Search This Blog

Powered By Blogger

Friday, July 31, 2009

Only 250 Miles To Greenland

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Good morning this is Ralph, oh by the way please don't feel sorry for Bob or I, we chose this adventure which has good things and bad things, right now some of the bad things!
We are facing into pretty high seas, all day yesterday and last night we were heading into 7 to 9 foot seas, this morning it calmed down and we made some time. We are about 250 miles from Greenland. Unfortunately we're still out here battling waves; we are going slowly to conserve fuel. We now have about 4 to 6 foot waves with an occasional 7 footer in there. The winds are probably 25 miles per hour.
Imagine being on a teeter totter out front or in the back and being picked up and slammed to the ground, constantly, the wind blowing and then every few minutes having a bucket of cold salt water thrown in your face! That’s what it’s been like for us the last few days. Again please don’t feel sorry for us, we chose this. It’s an adventure and we know it.
We know we are relatively safe and it’s just a matter of plugging along. That is all it is, just plugging along. Fortunately, soon we will reach Greenland.
We don’t know why the plotter isn’t working, we are plotting and going along, so please don’t panic.
Anyway have a great day and God bless you.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Know of any gas stations in the middle of the Atlantic?

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
The waves are steadily been getting bigger and bigger, coming closer and closer, and that means they are building, and are not going in our direction..…..we are going very, very slow, we are not going to make Nuuk Greenland at our predicted time, so anyone waiting in Nuuk, please be patient. It’s going to take another day or so……By the way, anyone know of any gas station in the middle of the Atlantic?
We are plugging along little by little and are doing OK.
Talk to you later, God Bless, Bye now.

Thankful For Our Hot Pot!

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
We are about 150 to 200 miles off the coast of Canada on our way to Greenland. Not making very good time thanks to glaciers and fog, and occasionally 8 to 10 foot waves, but we are moving on.
Boy are we grateful to Percy and the Hot Pot he gave us. We have been eating cold soup up till now; even though our hands and feet may be cold we are so grateful to be eating hot soup to warm our bellies.
Thanks again and God Bless.

Wet, Cold, Miserable Night

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Good morning, this is Ralph. Last night was the most miserable night we have had yet. It was wet all night and very, very cold. But we are moving along, moving steadily. Always when we load the boat with gasoline, the first 100 miles we get terrible fuel and terrible performance. Well, that is what we got yesterday, terrible fuel and terrible performance.
We are in about 6 foot seas. It has been about 6 foot most of the way. The seas are coming out of the east; we are going east, not good. It is cold and windy. Hopefully the sun will come out today. We counted 21 icebergs yesterday and named 5 of them, and off we are.
We will talk to you later, have a great day and God bless you. Bye

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Time For The COLD Weather Gear-Made Many Friends In Cartwright In Only About 24 Hours

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed – 2 calls combined)
I can’t pull up my fish. I am hanging off of the back of the boat!
*****(There is poor audio on SAT phone and it is impossible to transcribe the call)***** Once we were about 30 minutes off shore we started putting on our ‘cold-weather’ gear, which is long underwear and boots. Also we are rearranging our sleeping area. It may not be much but it is an improvement.
We are sitting much deeper in the water because we are carrying a lot more fuel.
We were in Cartwright just about 24 hours. It’s amazing how many friends you can make in 24 hours. Unbelievable, many people came by and donated to our cause, too many to mention by name. George and Steve donated $200.00 others donated $20.00 and we are grateful for all. Conoco Phillips and other businesses please remember we are still looking for sponsors. You can go to our website www.crosstheatlantic.com and find a link there for donations and sponsorships.
Thanks again, God Bless and take care. Bye

We Are Now On The BIG Crossing To Greenland ! ! !

Ralph via SAT phone, (transcribed)
We finally left Cartwright about 1 PM local time. We were supposed to leave at 9:30 AM, but got involved with a lot of different things that kept us from leaving, and we are now about 30 min. off shore on our way to Greenland. This is the BIG crossing about 600 miles. We are expecting to see a lot of whales and to get a little fishing in. We are tying things down a little better and getting ready.
We are scheduled to arrive in Greenland late Thursday or early Friday.
Thanks to all of you who are helping in whatever way you are able to, and following us.
We all need to say Thanks to the women and men in uniform who stand up for what’s right, to protect our freedom. The spouses, parents, siblings and friends left behind when the soldiers say good bye, all deserve our THANKS for what they do. Bob and I are feeling some of that, but we are no different than those heroes and this is our way of saying thanks. This is not a political speech. We are only standing up for those heroes.
You have a great day and God Bless you!

My Heart Gets Whacked



Few things have humbled me like kids getting involved in the I AM SECOND Wounded Hero Voyage. I learned a few days ago that after a South Carolina News Paper Report talking about the voyage funding shortage, that Christian went out and opened a lemonaide stand and donated 15% of his proceeds. Christian is 11 years old.

This morning a four year old child said He wanted to help with the Wounded Hero Voyage. He had $8.10 from recycling cans. He donated it all. It humbled me. His parents let him do it.

Here is his picture. His name is Jackson Barrett. Get this, his Grandfather is George Barrett, who was adopted. His original name is George Brown, same as my father. His father Tom Barrrett and mother Joanne Barrett run the Experience Labrador, outdoor adventure center, fishing and tour guides. Toms parents George and Pete (Pete is short for Peyton) own it. They have been super helpful to us.

Jackson's cousin Brittany, 12, cooked us pancakes for breakfast today. She makes them thin. I told her that the flat ones are like Crapes, expensive fancy French pancakes. She renamed them ROAD KILL Pancakes. She will always be remembered as Road Kill.

Last Night in North America

There is so much to do before we hit the high seas, again. It is very late and everyone has gone to bed. The good people at Experience Labrador www.experiencelabrador.com have been letting me use some office space. I have been loading video and pictures all day. We will be adding a lot of pictures to the web site. This is our last night in North America. We will be ending up in a Nuuk Greenland, even though it is the capitol it is still a tiny town.

I am also loading programs in the Panasonic Toughbook that we receied for the voyage. We used it for a lot of pictures and videos as well as maps. We will actually be able to use it on the boat.


Here are a couple of vidos to watch and send to your friends. I promise you, you will enjoy them.



