From my first charter (December 08)

Seconds on a trip of Priceless Firsts….

I’ve never been to Key West, not by plane, train or automobile, let alone a sailing yacht.  It was a first and one of a kind trip, sailing from Marathon to Key West and back on LeSprit Libre II, a sturdy, beautiful Tayana (Fantasia) Captained by Thom Harris, and accompanied by an old college friend who agreed to pay for the whole trip if I didn’t have the time of my life.

I wasn’t completely sold on the trip.  I like sailing, and like the warm weather being from the Finger Lakes of Central New York.  But we could be there in 45 minutes by car – why not just drive down and back and spend more time in the restaurants and bars rather than the six hour sail each way?  Well, Ok, let’s give it a go and take what we get.  We’ll sail. 

As they say, the journey is the thing, not the destination.  By the time we anchored off Key West, after a beautiful day in transit, we decided to watch the sunset from the deck of the boat over cocktails and hor’dourvs of smoked squid and ginger calamari, followed by a gourmet meal of roasted and grilled guinea foul and ratatouille, accompanied by a nice Beaujolais Villages.  As it turns out, Catp. Harris is not only a master seaman, but a gourmet (trained in France) chef.  I had to have seconds…. Just had to. 

Having dined and imbibed to hearts content, we decided to dinghy in to Key West in the morning…why rush, and the sunset had dissolved into a sea of stars that needed tending.  We sat under the night sky feeling the warm trade breeze and enjoying the distant lights of town dancing on the water and engaged conversation on how to right the economy, end world hunger and what Obama should do in his first 100 minutes, followed by being gently rocked to sleep in the comfort of my cabin berth. 

 

The scent of espresso compelled movement in the early morning light, followed by a ham and cheese omelet, fresh fruit and toast.  It was the first of several gourmet feasts of the day.  Captain Harris is enjoying his life, having traded in his pinstripes, braces and bow ties for a Captain’s hat, Chef Jacket and orange shorts (to match the canvas of the ship).  It’s clearly a lifestyle upgrade for him, and he made sure we all felt quietly upgraded to the comfort and pleasure of his remarkable hospitality and great good humor. 

 

The trip was priceless; I’m completely sold on life aboard.  As I went back for seconds all too often when enjoying his meals, I’ll most certainly return for seconds, and then thirds to visit Capt Harris and the LesSprit Libre II whenever I need to get my priorities straight, nerves calmed and tummy tickled.  

 

Update on Monday, February 23, 2009 at 10:28AM by Thom

In December of 2008, Jim and I arrived in Marathon aboard our sailing vessel, the Emerald Seas. While listening to the Cruiser's Net, another yachter, Captain Thom Harris, had an open invitation for interested divers or snorkellers to join him for some diving. We had a great time!

Later in the month, Captain Thom, announced on the Cruiser's Net, an open invitation for a special New Year's dinner. We had already sampled some of Captain Thom's culinary delights so we signed up for the special event right away.

The evening was spectacular. Pre-dinner drinks, tasty appetizers and then the highlight of the evening - confit de canard -- Duck cooked in its own fat
and bottled til using. Very French, absolutely gourmet - served with champagne and a 1979 vintage red wine.

Thom made our New Years Eve a very special occasion. One that we will remember always.

We consider Captain/ Chef Thom Harris to be a very special kind of guy - he can make everyone feel at home, is great to talk with and has many entertaining adventures and stories to share.