First Post, etc.

The idea behind this blog's creation has existed for a while, but unfortunately the blog has not. As such, this post (and likely the next) is going to be largely back-story and catching up nonsense. In March (2009), Lauren, Oliver (the happy couple) and I bought a 28 foot Pearson Triton sailboat, with the intention of fixing it up at least well enough to cruise the Caribbean. The blog, then, is geared towards logging on our progress, stroking our egos, offering advice and helping us maintain some semblance of our sanity.

In the way of stroking our egos, here are some brief bios on the three of us:

Lauren Angel
All three of us graduated within a year of each other from Indiana University Bloomington. Lauren's degree is in art, and she does some pretty kick-ass visual art. If I recall correctly, she's shown in Chicago, Bloomington, Crown Point (Indiana) and New Orleans. She smokes Parliament Lights and has a dog named Aoife (pictured).


Oliver McGraw
Oliver has a degree in computer science and philosophy as well as in rambling and being an ass. More or less the man with the plan, Oliver has lived roughly half of his life on his parents' trawler. At the time of this post he's employed as an electrician at Schubert's Marine, which gives us several advantages - namely a sizable employee discount, but also priceless know-how and contact with veteran boat-repairmen.

Miles Livingston
My degree is in English, thus completing the trilogy of extremely lucrative diplomas. I write and record music from time to time, but generally just spend my time chewing holes in furniture. I'm employed with a line producer and "work" proofing, reviewing and pitching film scripts. In my downtime I can usually be found with a handle of vodka sticking out of my face.

Soup!
We bought the miserably named "Gypsy Wind" for $800 in late March, 2009. The seller was a chap who didn't have the money to continue paying docking fees across Pontchartrain over in Mandeville (Louisiana). Early Pearson Tritons are known for their durability and have been used to circumnavigate the globe. An inch-thick fiberglass hull makes them virtually indestructible. Soup, in particular, had been custom built to race and to sleep four. These facts, combined with the fact that Oliver could stand up in the cabin and not hit his head, prompted us to buy it.






Note: We've got a fourth co-owner and slave laborer moving in with us in mid August. More on him when he arrives.