This is what Florida Boys do when they see an Iceberg. Ten million people around the world have heard this story. These are the latest videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhu8X6DCLnQ


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50KaCjehHqU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R6QzQgAqYI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqpfCCj3UvY



Requests for interviews from the satellite phone at sea can be coordinated with Bruce,
Bruce@CrossTheAtlantic.com or call 408-829-4193

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

We Finally Made It To Cartwright Which Is In Labrador, Canada

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Good morning, we made it in last night, actually no we did not make it in last night; we made it in early this morning. We are actually at Cartwright in Labrador, Canada, just outside Goose Bay, way up north. This morning, I am not sure what time we came in. Last night we tried to make it through fog and in the darkness while weaving through islands heading into the final destination. We had to go so slow and make a couple of turns through a bunch of islands. Actually we found a couple of places that we could not get through. So finally we were only a mile or so away when we finally threw in the anchor and said we are going to sleep here.
When we woke up this morning we were surrounded by whales, which is kind of neat. We saw a few seals and several whales blowing and eating fish not too far from us. Then we also got surrounded by mosquitoes, wonderful, wonderful mosquitoes this morning. So we were glad to fire the engine up and get moving.
Things are going good. We got in early this morning and met some very, very friendly people. We are actually at an outfitting place right now. The actual name of the outfitting place is Experience Labrador. Great folks up here called Experience Labrador and they have given us a place to take a shower and fresh food and a place to use the phone and answer some phone calls. We are just grateful for it.
Thank you so much and you have a wonderful day.
We will talk to you later. Bye Bye

Up To 29 Icebergs, No Cod Caught and No Polar Bears Seen, At Least Not Yet !

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Hi this is Ralph. It has been a very, very long day. We started at 4:00 AM this morning. We started off with heavy, heavy fog. The fog has come a couple of times today, but for the most part it has been pretty clear. We have traveled over 200 miles, almost 250 miles. We have only a few more miles to travel. The sun is getting ready to go down, but it has been a beautiful sunset.
We have counted 28 icebergs and we have named a couple of them! The last two were “John Koko” and “Norm The Big Kahuna” The second one was gigantic so we went ahead and named it “Norm”.
We have had a great day! We tried fishing once. All we caught was two that were not very good for eating. We have still not caught the elusive cod fish. We have looked up the banks of a bunch of islands as we went by searching for polar bears, but we have not seen any yet.
As far as we know everything is going well. We should be in to Cartwright in an hour, or an hour and a half, something in that area.
Have a great day and God bless you.

We Are Very Grateful For Everyone Who Has Helped By Volunteering Or Donating

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Hi this is Ralph again. I just want to take a second to thank everybody who has helped this project. There are so many people that have helped, from Bruce, to Renee, to Trent, to Trey, to Bernie, Barbro and Christian, to John, J. C., John McDaniels, Bucky. I probably should have never have started this. Thank you to everyone. I know there are so many that I have not named. So many that have put in so much time, and to those who have written checks. We are very, very grateful for each donation and every check that has been written. The ones that made it possible of course are I Am Second and Interstate Batteries that made the beginning of this voyage possible. They provided enough so that we could leave. Then Benco Insurance Planners with John Koko, and George who have helped us out financially, as well as Boat U. S. By the way everyone ought to have boat tow insurance. Boat U. S. has helped us as well. There are many others who have donated. I could not begin to name them all, I am just very grateful for all of the $20 donations, the $30 donations, etc, all of those add up. Al and Pat Hagan donated $1,000. We are very grateful for all of you.
By the way for those of you that don’t know it, the “John Koko” iceberg, is now nationally named, at least by Ralph and Bob Brown. It is a pedestal iceberg right off the coast of Battle Harbor. It is named for John Koko. What most people do not know is that John was a wounded Purple Heart veteran from the first Iraq war. John we thank you for serving.
You have a great day and God bless you. Bye Bye

We Are Now Naming Icebergs

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Hi everybody, this is Ralph. We just left a really nice little harbor called Battle Harbor. We came across the Straights of Bell Isle. We have come from Saint Anthony, about 60 miles north of Saint Anthony on the very, very southeast corner of Labrador. We stopped at Battle Harbor. It is a very nice little place. We had lunch there and then we’re heading on to Cartwright. As we went to pay the bill they said, boys the meal is on us! That is a 20 dollar donation approximately. We are so grateful for people like that. He was telling us about the history of Bell Harbor. That is a harbor within several islands. I guess probably no more than 30 people live here. It is quaint and they have a hotel and a restaurant. They are really nice folks and just wonderful people to get a chance to meet. Thank you for all that you have done.
By the way we are naming our icebergs as we go by them. The first one was named, well the first one we saw Bob thought was a boat, so of course we named it the “Boat”. We did not stop at it. The second one we did stop at and spent time at. It became known as “I Am Second”, named after our title sponsor www.IAmSecond.com . Then we named another one. I forgot what all the others were named. I will have to go back and look at the log. The one that we just named “John Koko” is a very large iceberg overlooking two smaller parts of the same iceberg. We felt like it was John Koko overlooking Benco Insurance Planners and Alco Insurance. They have helped us and we are very grateful for their help. So John, if you are reading this, we named an iceberg after you!
Anyway, have a wonderful day and God bless you.
Thank everyone so much for all you have done for us. Bye

A Special “Thank You” To Each And Every Person And Company Who Have Helped ! ! !

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Well surprise, surprise, surprise! That ain’t no fishing boat. There is an iceberg, unbelievable! As I am leaving town I can’t think of a town with nicer people. It is just amazing the people we are meeting on this voyage.
Yes it is exciting. Yes, it is long hours. Yes, it is grueling. Yes, it is an awful lot of work. Yes there are sometimes you are so tired that you can hardly stay awake. But, we are meeting such wonderful people! I cannot forget about those guys from Conoco Phillips, just unbelievable, and that guy named Derrick that bought us the gas at Saint John’s. There was the Key restaurant that bought us a steak meal. That was a great meal! We have met many good people. We just left Saint Anthony. Then there was the Coast Guard, unbelievable, the guys there in the Canadian Coast Guard, just wonderful, wonderful people. And all of the people in the town that came out and helped us. Just unbelievable! We are so grateful to so many people that have been so helpful to us.
I cannot stop thinking about the spouses of the men and women that go off to combat. Not knowing when they will be home. Not knowing how they are going to make ends meet. Not knowing if they can pay their bills. I just can’t forget about that. It just keeps coming back and playing in my mind as we travel on this voyage to remember heroes. I think that it is so important that we do more, do more, and do more than just say thanks to the wounded hero and the family left behind.
Thank you.
I will talk to you later. Bye

Absolutely Gorgeous Sun Rise & Special “Thank You” To All Military Spouses

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Wow, the most amazing thing that I have ever seen. We have been inching along with visibility of only fifty to a couple of hundred feet. We noticed the sun on the horizon coming up. You could barely see it through the fog. Then in like a twinkle of the eye, the sun came up. It just hit a certain point and boom, it came up. You got visibility now for a couple of miles. It was just a minute, maybe two minutes. Now there are beautiful rocky islands. There is a bird off to the starboard, the right side, 10 degrees, maybe 15 degrees ahead. The bird is out fishing. Absolutely Gorgeous! I have never seen a fog lift like that in my life. I guess that is the way it is up here in the Northern part of Canada. This is so awesome!
Getting back what I was talking about earlier, the importance of thinking about what the spouse goes through when their husband, or in some cases the wife, go off to serve. Especially when it is in a combat zone, or somewhere there are terrorists or somewhere they are planting bombs or are shooting at you. They don’t even know what is going on. They got financial problems, they got other problems. Many wives depend on their husbands for so many things. What if something breaks, who is going to fix it? What if things go wrong? She often depends on her husband to fix so many things. What if she needs help? Hey, we need to think about that one.
Thank you.
Talk to you later.

