2012 Everglades Challenge

Alright schooner fans, now is the time for action! The email below has gone out to all of our New Horizons email subscribers. I need another 20 sponsors to reach our financial goal for the race. I will be risking life and limb, well maybe not risking but I know I'll be real sore if I make it, to complete this 300 mile adventure. Your sponsorship doesn't need to be $1.00 per mile every little bit helps. You can use the donate button on this page for a pledge too. If I do drop out before the finish in Key Largo I will send you an autographed picture of my dejected face at the time and place of my retirement! Sponsors will also receive a link to my satellite transponder page where you can view my location in real time!

Fair Winds

Capt. Bob

Capt. Bob will be participating in the WaterTribe Everglades Challenge starting March 3, just around the corner! He will attempt the trying eight-day trek by sea kayak from Tampa Bay to Key Largo, all in the name of New Horizons! Thanks to many generous individuals, we are more than halfway to our sponsorship goal--but not quite there yet. We are praying for additional sponsors at this time so we can make the most of this 300-mile challenge. If you would like to help us reach our goal of 20 more sponsors pledging $1/mile, please contact Bob directly at (239) 248-0647. We thank you for your consideration.

All money raised will go directly into the New Horizons operating fund.

To learn more about the Everglades Challenge, please visit watertribe.org.

Blessings,

New Horizons of Southwest Florida

A Call to Adventure

Happy New Year! The schooner departed for another Call to Adventure voyage on December 27 and returned to port on New Year's Eve. First mate Zach Griffin drove down from Arkansas for the trip and bonded with the boys through sail handling and confidence training. We sailed north to Charlotte Harbor in light rain and dropping temperatures. By the following day sunny skies prevailed and stayed that way for the duration of the trip. We day-sailed for the first three days, picking a different anchorage each night. On our final day underway we anchored off of Picnic Island at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River and went ashore for a fogata (bonfire). We continued in our study of the Beatitudes and focused on self control and the decision making process as young men. When asked, most of the crew would say that their favorite part of the voyage was either 'pillaging' the village of Boca Grande or the famous schooner burgers we had for lunch aboard one day. Both Zach and I are very proud of these young men, the schooner is such an equalizer when it comes to teaching teenagers. One of the young men has expressed an interest in crewing to Haiti and the Bahamas this spring, now that would be a New Horizon!
Wishing you fair winds in the New Year.... Capt. Bob

Star of the Sea Comes Home

After a month of hard work the schooner returned to Naples on December 1, 2011. I would like to thank Mr. Wayne Huizenga Jr. and the crew at Rybovich Boatyard North for all their help in our recent bottom job. New friend and volunteer Kevin came in on two occasions and helped with the black hull painting and the nasty task of shoveling up 4 tons of coal slag dust after the hull had been blasted, not a fun day! I would also like to thank Bill and Sea Hawk Premium Yacht Finishes for their generous donation of the material needed to perform the maintenance. We used Sea Hawk two part epoxy and anti-fouling bottom paint to complete the job. I am very impressed with the performance of their products! The epoxy is a high build formula that allows for thick coatings with fewer layers, and the ablative anti-fouling paint will provide years of protection from underwater critters. In an answer to prayer, a generous donor came forward and provided the money needed to pay for the coal slag blasting and other associated costs incurred while on the hard. It was a long month, I put over 3,000 miles on Ellen's car traveling from Bonita Springs to Rivera Beach and for the times that I stayed in Rivera Beach for multiple days at a time I want to thank Rick and Shelly for hosting me in their beautiful home. I'm looking forward to the upcoming Call to Adventure trip over the Christmas holiday. We are sailing with some teen boys from the New Horizons Teen Program. We hope for them to receive their scuba certification on this trip. Former crewman to Haiti, Zach Griffin, will be joining on this trip as first mate. We need donations to feed the boys on this trip so if you haven't already made a charitable donation for 2011 please consider this opportunity.
Have a blessed Christmas and a peaceful New Year! Capt Bob

Great Product Equals Great Bottom Job!

PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!">

Still on the hard

The schooner has been out of the water for a month now and I'm looking forward to splashing her soon! When we hauled out all looked good until the pressure washer started peeling back the epoxy barrier coat (separates the steel from the anti-fouling paint). The barrier coat had failed from age more than anything else but to reapply the bottom has to be blasted to prepare the steel. The whole process is very expensive and my donated bottom job had turned into a real concern. Standing firm in prayer is all I can do......and did.....what a blessing when a generous donor came forward to help with the yard expenses and Sea Hawk Paints has donated all the material!!! I hope to have her coated by Thanksgiving and home the following week. Talk about a reason to give thanks this year................ I have many! Capt. Bob

Re-fit time for Star of the Sea

The schooner is now on the hard in West Palm Beach for a much needed re-fit. Mr. Wayne Huizenga Jr., owner of the Rybovich Superyacht Marina, has generously donated a bottom job for the Star. As you may know rust never sleeps so I've been grinding and sanding for the past two weeks. I've been very impressed with the facility and crew at Rybovich, everyone has gone out of their way to be helpful. Plans are already in the works for the next trip to Cat Island and Haiti. Hurricane Irene devastated most of Cat Island but Brother Moss reports that the orphanage sustained light damage with some missing windows and gutters being the worst of it. My mom and sister have organized a sewing effort to make 200 dresses and 200 pairs of shorts for delivery on the next trip! The young men in the Call to Adventure program are now studying to receive their scuba diving certification. We will be sailing to the keys for their open water check dive over the Christmas Holidays. Until then the Star has several fundraising commitments to fulfill and an all girl overnight sail in November with my wife Ellen and Sarah Egner a marine biologist at Marine Lab and co founder of EcoKeys LLC of Key Largo. Please consider New Horizons of Southwest Florida in your year end giving. We rely on your support to continue our work with those in need. Capt. Bob



PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!">

A Call to Adventure

The schooner hadn't even had time to grow a barnacle before she was off on a new adventure with some young men from the Super Teens program. Ricardo, Luis, Brandon, Juan, and Javier along with hired first mate James Derby came together as a top notch crew. We sailed to Charlotte Harbor and picked deep anchorages each night so the guys could show off their diving skills! Using the Beatitudes as our teaching guide, our daily Bible study came alive in the marine environment. All of these young men have been in the program since they were in the first grade, now in high school they make Ellen and I proud of the young men they are becoming. Many thanks to those whose financial support made this Call to Adventure possible!

PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!">