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Earl and Bonnie
owned and operated the Schooner Flying Fish for 13 years, chartering her in Maine in the
summers. They sold Flying Fish the summer of 1996 and immediately began construction of
Bonnie Lynn. She is the culmination of many years of planning and now that their two sons
are grown, Bonnie and Earl are living aboard and are offering a variety of charters, from
coastal cruising to ocean voyaging. They sail their schooner from Maine to the British
Virgin Islands in the late fall, heading offshore to Bermuda and then down to Tortola,
British Virgin Islands. In late May they sail back to Maine for the summer charter season.
Earl has spent most of his
life on the water. He was born and brought up on the coast of Maine. His earliest memory
is being on his father's lobster boat in Friendship, Maine. Earl has skippered yachts and
work-boats since his teen years and for 25 years he has held a Coast Guard Captain's
license. He spent six years in the Coast Guard Reserves, concentrating on search and
rescue. He was co-owner of a boatyard in Maine for 24 years and owned and operated a 28
passenger motor vessel year-round for six years. Earl has a keen interest in marine
biology and maritime history, which is reflected in Bonnie Lynn's extensive library. His
fields of expertise include boat maintenance and repair, scuba diving, navigation, boat
handling and marine surveying. He enjoys sharing his love of the ocean with the guests
aboard Bonnie Lynn. He encourages them to participate in all aspects of sailing the vessel
and is able to make them feel very comfortable. STCW compliant
Bonnie grew
up in Michigan, but shortly after graduating college joined the Peace Corps and headed to
the South Pacific to Fiji, where she taught school on one of the outer islands for two
years. From there she spent time traveling in Australia, and grew to love mountain
climbing while living in Tasmania. While living in New Zealand, she taught school and
spent her weekends mountain climbing. On her way back to the States she visited several
South Pacific Islands and traveled extensively in South and Central America. She most
recently worked in administration at an island school in Maine for 10 years, but prior to
that she spent many years teaching, building houses, upholstering furniture, as well as
fulfilling the role of homemaker and mother. She began sailing in the mid-80s and has been
working as first mate and chef on their schooners since then. She works wonders in the
galley, and also spends time on deck with the guests. She feels that each charter is
special and she does everything possible to make each voyage a memorable one.
Together,
Earl and Bonnie create a relaxed atmosphere. They thoroughly enjoy entertaining and their
guests inevitably become friends that often return year after year. Their love of the sea,
and the joy of sailing is evident to all who share their magnificent schooner. Bonnie Lynn
is their dream and they want to share it with you. Bonnie also holds a captain's license
and is STCW compliant.
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