Monday, July 27, 2009

It Is Tremendously Hard For Military Spouses

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Good Morning. As we pull out of the harbor of Saint Anthony at 3:41 AM EST going into a pretty thick fog heading out, knowing that we waited for the first light so that we could see the icebergs. See what they call a breeze. This is a small iceberg floating around. That is the dangerous ones. We are pulling out at this point in time and heading towards Cartwright, Labrador. This is our last North American stop.
I cannot help but thank all of the people of Saint Anthony, the wonderful, wonderful people that we met who helped us in many ways. From pulling the boat out of the water, changing the oil, to helping with some wiring issues with one of the bilge pumps. When we replaced the bilge pump the wiring broke. We also had to take care of other issues that we needed to do. We are so grateful for all the different people that got involved and the people from the local church that we went to.
I guess we can’t help but think about the military wives and the husbands as the spouses go away and the spouses get involved. It has got to be very, very hard not knowing what to expect, not knowing when they are coming home, not knowing if they are coming home. It’s got to be tremendously hard for them and we just want to say thank you to all of those military spouses that put up with the things necessary in order to achieve the goals that are necessary.
God Bless you and thank you for everything.
Bye, I will talk to you later.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

We Changed The Oil In The Boat Motor And We Also Changed The Prop In An Effort To Improve Fuel Economy

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Hi this is Ralph. It is Sunday night and we are still in Saint Anthony. Today after church we changed the oil in the boat. We changed the prop; we went with a power prop. With the previous prop we have had in there because we have been putting on big loads of fuel and it has not been able to get up on plane. There has been too much load on the motor. So we went to the power prop. The previous prop was a 13 ¼ inch by 21 inches. Now we have gone to a 14 inch by 17 inch. It pushes a little more water. It is not going to be as fast of a boat, but it is going to be less of a load on the motor which in the long run will give us more fuel economy. Believe it or not, that is how it works when you carry all that extra fuel.
We had to change a bilge pump that went bad. One of them stopped working in the storage compartment. We got a lot of help from a lot of local people here that wanted to help us get the boat out of the water. We tested the spare 9 horse power motor. We had trouble getting it started. We eventually did get it started and running good. We want to make sure that everything stays running. We did have to prime it with a little bit of gasoline. It now works fine and things look really good to get going. We are glad to get everything going. We already got our fuel and we are going to leave tomorrow at sun up. Now the sun comes up at 4:30 AM, but you actually get first light about 3:00 AM. So it is 11:00 here now so in about 4 hours we will be getting up and going out. I know it is late and will make for a long night, but these things we needed to do. We will see you tomorrow as we start heading for Cartwright which is just outside Goose Bay Labrador, 260 miles from our last stop in the North American Continent. Then we are heading for Greenland.
You have a great day and God Bless you. Yes it is a lot of work and a lot of hard hours. It is also a lot of fun, but you are missing your family, missing your wife and kids. There are a lot of things that need to be taken care of, but our mission is to lift up so many fallen heroes that go through all these many financial problems after they have been wounded. To lift up the spouses and lift up the families left behind, when great men and women stand up for what is right, not just the United Stated, but for Canada and Great Britain as well.
Thank you so much.
God Bless

A Phenomenal Amazing Event Occured At Church This Morning ! ! !

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Hello, this is Ralph. We just got out of church. We visited the local United church. One of the most amazing things happened. We are here and we are talking about honoring heroes and in the middle of the sermon the preacher let me get up and speak a little bit, which I was really surprised about. We learned that today was the day that they were honoring one of their fallen, one of their members, a fallen hero. And of all of the days that we could choose, of all of the churches we could have chosen, this was the day that they were honoring their fallen heroes.
This is just one more sign that we have seen that God Almighty has touched this trip. One day I will sit down and start listing all of them for you. From meeting the General who at one time was the Major that actually investigated the incident during which John Harvey, George Holmes and Dewey Johnson died. Through all of the different things that came into play so that we could start this trip, so that we could start it on Faith, knowing that the good people with God’s guidance, good people from all over the world would get behind us to accomplishing the goal of honoring heroes. We are honoring our heroes that give so much, while we give so little. Thank you again.
We are over here meeting some people that have volunteered to help us pull the boat out of the water and change the oil. This is one more sign that good people from all over the world are getting behind this trip. It is just so phenomenal!
God bless you, we will talk later.
Bye Bye

We Slept On A Coast Guard Cutter ! ! !

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Good morning, it's Ralph. It is Sunday morning. If you had asked me before we started this trip, if we were going to sleep on a Coast Guard cutter? The only answer I would have said was the only way we are going to sleep on a coast Guard cutter is inside the brig! Last night we pulled into Saint Anthony and we started asking for directions for where to stay and we ended up passing a local Coast Guard cutter. We came in last night about 10 o’clock their time, and the Coast Guard said , hey, come on back for a cup of coffee. After we docked we came ashore and we talked to some of the locals. We spent some time on the Coast Guard cutter Harp with a cup of coffee and they said, hey, why don’t you sleep on our vessel? So they gave us a couple of births and Bob and I slept on the cutter. We went to bed last night probably about 3 o’clock in the morning and they woke us up this morning about 7. They were wonderful people, a cup of coffee, a piece of banana bread and a chance to plug in our new Panasonic Tough Book and get it all charged up. So we are excited that we have had this opportunity to be with the Coast Guard cutter Harp. They just pulled out of the harbor, just a few minutes ago I was untying their lines for them and that was kind of cool. They are heading out and we are now going to find a church and then organize ourselves. We will be here till way late because there is a celebration going on tonight and then we will get into Cartwright tomorrow afternoon.
You have a great day.
God Bless you and we will talk to you later. Bye

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Incredible Iceberg Promotional Pictures ! ! !

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
This is Ralph again. This iceberg was so great that we spent a whole bunch of time driving around it in circles.
We are taking pictures of all the products on our boat. We have Coke Cola, HC drinks, Del Monte fruit cocktail, Puritan stew, and Campbell soup. All of these are companies that may want to participate in this project or at least this is what I have been told. We are using their products and I have been told something like 10 million people know our story. We have Conoco blankets, they are just great people. We have Zip Lock ever where, Panasonic, and Suzuki! All of this stuff with pictures in front of the iceberg. A little boat from Florida in front of the iceberg! If you know any of these companies and they need pictures, we need some more gas money.
We are just grateful for everyone involved!
You have a great day and God bless you!
We are off to Saint Anthony. We are still 81 nautical miles from there which is probably 4 to 5 hours unless conditions change which may take longer than that.
We could not keep going without taking pictures. It was such a beautiful iceberg that we took pictures all around it. You should see the middle of this thing, it has got a horseshoe and the ocean waves are going up into it. It is bright blue, a gorgeous, gorgeous blue against the white iceberg! You just have to be here to see it!
By the way you will be able to see it on our videos, eventually.
God Bless you. Bye Bye

HUGE ICEBERG IN CRYSTAL BLUE WATER ! ! !

