Voyage of the Capricorn Lady, Book One, Lost at Sea With Daniel T., is a true story about a Caribbean Charter yacht couple. Captain Judith Gilman and her husband, Captain Dan T. Gilman III, sailed away from their life of prestige and social status in Central Florida, after they lost their business and almost all their personal possessions in the mid-1970s. With no advance planning, emotionally struggling to adjust to a totally different kind of life, they made their way through the Bahamas to the Virgin Islands on their aging wooden sailboat, Capricorn, with one daughter and their Himalayan Cat. Book One describes the author’s early life, her meeting and marriage to Dan, and the events that cast them adrift to an uncertain future. One moonlit night at Salt Pond Bay in the Exumas, Dan and Judi were thrown out of their rubber dinghy when it hit an obstruction in the water. As the swift current carried them out toward the open sea, the boat turned in a circle, striking Dan in the face with the propeller of the 15 horsepower engine. Their rescue by a "mysterious stranger" was followed by a wild midnight ride in an old flatbed truck to a tiny clinic at Dead Man’s Cay. Bahamas Air Sea Rescue flew the couple to Nassau where Dan had surgery, and subsequently healed from his horrific wounds. After he regained his strength, the couple made their way to the Virgin Islands where they were introduced to "crewed chartering" as a way of life.
The first book chronicles in detail their cruising live-aboard life, and incredible adventures as they sailed into the culture of many island societies. Dan and Judi rode out several hurricanes on Capricorn, almost sank several times, and lost all their personal belongings when the boat actually did sink on it’s mooring at Red Hook one black night. Stories of the charter life, guests and crews, and the colorful characters, who were part of the fabric of their lives during this period, are told with sharp detail right down to the fabulous cuisine that was served.
Voyage of the Capricorn Lady is not just a book about boats and chartering; it is the story of a personal journey told with honesty. Two families were forever damaged by the events that cast this couple on their path to a life of love and adventure. Working together, they brought joy to their guests, but failed to heal wounds resulting from their wrenching departure from family and friends.
Dreams and Psychic occurrences during the author’s life are woven through the tapestry of the book. They reaffirm the author’s belief in the afterlife, and the timelessness of her connection to her Captain. The first book ends with the sale of the 40’ Newporter Ketch, Capricorn, as the couple leaves the Virgin Islands to search for a new boat to continue their charter career. Book Two is a continuation of the author’s voyage, from the decks of the 71’ Trumpy charter yacht, Capricorn Lady, to the banks of the Siuslaw River on the Oregon Coast.
"Forever", not until "Death Do Us Part", is the theme of this loving memoir of a Captain and His Lady.
