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However, while we have had many friends join Skardu for a week or two at a time, there are a few people who stand out as
being brave enough to put up with us for longer periods. A special thanks goes to those below for all the help they have given us
on board, all the extra watches they allowed us to sleep, and the special experiences they have made memorable by sharing.
| Tristan Hinxman |
|
| Origin: |
Q's fitter, faster, sleeker, younger brother, who spends life bouncing between the world's troubled hotspots in his role as Major in the British Army's Royal Ghurka Rifles, and bouncing between the world's top travel spots and fleshpots in his role as ultimate bachelor boy! |
| Stats: |
72 Days, 1473 Logged Nautical miles |
| Legs: |
Aug 2004: English Coast - Hamble to Cornwall Oct 2004: Sotogrande, Seville and Morocco X'mas 2004: St.Lucia to St.Vincent and the Grenadines March 2005: BVI's to Columbia Jun-Jul 2006: Vanuatu,Luganville to Port Vila |
| Useful Skills: |
Hunter-Gatherer-Coconut Collector, Wingman, 'Bad Bull' Party-Animal, Personal Security and Finance |
| Quote(s): |
- "When I was in the Sudan on my camel, drinking Berber 'whiskey' with the Tuareg traders..." - "I think I might retire - prematurely - to Seville... or Cartagena." (whichever is the latest city in favour!) - "Skardu cocktails - they have never failed!" - "Nothing changes down the years; the rewards come to those who have the confidence & belief that they can 'do' and 'achieve'... Carpe Diem, my son, Carpe Diem! ... and too many more to choose from! |
| Martin Scivier |
|
| Origin: |
Fellow attendee on one of Q's pre-departure Skipper courses in the Solent, Martin instantly showed an interest in Skardu, and swiftly became our befriended mechanic and diesel engine expert, providing valuable assistance on much of our technical refit. He thus earnt his way onboard as a reliable and trustworthy crew member for both our maiden sail and the Trans-Atlantic. |
| Stats: |
36 Days, 3133 Logged Nautical miles |
| Legs: |
Aug 2004: English Coast - Hamble to Falmouth Nov-Dec 2004: ARC - Atlantic Crossing |
| Useful Skills: |
Mechanic, Fix-it Man, and knows how to coax our sails into action better than anyone else. |
| Quote(s): |
- "Now, now Jenny get it back! Jenny 2 behave… you two, pull your bloody weight! Scarlet sort 'em out…" - "Oh come on girls, stop squabbling and sort yourselves out, otherwise I’m going to have to roll you away." (All to our sails!) |
| Troels Petersen |
|
| Origin: |
Fresh from a PhD in Paris, recently resident in San Francisco, and cousin of our great friend Torben from Hong Kong, Troels stepped aboard and became part of the Skardu outfit within minutes: a multi-talented Dane with a love of sailing discovered onboard family yachts back in Copenhagen, he professes to be part poet, part photographer, part Particle Physicist… but we prefer to think of him as “The Hammer”. |
| Stats: |
30 Days, 961 Logged Nautical miles |
| Legs: |
Sept-Oct 2004: Spanish Mediterranean - Benalmedina to Ibiza and Mallorca, and back to Alicante |
| Useful Skills: |
On-board Photographer, Philosopher, Pesto Lover, 'Fluffer' Scout |
| Quote(s): |
- "The best is the worst enemy of the good." - "A ship in harbour is safe, but that's not what ships are made for.... and you've lived up to that." - "We were a restaurant, a lounge and a disco. We were a comedy show.... and yet at the same time a professional melting pot, and a philosophy club. We were acquainted souls and good friends gathered onboard Skardu in an Ibiza cove, and unlike almost everybody else, our lounge music was spiced up by the real sound of waves rolling onto the sandy beach shore." (thoughts at Salina's Jockey Club) - "If you're into sand dunes and salty air..." (quoting his anthem 'At the River', by Groove Armada) |
| Matthew Stoudt |
|
| Origin: |
An ex-Kellogg Business School colleague of Mark’s, Matt has recently packed up life in Chicago, looking for the next challenge. Not a natural sailor before joining us, he recognised the opportunity to feed his passion for adventurous travel to remote corners of the globe... Always the entertainer, he seeks new experiences everywhere, and also holds a stated objective to visit every country in the world! |
| Stats: |
32 Days, 1722 Logged Nautical miles |
| Legs: |
Oct 2004: Med - Mallorca to Gibraltar & Morocco April-May 2005: Panama City to Galapagos |
| Useful Skills: |
Resident Thespian, Comedy Man, Fishing Demon, Pool hustler, Yellow Mustard Lover, Travel Companion, Decision Maker and Resident Skardu Jinx! |
| Quote(s): |
- "I'm not going to say that you told me so, but...you told me so!" (On decision not to join us to the Marquesas) - "Gahh, I can do whatever I like..." (slipping into his Napoleon Dynamite role) - "Whzzzzzzzzz. I love that sound!" (On fishing reel) |
| Molly McDaniel |
|
| Origin: |
PR executive, corporate sponsor, newspaper journalist, magazine editor, jazz singer... Molly wears many hats in her professional life. Born in Rhode Island, but raised to become a Kiwi, she currently resides in St Lucia, where we met her cruising the ARC parties in her alternative role as champagne girl! Firmly devoted to adventure seeking at every opportunity, she has swiftly become our No.1 stalker, hatching plans to track Skardu across the globe! |