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
This morning when I called and said that I had seen an iceberg, well now we have really seen one! A huge, huge iceberg. The thing is well over 100 feet tall and a couple of hundred feet around. The water is crystal blue and there are birds on the top of it. It is just absolutely gorgeous. It is a very glassy day out, no waves hardly, just unbelievable. We are going burzicco with our cameras. If you have not seen the size of our boat you have got to see it, just unbelievable!!!
By the way we are not going to make Saint Anthony on time.
Bye Bye

Caught Many Fish, But No Cod!

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Hi this is Ralph. We are estimating our arrival in Saint Anthony at 5:00 to 6:00 PM their time. We went fishing for a while and we caught a whole bunch. They were all catch and release. We did not catch any of the famed cod fish.
We did go rock climbing for a little bit and took some video of the boat going through some major rocks off the coast of Newfoundland. The seas are getting glassy and rolling 1 to 3 feet.
Thank you very much. Have a great day!

FIRST ICEBERG ! ! !

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Good morning folks, it is 6:11 AM EST. That means is 7:30 AM approximately our time. We had the most beautiful sunrise this morning about 4:45 AM. There was just a bit of red popped up over the horizon and it was red for a long time. Then in 5 minutes the whole sun was up! It was one of those things that you had to force yourself to not stare at as it was so beautiful. If you stare at the bright sun you can hurt your eyes. It was just absolutely gorgeous coming up over the horizon.
What is happening right now is that we are seeing a whole bunch of whales. We saw one big school with a bunch of whales and porpoise all together feasting on something. We kept moving through it.
Right now I have seen my first iceberg!!! It was a very small one, but it is still an iceberg. It is exciting to actually see here as we are crossing. We have gone as far east as you can go in North America. So now we are going east and right up into the Labrador Current. This is very exciting to me!
We will talk to you later. God Bless

We Had To Keep Going All Night Long

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Good morning, it is 3:00 AM EST. I believe it is 4:00 AM here, or maybe 4:40 AM. It is a little different out here as we are very close to the division where they add an extra half hour.
The sun is coming up. It is beautiful out, not quite glassy, but rolling small sea. Bob drove most of the night. I laid down to take a nap and I woke up off and on all night. That is one of the hazards of staying two days in the harbor. You get uncomfortable getting back on the boat.
Bob is a great guy; he drove almost all the night. I am grateful for that because I hate driving when it is pitch black. Anyway we are somewhere off the coast of Newfoundland heading between Saint John’s and Saint Anthony.
We are going to stop and fish today because this is the opening of cod season. We have been told how to catch the highly sought after cod fish. We hope that this way actually works. We will try to catch a couple and keep one, filet him up, and put him in a frying pan and see how that goes.
We will talk to you later. For those following where we are at we are straight off Locke bay. The coordinates are 49 degrees 57.88 minutes North and 053 degrees 12.42 minutes West.
Have a good day and God bless you.

Had to Anchor and Clean Up The Boat

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Hi this is Ralph. We left Saint John’s Newfoundland a little while ago. It is an absolutely gorgeous place with wonderful people that we met. Many of them helped out financially.
The one downside of that city is that there is a lot of raw sewage flowing into the harbor. There were many gross items all around our boat. They are building a new plant to fix the problem.
When we came out of the harbor and went a couple of miles, then we anchored. We threw all of our lines out to wash them and ….A whale, a whale!!! Only a about a 100 feet away in front of us, coming towards us. There are birds all around it. I guess they are eating the pieces of fish left by the whale.
We found out that we cannot fish here for cod until tomorrow, so we will be fishing tomorrow and are hoping to catch some cod.
While anchored we are dumping water all over our lines and everything to wash them.
I don’t see the whale, where did it go? Bob turned the boat as he gets out the camera. There is the whale again! He is about 60 feet in front of us. Cool, there he goes. The whale is eating a lot of small fish and the birds get the half pieces left by the whale.
Since we got a real late start we will have to go all night taking turns. We want to be in Saint Anthony by late tomorrow afternoon. There is the whale again, off in the distance, somewhere right close to where we were just a few minutes ago!
Have a great day and God Bless you.

More Problems, More News and .................. MANY MORE PEOPLE HELPING! ! !

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed – two calls combined)
Hi this is Ralph it's 5:30 PM and we're still in Saint John Newfoundland. The people here have just been absolutely wonderful. This morning we could not leave on time for two reasons. First we could not get gasoline delivered to the boat. We had to hand carry jugs of 5 gallon each down to the boat to fill up 100 gallons. A wonderful man named Darrell Miller bought gas for us today. We are very grateful to him. He put $500 of gas in the boat!
We also found out that we had some cracks in our T Top which I am very surprised about as it is a very expensive T Top. Anyway it is cracked so we had to reinforce that so that it wouldn’t fall apart completely.
The great guys at Conoco Phillips are helping, these guys are awesome, bought us lunch and treated us to another very nice meal, put us up in a hotel at their own expense. They are still trying to get their home office to get behind us. Another wonderful person donated $20.00 someone else named Jeffery from TX $150.00 and Al and Pat from Florida donated $1000.00 towards gas and trip expenses. An 11 year old named Christian who lives in Raleigh NC that we met in Charleston SC created a lemonade stand and donated 15% of proceeds to us. We are just overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity. Please know that we are Grateful for everybody.
We knew that when we left Tampa Florida that we did not have enough money to finish the trip. We went ahead and prayed about it and considered it. With the good people at Interstate Batteries and I AM Second helping us tremendously, we decided to move forward with the trip and counted on the good people from all over the world to help us. We are so grateful that the people from many countries are helping.
So while we are far from being fully funded, what people realize is that it is a lot different to say you actually care than it is to actually do something to show that you care. That is what we are doing. It is all about doing more than just saying thanks to the wounded heroes and their families.
The local CBC (Canada Broadcasting Company) wanted us to wait one more hour so they could broadcast LIVE showing us leaving at 6:30 PM local time. We will be live on the national news here on Canada CBC broadcasting company and we're very grateful for them being involved.
We will be in Saint Anthony tomorrow around 3 to 4 PM.
Have a wonderful day and God Bless you.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! ! !

