Cruising The Caribbean

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About Us

General & Career

I am Electronics Engineer with a 2 year Digital Electronics and software Bias. (Masters equivalent in the USA) I was fortunate enough to win a scholarship in my early reckless year after high school with a leading electronics company in Chiswick West London. They funded 4 of my 6 years of extended education, the last 2 years were funded by The Airports Authority at London Heathrow Airport where I worked as a maintenance engineer. I entered Document Management (DM), Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) and Engineering Information Management Systems (EIMS) in about 1985.

I have only worked for about 5 companies since I left School, tenures being around 12 and 13 years respectively at the last 2. I did not jump ship to get more cash, I made enough and managed it accordingly. I consider myself an excellent money manager. However, I am very conservative and tend to be better at saving and preserving capital than making giant returns to brag about, or losses that I can fret and loose sleep over for that matter.

My main career has been in Pre-Sales Technical Support, specializing in Document Management (DM) and Enterprise Content Management (ECM). I have over 25 years experience in this field from the inception of DM to what it is today (ECM) I still do some light consulting in this field and enjoy it.

My most recent position was Technical Sales Support Director for a Major Document Management and Workflow provider, where I directed and managed a small team of very talented Engineers and help closed major sales opportunities.

My wife Brenda was in High Level Office Management and Project Administration all her Career. Her most recent position was Assistant to the Director of a Major Health Department.

Financial Considerations

All of our non IRA or 401k funds were/are fully insured at the credit unions we patronize, the insurance body is called the NCUA (National Credit Union Administration) Not the FDIC, the FDIC insures the banks and brokerage houses, not credit unions.

About 25% of our total cash nest egg is in qualified IRA or 401k Plans

I officially retired (the first time) in August 2002

Brenda retired in February 2004

We sold our home of 13 years in California in September of 2003, just before the peak of the market. this turned out to be a good time to sell in Southern California

I went to the Caribbean in November 2003 to help my friend take delivery of the boat and prepare it for the Winter season, returning to California for Christmas and New Year

We both left California for good in January 2004, when I went to the boat for the second time in this season taking Brenda for the remainder of the Winter

We spent the summer of 2004 with family in Canada returning to the Caribbean in the winter after hurricane season was over with

We spent the whole winter of 2004/2005 cruising the Caribbean, returning to Canada in the summer to spend time with family

After the boat was sold in St. Marten, we travelled to St. Augustine Florida, where we rented a property on the water for about 2 years

We finally purchased a home on Anastasia Island in St. Augustine in December of 2007 where we live today

Some Historical Information

I left England in 1982 for work in Toronto Canada

I moved to Calgary Canada in 1985

I met my wife Brenda in Calgary and married in 1987

We moved to Denver Colorado in 1988

We moved to California in early 1990

We purchased our Mission Viejo, California home in 1991

We Purchased our St. Augustine Florida home in 2007