| Stats: |
48 Days, 1604 Logged Nautical miles |
| Legs: |
Jan 2005: St. Lucia Feb 2005: Antigua to Barbuda, Anguilla and St.Martin April-May 2005: Panama Canal to Galapagos Aug 2005: French Polynesia - Tahiti to Raiatea |
| Useful Skills: |
Personal Tour Guide, PR Agent, Courier, Masseur, on-board Pastry Chef and Baker |
| Quote(s): |
- "Life is full of champagne moments, offset by sand in your knickers!" - "Let the wind set your course, and always remember, you cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." - "I was born to catch dragons in their dens, And pick flowers, To tell tales and laugh away the morning, To drift and dream like a lazy stream, And walk barefoot across sunshine days." (quoting James Kavanaugh) - "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." |
| Lisa "Pixie" |
|
| Origin: |
Departing London in the summer of 2004, Pixie set off to see the world by crewing on a series of other people's yachts, and gain experience before purchasing her own. Our paths crossed on both sides of the Atlantic during the ARC, where she established her status as party girl, and again some 3 months later in Cartagena, where she swiftly jumped aboard. Fresh from surviving the Trinidad Carnival, she brought with her a choice collection of Caribbean dance tunes, a polished winin' routine, and a good eye with the camera. |
| Stats: |
37 Days, 1670 Logged Nautical miles |
| Legs: |
April-May 2005: Columbia, Panama and Galapagos |
| Useful Skills: |
Dive Instructor Mistress, Mimic, Arty Photographer, On-board Seamstress, Cook of Bland "Mushy" Pasta, and Energetic Tickle-phobe! |
| Quote(s): |
- "Skardu: Expensive... but worth it." - "I've been learning Spanish for two weeks... and my Spanish is perfecto! " - "When I was at Glastonbury..." - "Awesome boat, bee-ootiful people, the most amazing time one girl can have on 41 feet & a helluva lot of water." |
| Torben Mottes & Barbara Kuri |
|
| Origin: |
Torben: A "fake-Dane" with Italian and South African roots, we became firm friends as 'Valley' team-mates on the rugby pitch in Hong Kong. Since then Mark and Torben have shared San Francisco as their playground, and we've continued to maintain our tradition of meeting up in various corners of the globe. The three of us last converged for a bareboat sailing holiday in Thailand, and Torben was definitely part of the inspiration for leaving on this adventure. Barbara: A physical therapist from Linz in Austria, she arrived in San Francisco in 2002 at the end of a South American adventure with her girlfriends, but made the fatal mistake of accepting an offer of lodgings in Torben's apartment - and has never looked back! Not overly familiar with yachts before stepping aboard, Barbara eased into the lifestyle effortlessly, but prefers a sundowner in a calm anchorage to the rough life on the ocean waves! On a 8-month around-the-world trip of their own, we were delighted to coordinate itineraries in the South Pacific, and be able to share in the excitement of their engagement at Rangiroa's idyllic "Blue Lagoon": particularly as Torben now owes us both a sky-dive in consequence of a long-standing bet !! |
| Stats: |
40 Days, 1193 Logged Nautical miles |
| Legs: |
June-July 2005: Marquesas, Tuamotus, Tahiti, Moorea |
| Useful Skills: |
Coconut Husker, Cocktail Maker, Amateur Hair-Dresser, Author of '101-things-to-do-with-bananas', Swedish Chef Impersonator, Strudel Maker Extraordinaire, Fodder for "Killer Bunnies", Early-Warning Systems for Sharks and Eels. |
| Quote(s): |
B: "I now know that anchoring a yacht takes longer than sailing from one island to the next." Thoughts on the Skardu Cocktail: T: - "If you were to list ways to describe "The Skardu", how far down the list would you have to go before you got to the word 'Smooth'?... Damn, those things pack a punch!!" B: -" It tastes like candy... but I like it !" and much later: -" No more Skardu's, please. I mean it - NO more!" |
| Lisa Bruno |
|
| Origin: |
Mark's smarter, more thoughtful, "younger" older sister, who has spent the last decade in various legal pursuits in Boston. She is now starting her own business so she can fund Mark's future adventures (Lisa I hope you're reading this!) Despite not having such luxuries on board as a hair drier, limitless fresh hot water for showers and an espresso machine, Lisa took to the sailing life like a duck to water. Although more comfortable in a calm anchorage, Lisa proved stoic on rough ocean passages. |
| Stats: |
46 Days (38 on Skardu), 851 Logged Nautical miles |
| Legs: |
X'mas 2004: St.Vincent and the Grenadines to St. Lucia Oct - Nov 2005: Tonga to Fiji |
| Useful Skills: |
Baking, picking fishing lures, cave diving, whiskey connoisseur, keeping Mark in check, literary consultant and onboard cynic |
| Quote(s): |
- "Can you talk about anything except boats, weather, diving and, oh yes,.... boats?" -- "There is something to be said for the luxury of toilets that flush with a push of a button" - "Between the planning for the dives and the planning for the meals, time just evaporates. Take out the gear, assemble the gear, load it up on the dinghy, trundle off to the distant dive site, put on the equipment, etc, etc. … poof, half a day gone." |