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Hi this is Ralph hey i want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who are following our voyage we are very grateful for all of you. We are in Saint John's today and will today until tomorrow morning about 930, when we are leaving heading up the road, will stop at Saint Anthony's and then on Cartwright and then will make our crossing over to Greenland. Bob and I are staying the hotel last night provided by a very generous person we met at the dock. He provided two nights at the hotel, unbelievable we're very grateful for that and also another gentleman heard us on TV, actually came up and handed us a 20 dollar bill to help with expenses another gentleman provided a meal at a very nice restaurant last night I can't believe this, this is Canada not the USA and these people are just unbelievably friendly. In the city of saint john's and providing this nice things for us We did make the alive newscasts on one of the local television stations som other television station are coming out to get an interview . We got a really nice write up in the telegram which is very nice and I am surprised the Globe hasn’t picked it up, but we're glad that the Telegram has. Again very nice people here in Canada. I just got a email from someone, I don't think he wants his name out there, wonderful, wonderful person just following us, offered to pay $1,000 for gasoline. We are very grateful for that thank you so much and God Bless

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

St John's, Newfoundland

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed).
Hi this is Ralph Brown calling from Saint John's harbor Newfoundland. We arrived here safely. Great place with very friendly people. As we were coming into the harbor they had News Crews from both radio and TV here to meet us. I walked into the Conoco Phillips office here and asked them to pay for the gas for the rest of the voyage they gave me a phone number to call. I have called but we haven't heard back from them yet. If anyone out there has a contact with any other gasoline company that would consider paying for fuel, we would greatly appreciate it. Anyways, great place, beautiful, beautiful scenery coming in to this harbor, beautiful nice people. Thank you so much bye
God Bless.

Outside Saint John's harbor.

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed).
I thought it was going to be very, very hard to beat that Boston exit with the sunset over our shoulders and a nice breeze in our faces, but that sunset last night was THE most beautiful sunset I've ever seen in my entire life. We had the grand banks of Canada at our back and the beautiful sunset, that took for ever to go down. This was absolutely beautiful. We were shooting across glassy skies and we were watching whales, whale pods everywhere and birds, big birds everywhere at the same time, just absolutely beautiful. But we did find one to beat Boston’s…..
We camped out in a wave breaker out by a town called Aqua Fort last night. We tried to check in with customs but was told not to, until we get to St John, so we stayed on the boat, talked with some people that came by. We left in the morning with choppy sees, not real heavy though and saw the most beautiful island of birds. The birds on this gigantic rock, birds everywhere, I mean just everywhere. Millions of birds were on this rock. We were trying to catch some fish but didn’t….
We're just outside Saint John's harbor and will be going in momentarily, thank you so much, have a wonderful day and I'll talk to you later, God Bless, bye bye.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Beautiful sunset, whales everywhere! !

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed).
This is Ralph, we are just now rounding the corner, a few minutes ago leaving the north Atlantic area, heading towards the Labrador current, far north east, as far as you can go in Canada and now heading off the coast.
As soon as we rounded the corner…. there are whales everywhere, big gigantic whales, big pods, two of them beached, leaving the water and other’s lying around. The whales are everywhere around us, at least 15 – 20. This is unbelievable…Beautiful, beautiful. A beautiful sunset here in the distance…. . Anyways it's just unbelievable . It's a beautiful, beautiful day, God has given us today, hey we will catch up with you later God Bless, bye now, Ralph

Going into Iceberg Territory

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Hi this is Ralph we're about 10 miles from the corner of the Labrador current and the Atlantic ocean. We will be taking a left at that time going north-east. I didn’t realize how far east you have to go in order to go north around the US as far north as you can go. I didn’t realize that until this trip. This morning we started towards Goose Bay we are making a stop in Saint John. It’s a beautiful, beautiful area, gorgeous day and we saw many pod's of whales, tiny whales or gigantic porpoises, they're everywhere. We are going north, north-east. 2-4 foot waves, the wind at our back. I sat in front of the boat and took a nap, It was the first time I did that the entire trip. Bob was driving.
It’s absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful lighthouses. There are a lot of birds going north, a ton of birds,… Beautiful cliffs…absolutely pristine edge of the NE Continent
We are going left, or north and heading into iceberg territory. All is going well. We are being safe. Safety is very important to us so we can be back home to see our families and my son go off to college. Have a great day and God Bless you.

Leaving St Pierre et Miquelon - PLEASE HELP ! ! !

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
Just left St Pierre et Miquelon and it is so beautiful here, the people are fantastic.Thanks for everything.The fog has lifted and this is a beautiful, beautiful island. A cruise ship just pulled in as we are leaving. We know it will get rough out there but we are prepared and we WILL DO IT, No matter what! The gas for each leg is running about $2000.00 - $2500.00 and the gas here is about $5.00/gallon and will go up to about $8.00/gallon as we go. If anyone can donate a leg or partial leg that would be a blessing. Please see information about how to donate, on the web site.
Thanks for all your prayers and support. Talk to you later. God bless.

Monday, July 20, 2009

NO MATTER WHAT

Just to let anyone who reads this blog know. Bob and I are determined to finish this trip. It is a NO MATTER WHAT ISSUE. Yes, we still don't have enough fuel and are hoping a few people will decide to buy a leg. Fuel costs about five to six dollars a gallon in Canada (At the water). The boat takes about 250 gallons per leg, some more some less. The longer legs are comming up and the price of fuel seems to be going up.

We started this voyage with only seed money and we know that when we finish the voyage we will get massive media opportunities. We will use those massive media opportunities to promote the DO MORE shirts. Our goal at that time is to sell 150,000 shirts that will give us the opportunity to raise $3,000,000 for Wounded Hero Foundations.

When we started the voyage we were offered much less than we needed to fund the voyage. Bob and I prayed about it and believed it was enough to get started and depend upon the goodness of people. We were hoping the media would help us to get this message out. To this point I am disappointed in the media coverage. However, I realize that most don't realize that we have already gone 3,000 miles in the ocean from Tampa to St. Pierre which is double the World Record.

They seem to have trouble believeing we will actually cross the Atlantic ocean in a flats boat. That is only because no one has ever done it. Smaller boats have crossed but they always had a cabin, a keel, a sail, or an escort. We don't have any of the above, by definition a flats boat cannot have a cabin, a keel, or a sail. Records are broke every day.

We are hoping that a few people who love freedom and honor like I do, would like to buy a leg. Each leg left will have an average cost of about $2,500. That can be done on the donation page or you may call my Wife Anne and she will give you the wire transfer information. We have also applied for a 501(C)3 status so that you can get a tax write off. Please contact Bruce at Bruce@CrossTheAtlantic.Com for her contact information. Please don't contact her to give her a hard time about this voyage. She has done a wonderful job of standing behind me. She doesn't need a bunch of negative comments.

World Records are set by people who are willing to go beyond the normal. That is why they are called World Records. So if you think it is beyond the normal, guess what you are right.

