even when time is short and 50 things need to be done (he always gets it done) . The most impressive moment to date, something I think all those race boat owners should pay note to when looking for someone to manage their boat is when something does occur that could end your regatta and how it is handle.

During Mumm Worlds our boat was "rear ended" and popped the seem from the deck to hull requiring us to retire (you could see out from the inside) . . it was day 1 of racing! We already had a plan in place, start working on it and the boat ready to race again by sundown! Ed Furry was our "boat manager" and with team work from a few other guys in our crew who had great talents: the job was done and we "sailed on".

Ed knows what it means to build something from nothing and his partnership with SailTrim has not only been appreciated, but simply a pleasure. When building your own business, surrounding yourself with supportive friends, family and "crew" is a must! It is also important to show them gratitude, even though it's known.

So, while I am figuring out how to bring Ed back a Kangeroo (his only request from Oz!), stay tuned for regular reports from Australia and the progress of Team Aeon.

Oh and a special thank you to my Key West sponsor . . another Ed (ha ha) from OceanRacing. . .I travel with his duffel bags and they are a BREEZE to get around the airport with! Since I am living out of them for the next few weeks . . . seemed important to show my appreciation.

Well, we board in a little bit . . . to be continued . . . LBJ