Bob and Linda are long-time residents of Washington State - Linda was born and raised in Aberdeen and has lived in Washington all her life; Bob was born in San Diego, and moved to Washington when he was five years old. They were married on October 24, 1998, on Freeman Island, just off the north coast of Orcas Island, in the beautiful San Juan Islands, and made their home in Olympia, the state capital, before they began full-time cruising. Between them they have four children, six grandchildren, one great grandchild, a beautiful sailboat, and a passion for sailing and exploring.
Bob and Linda have both retired from long-time careers. In May 2010 they sold their home and the vast majority of their "stuff" and moved aboard Bright Angel to prepare for their upcoming "cruising life" together.
Linda worked for over 26 years in the beauty business for Redken / L'Oreal, where she was both a Business Development Manager in four northwestern states, and a Sales Development Manager in Washington and Oregon.
After graduating with a Bachelors degree in Far Eastern Studies from the University of Washington in 1971, Bob spent four years on active duty in the US Army as a commissioned officer. In 1975 he left active duty to attend law school at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. He graduated with his Juris Doctor degree in 1978, and began a 30-year career as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Washington, specializing in civil trial and appellate work. After a three-year stint as an enlisted man in the US Coast Guard Reserve during law school, Bob returned to the Army reserve components as a Captain in the Washington Army National Guard in February 1983. He retired in November 2007 as a Colonel. He is a grauate of the US Army War College, where he earned a Masters degree in Stategic Studies. He commanded at every level through brigade.
Bob and Linda have been sailing together since they bought their first sailboat in 1995, an Ericson 29. They especially enjoyed cruising and exploring in the beautiful San Juan Islands aboard their Ericson, and they chartered twice in the Caribbean paradise of the British Virgin Islands. Somewhere in those idyllic archipelagoes the dream of world cruising was born. In 2003 Bob and Linda bought their Mason 44 in order to fullfill those dreams. Bob honed his sailing skills as crew for Skipper Dave Knowlton, racing for many years aboard Dave's beloved S/VKoosah, a Peason 36, to include sailing in numerous Swiftsure races.
Bob and Linda are members of both the Olympia Yacht Club and the South Sound Sailing Society.