The people of St. Pierre

Posted by Ralph from a hotel room paid for by the people of St. Pierre, otherwise we would be sleeping on the boat. We got treated to the best food I have eaten in a long time at Restaurant le feu de braise. Don't ask me what that means.

It was neat to have someone order for me in French. I had no idea what was comming, but it was great. The food was excellent then we were treated to a tour of the most beautiful Island you ever saw. I think it would have been much better if my wife Anne would have been here to enjoy it with.

There has been a steady flow of people comming by to take a picture of the boat. Many of them told me they have friends and family in France. I was not sure what that meant as we are technically in France now, at least that is what the Customs agent said.

In St Pierre et Miquelon

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
This is from 12 PM last night, I guess 12 midnight. We're on the edges of St Pierre et Miquelon and we've been driving around for a while trying to find the entrance to the harbor, the chart we have doesn't have chips for this area and we found out it’s not available, anyway we have a regular chart map to go by…... We are actually looking for the entrance to the harbor.Fog is everywhere, I think it’s here, we see lights and believe it's less than 100' away and we're going very, very, very slow. The fog is so heavy and there is almost no wind, which is scary because the waves splash water on the locks to make sure you see the locks. We don’t want to end our 6000 mile journey at 3000 miles on the Rocks, of St Pierre et Miquelon. So we go slow…
We see flashes of lights and we thought it was water breaking on locks, we are in 75 feet of water….. but it was instead lights from the harbor and looks like it's only 100' away. We're slowly creeping up to it and trying to find an opening. We're going slower and slower and slower to see the entrance to the harbor. Should we come in to the left or to the right? We decide to go right. The fog is thick…can’t see a whole lot….There is a statue, light house but it’s not working. Look there is an opening halfway down the jetty, we go there and it is, then further along another jetty. There is an opening, we go through it, and there is a space, we pull in and anchor. We made it safe and secure.
In the morning, Manuel from the local Sail School came over to check on us. Customs is waiting, some radio stations are waiting and a TV station is waiting for us this morning. We went to the Sail School and met with customs and then people from immigration, they are the most wonderful people you want to know.
The fog has lifted, it’s clear, this is the most beautiful island you've ever seen, St Pierre et Miquelon, and the nicest people we've ever met, specially Pasqual in the tourism department…. (To be continued)
God Bless,

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Getting close to St Pierre-et-Miquelon

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
We are still 68 miles from St Pierre-et-Miquelon in the Bay of St Lawrence.
St Lawrence River runs into the Atlantic Ocean. The fog is thickening and the waves are rolling in many directions. We have another 4-5 hours to go.
Talk to you later.

BIG SHARK, as BIG AS THE BOAT!!!

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed – 3 calls combined)
There was lots of fog last night so we are heading up the coast slowly, averaging about 6 miles per hour. We have to be careful as there are many, many small islands off the Canadian coast. Sure wish we had radar…anyway we are plugging along and there it is…a BIG SHARK, as BIG AS THE BOAT!!! The shark had a BIG dorsal fin, BIG tail fin. I turned around to get a better look and I yelled, Bob wake up, Bob wake up….Bob jumps up and we lost our Suzuki, can’t believe it….Before you panic, it’s not a motor, it’s a big vinyl sign, advertising for Suzuki, one of our great sponsors. It has a soft backing and it’s water resistant and we use it for a blanket when we sleep in the back of the boat, and we nicknamed it the “Suzuki”. We lost it last night….but everything else is OK we are out here heading for St Pierre et Miquelon. Do you know anyone there?
By the time we get there we will have gone 3000 miles.
WOW!!! That is 3000 miles in a 21 foot Flats Boat, a very small boat without a cabin or a keel that works perfect in very shallow water as well as the open ocean!!! Everything is running perfect and it’s very exciting and thrilling, but hard work. Thanks and talk to you later, good bye. God Bless.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

FIRST WHALE SITED....W O W

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
FIRST WHALE SITED….…W O W
We are just a few miles north of Halifax and there he is, just lying there on his back showing his fins, just resting. Bob is video taping, trying to get a little closer….It’s pouring rain fog everywhere and about 6 foot waves and there he is…W O W it is exciting…OOOPS got too close, he is gone, disappeared… …a whale and about 20 feet from us…...we are just by a Light House, old fashioned house and there are pods of Seals everywhere….WOW it’s sooo exciting….Unbelievable, talk to you later…God Bless.

Garmon 440S GPS map problems

Ralph via SAT phone (trascribed)
This is Ralph Brown, we are so glad you are following us on our journey. We have been at it since 05:00 this AM and got fueled up with 200 gallons of gas in Dartmouth Harbor, we have more in the front than the back this time. Then we went to another harbor to get a chart plotter for the Garmon 440S that was sold to us for $500.00. Guess what this GPS 440S does not cover Northern part of Canada and we found out that they don’t make a chip to upgrade it either. So Thank You very much to the one who sold it to us, saying it was all going to be working. We got another chart and are now on the way.
But No Matter What we are going to be successful on this trip to honor the Wounded Hero and their families. I know there are a lot of Good People out there who support and respect the soldiers and want to step up to the plate and help us help them, We know good people in America, Canada, Iceland, Greenland, England, France and Germany these good people will stand up for Freedom and step up with us to make this a SUCCESS.
We are leaving the Halifax area in the fog, on the way to St Pierre et Miqueleon, and we will see you there tomorrow or early Monday. Have a great day and May God Bless you all.
Bye for now.

Leaving Halifax Harbor in very heavy fog....+Update..

Ralph via SAT phone (transcribed)
We are in the process of leaving Halifax harbor, we're heading out. Right now it's Saturday morning at about 09 30 EST about 10 30 our time, we're in a heavy, heavy fog we can only see less than 50 feet in any direction, we hear horns from other vessels around us and are scared they are coming down on us.I wish we had a radar, but we don't have a radar. We are heading northwest looking for Dartmouth Yacht Club, hearing horns of big vessels from left and right and behind us as we move forward through the fog. There is a huge shipping ‘thing’ going on here with tall ships in Halifax Nova Scotia. I see a reflection of something in the distance, I don't know what it is but I see it. It is exciting we're moving closer and closer looking for Dartmouth yacht club, we have to get 200 gallons of fuel before we head for St Pierrre Miqueleon, French Territory. Now there is a horn blasting behind us, and we don't see it, but we hear it. We have to send a return blast from us, as we're going through the fog at Halifax harbor, Nova Scotia before we go to St Pierre Miquelone. We got a lot of attention and people here. There is a red light up ahead, we don't know what it is, we can’t see it in the fog, We have to be careful, we may have to get out of here fast. I have to get off the phone and really pay attention so we can get out of here. The fog is closing in on us now. The visibility is about 8-10 feet less now, as we move out of the Halifax Harbor. We’ll get back with you later with some more information, goodbye
Update:
Halifax - July 17th -
We arrived at Bishops Landing at 12:30 AM July 17, and stayed at a slip provided by Peter Murphy. The local people we met were extremely friendly and supportive. All the tall ships people were very nice.
We slept on the boat while in harbor and enjoyed the local coffee shop Cafe Ristretto where we had internet access.
We left at 9:30 AM July 18 - on our way to St. Pierre et Miquelon (French Island off the coast of Newfoundland).
Ralph

Friday, July 17, 2009

Thu, Jul 16, 2009

Ralph via SAT phone - (Transcribed): Good morning this is Ralph, we're about 40 miles south of Nova Scotia doing some trolling for Tuna, hoping to catch one as big as the boat or close to it! We are in 230 feet of water and getting in a shower and doing some tuna hunting. Last night when we left Boston, it was utterly beautiful. About 2-3 feet waves and wind in our faces. The only thing missing was my wife, it would have been great to have her with me. OK, last night we did about 25 knots and we made good time. I guess we're trolling for a little while so thank you very much. Back to you later. Bye.

Wed, Jul 15, 2009

Ralph via SAT phone - (Transcribed): Finally heading out of Boston Harbor. We stayed here a lot longer than planned as we had to pull the boat out of water to get an oil change and fill up with gas. Finally we are heading out, we're about 5-6 hours behind schedule. We'll probably get some fishing time in at an ideal spot between here and Halifax, but if not, we'll get it in first thing in the morning. We are excited as we head out of the harbor, it's beautiful. Beautiful location and houses in Boston Harbor, beautiful sunset in the background. I will talk with you again tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

** Please Note: These Posts are being transcribed from Sat phone messages.

Ralph via SAT phone - (Transcribed): Hi this is Ralph, we're getting ready to leave Boston harbor on our way to Halifax, which is approximately 440 miles. We expect to do some exciting tuna fishing on the way. It is getting kind of crazy right now, my phone is ringing off the hook as we try to get out the door, everybody and their brother seems to be calling me all of a sudden. It is slowing us down as we try to get on our way, we were supposed to leave at 11 o'clock, it's almost 1 PM and we haven't left yet. We will be stopping for an oil change at an authorized Suzuki Dealer. They are one of our sponsors and are doing a great job for us. We are very excited as we cross the Atlantic Ocean on the I am Second Wounded Hero Voyage. We are also very excited to be going out tuna fishing on the way to Halifax, Canada. Thank you and have a Great day. God Bless.

Monday, July 13, 2009

More in Boston

We plan to stay here in Boston until Wednesday at 11 am. The reason is that we would like to drum up some more media attention. Today, we were interviewed by FOX 25 and three seperate national radio programs.

We are hoping to really get the word out as I know there are a lot of persons who love America like i love this country. It is more than just this country, America is an idea. It is an idea of self responsibility, and of community, where we help each other because we want to help each other not because the government makes us.

It is an idea where you can choose to live the way you believe is right and you can succeed or fail all on your own. It is a place to worship God in the way you wish. America is bigger than us all. America truly is beautiful. It is worth living and fighting for.

We are so grateful for the men and women who put the uniform on and risk it all. Well we plan on heading for Halifax in a few days. I have to admit I am somewhat worried about funding. I know once we finish the trip the media will jump way up dramatically and we will sell a lot more shirts. Hopefully another sponsor will step up before then and we won't have to use any shirt money to support the trip. Hopefully we won't get stuck in Greenland.
Thank you,

Ralph

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Boston

Bob and I got here yesterday. The tall ship parade was going on as we docked at the Ship Yard Quarters. We went out into the parade. I kid you not there must have been a thousand boats going all around the harbor. We drove around trying to be seen.
As I went down one canal I got to hear "I AM SECOND, I AM SECOND, I AM SECOND. don't go there" We got out of the circle for a little bit and the coast guard was nice enough to direct us back into the circle.

Being on the road and living on such a small vessel has it's own dificulties. Where do you shower? Where do you sleep? on the rear deck. What if it is raining? on the rear deck with a rain coat on. Most problems are overcomable. Missing your wife and kids is tough. My wife, Anne, not only is she a great kisser but is also my best friend. I really miss her.

I miss Phillip, as he gets ready for College. Heath, as he takes something else apart, hopefully it will still work, Brittany, she is just Brittany. Daddy's little girl

I miss church and all my friends at Northcliffe Baptist Church in Spring Hill. In my adult life I don't think I have ever missed church three weeks in a row. Sometimes, you have to just grow up and go to work. That is what this is, work. We have been running non stop for so long. When we are in port there is always a lot to do.

Without publicity it is just a long boat ride. With the publicity we can lift up Sgt John Harvey, Cpl George Holmes, and SSgt Dewey Johnson. With the publicity we can promote DO MORE than just say thanks.

With the publicity we can sell our goal of 150,000 shirts and donate $3,000,000 to wounded hero foundations. That is why when we are in port we are always working on getting publicity.

There is always something to fix. We broke out spare motor bracket, replaced it and then came back and built a reinforcement because it was about to break again. We are constantly unpacking and repacking half the boat.

I am looking forward to our next leg about 425 miles to Halifax Canada. This will be a much slower pace and we intend to do a lot of fishing on this leg. I hope to catch some tuna as big as the boat.

We will be in port until Wednesday at 11 am.
More to come,
Ralph

Saturday, July 11, 2009

New York Day 4

Posted by Anne:

If any of you were watching the Early Show on CBS you may have seen two familiar faces. Ralph & Bob were on the plaza this morning trying to drum up some more press. They called home early this morning and said they were there and had talked to Dave Price and Chris Wragge. After that they got ready and set sail into the next phase of their historic journey.

I talked to Ralph this evening and he was in South Hampton living it up with the rich and famous!! Just kidding! He was in the Hampton's and they did crash a Captain's dinner trying to spark more interest in the trip. Soon after our call they were to set sail to Boston to continue their promise of making a difference. They should be in Boston sometime in the next 24-48 hours and I will try to update when I hear from them.

Please join us in doing our best to DO MORE THAN JUST SAY THANKS! Tell all your friends and co-workers about our project and encourage them to buy a shirt or donate or sponsor a portion of this trip. Send this project information to all your face book and twitter friends just like my best friend did today. Let's all do what we can to raise money for our troops because many of them gave everything including their lives for us!! Could we not sell a shirt for them??
Thank You!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

New York Day 3

Posted by Anne:

Ralph & Bob are running around New York and trying to get into media outlets so that they can get the story out. The Media firm that was hired did some press releasing but Ralph is going door by door to met face to face to try to lock in some times before they ship out to Boston. Bob and Ralph were in front of CBS today and ran into Katie Couric and briefly spoke to her and gave some CBS associates info on the voyage. Hopefully they will follow through and we can sell some shirts.

The fact is that we were only partially sponsored when the voyage began and we felt that after the voyage was underway we would get more sponsors and the shirt sales would really catch on. The Reality is that we still need sponsors and we have not had the shirt sales that we anticipated that we would. While they have not been bad they have not been great. So please tell all your friends to support such a wonderful cause because there is not greater cause than freedom.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

New York Cont...

Posted by Anne:

Ralph & Bob are having a time in NYC. They are getting around town by good old foot action. They have delayed the next leg to Boston for a few days until they can get some more Media coverage as you might know right now it is hard because of all the Michael Jackson Coverage. The Fox Show @ 4:00 was an Internet show which we just found out as he did the spot. Although it has over a million viewers Strategy Sessions in an online show. Ralph and Bob met up with Geraldo in the Fox building and gave him some info so who knows what they can accomplish on the ground there. We only have one shot at Media Coverage in New York @ this particular time so they are in town working hard to drum up Media Coverage.

I was told that I should not make it sound like they are relaxing and taking it easy. I should let everyone know that they have been working night & day around the clock and not much relaxing has been going on. It is a tiresome task and lesser men would never ever try to achieve it.

We need to sell DO MORE SHIRTS so please tell your friends!!!

Monday, July 6, 2009

New York

Posted by Anne:

Ralph & Bob made it to NYC about 3:30 p.m.. They are having a blast!! They are set to be on Fox National News tomorrow@ 4:00 p.m. Strategy Room Sessions and are being interviewed by Newsweek in the morning. They are definitely trying to strike a fire under the shirt sales because that is the life blood of this project. Along with a few more sponsorships that we desperately need.
Ralph will post more details in the future.

Norfolk,Va

Posted by Anne:

Ralph & Bob ran out of time in Charleston and got a really late start to Norfolk, Va. On top of the late start the weather was a bit stormy and it was a quite a jaunt. They got into Norfolk just in time to get gas and turn around and get back on the road or shall I say the Sea again. When I spoke to the dock master on Sunday Afternoon He told me that the weather was getting bad and that they would never get there until Monday. Boy I guess he was surprised!! Ralph will fill in details later.

Charleston, South Carolina

Posted by Anne:
Ralph & Bob had a challenging trip from Jacksonville to Charleston, South Carolina. They decided to run offshore instead of right off the coast and they were in 3-6 ft seas and the bracket that holds the second motor on gave up the ghost!!

Upon getting to Charleston Bernie and Barbara were there to help Ralph get all the parts needed to get it fixed. Ralph & Bob worked until late into the night and still did not finish fixing the boat so they started bright and early July 4. Bernie and Barbara were a blessing and a God send and were there for us the whole time. Thank You!! Your efforts meant more than you will ever know!! Just about the time they thought that was fixed they were giving a ride to Christian (who is Bernie & Barbara's son) and they lost the Flag pole overboard!!

The Kids and I had gone to Charleston to meet Ralph & Bob for July 4Th and to help sell DO MORE SHIRTS. On July 4Th We were docked just aft of the Yorktown and boy was it hot!! Shirt sales were a little slow and the day was long. It was something to be in a place where history is all around you on one of the most patriotic days if the Year!! Please Help US Do More by telling everyone you know about our cause and supporting our troops.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Ran out of time continue later.

To be continued

Jacksonville

Bob was still asleep on the deck when I docked. He slept is public view for about two hours. I could not bring myself to wake him. When I moved the boat he woke up.

There was a rally for the Tea Party next to us. Most of these people seemed to love America and the principals that made us great. They all loved our story of using this publicity to promote Do More than just say thanks to the wounded hero and the family left behind.

One Guy wanted to sell a case of shirts for us. Others couldn't believe we still needed more sponsorship. We can't do consignment, but it was cool that the good people of Pine Land Marina, Pine Island, Florida, bought a case to sell. It is our goal to not use any shirt money for the voyage. I know we will get a lot more publicity the farther we go and hopefully from the publicity we will find more sponsorship. Yes, the good people at Interstate Battery and I AM SECOND have helped out a lot but not the full sponsorship.

Cape Canaveral

We arrived a few minutes late at Rusty's Restaurant in Port Canaveral. Turns out we knew the owners. While waiting for the TV people from Orlando we learned of the terrible tragedy of a child getting swallowed by a snake and a ride incident in Orlando.

Bob and I both went to Cocoa Beach High School right next door. My wife, Bob's Wife and my sister in law, Shelley, with her son Micah, came to see us.

We needed some video so Bob loaned his camera to a friend who went to the jetty, we raced around the jetty only to find out the friend did not have the camera on. Earlier when Bob jumped off the boat to take video in the storm, the camera malfunctioned. We still don't have good video of the boat at speed.

We left for Jacksonville much later than planned. While bouncing over 3 footers we lost the flag pole. It floats we drove around in circles for a about a half hour thank God the bottom foot is white. That is what helped us to find it.

We had to go wide around the Space center watching for many metal buoys including one with no lights. That is not cool at night. I saw it with the spot light, I can't believe it was directly in our path. That would have shortened our trip.

The trip up the St Johns river to Jacksonville was without incident. Just beautiful going past all the big ships. Bob was sound asleep on the aft deck.

Miami

Please forgive me for taking so long to get this up.

In Islamorada we took on Julio Salazar, a real hero who took some shrap metal for us in Iraq. He not only wanted to drive but he knew the waters. While we were only 30 foot from the fuel docks we forgot to do the obvious, ask them when they closed. When ever we get to port there are always a lot of things to do and there is never enough time.

We usually sleep on the aft (rear) deck of the boat while moving. You are usually getting soaked while sleeping and bouncing over waves. That takes a few days to get used to. So you are totally exausted when you get to port and try to find somewhere to sleep for an hour or two.

So getting back to the fuel dock, when we went to fill it up, they had just closed 15 minutes before went over. We had to take seven jery jugs to the gas station. There is so much more to tell, I am sure Bob will have it in the next book.

We got to Miami without any problems. We did have to do some running around to get the oil changed.

When we left Miami to go to Cape Canaveral we stopped by a near by bridge to fish for about 45 minutes. Bob and Julio did all the fishing they caught 9 snapper and one grouper. Then the storm rolled in. With lightning all around us, they both got mad at me for insisting that we strap in before we took off. If we got struck by lighning it is the concussion that scares me. That concussion would disoriente us and someone could fall off the boat.

We raced the storm up the coast, out in the ocean. The coast guard snuck up on us off Jupiter Beach.

We stopped in Sebastian Inlet to change riders. That is when we learned that FOX New York did a story about us. Someone walked up to us on the dock and asked us if we were the boat he just saw on FOX and Friends. WOW.

Then off to Cape Canaveral

We took off up the coast in 2-3 seas and anchored off Turkey Key for a few z.