Ahoy there my stalwart friends!
Welcome to an unusual opportunity.
Glorious years on the oceans of the world leave me a blessed man, humbled by the joy, passion, and natural beauty of what has surrounded me. My lovely ship and I have shared events and experiences rare and wonderful and challenging in many countries with many mates. Cassiopeia's unique nature and uncanny sailing prowess, along with all the dancing on the deck, has left a grinning and respectful impression on sailors throughout the Caribbean and Pacific.
The adventures of the good ship Cassiopeia and her Captain continue, and as with any good adventure story there are interesting twist and turns. At this turn of the adventure the good ship and her captain have chosen an audacious plan in order to continue the pursuit of dreams as a way of life. Backed against the rocks after an attempt to create a land life and join the regular ways of doing things the dynamic duo of Cassiopeia and Capt Harry have been forced to consider separation for survival.
Alas, the response from those who know them, was a long list of horrified rejections of the notion that the Captain should sell his beloved vessel. For Cassiopeia to survive however she needs parts and paint. For Captian Harry to survive he needs to follow a dream and write “the book” to launch a career.
Unfortunately the ordinary world has found the Captain toiling in the ordinary manner and finding himself in the shockingly ordinary position of barely producing the minimum required rations of grog and provisions. This has left Cassiopeia severely wanting and “the book” postponed day after day.
Indeed the book has been eagerly anticipated by the many who have been entwined in the adventures and long awaited in the captains heart. Cassiopeia has shared herself with hundreds who believe in her magic and would be saddened by her imminent demise. She needs immediate attention to survive.
And so it has now been suggested by more than one who are aware of the current circumstances that there could be a sloution. After repeating the concept to many other stalwarts and friends of the duo it has illicited the exact response from each, “Good idea. Do it!”
Thus I am.
Audacious as it is, piratical in its nature, it actually has, when looked at from a certain angle, a probability for success.
The suggestion is:
Set aside one year to re fit Cassiopeia and write “the book”. Fund this by getting two hundred friends to pledge two hundred dollars each.
Save the dream and the boat. Simple.
The pledgers become publishing partners in the book and as a group will initially recoup their pledge from the royalties produced and as a group receive 50% of any profits thereafter.
Cassiopeia will be saved and ready for all pledgers to enjoy again.
The pledges will not be collected until the target is reached and the funds will be placed in an account to be distributed into seperate accounts for the refit materials and the book/refit retainer. Cassiopeia materials will be allotted 40% of the funds and the rest will be considered a writers retainer and funding for living while completing the refit.
So for the price of a night out for two, from a small segment of those who have memories of a special moment spent on the deck of a unique ship, in the charge of a unique Captain, those past moments can be enshrined in print and future moments ensured.
To ensure supporters will be able to follow the project,, a blog site will be regaled with refit progress reports, snippets of stories and accounting reports.
For the refit the usual Tom Sawyer approach will be applied to the endeavors on Cassiopeia using valiant crew to perform incredible building and maintenance task as an opportunity for their personal growth while enjoying life aboard in a tropical paradise.
For the book Captain Harry will apply the writers discipline of two thousand words a day minimum produced, which in 1999 led to fifteen pieces being published by him and is the accepted method of many a successful mentor. Focus on the book will be achieved and the years of story telling along with the many already written outlines for the dreamed of work will enable prolific progress.
Many of you may remember holding your hands over your head and shouting “Yeah for Us!”
This project will include daily re-enactions of that powerful moment and will undoubtedly create spin off energy and events producing even further stories.
You are cordially invited to join in with a pledge or vicariously, or
physically or in any capacity you can imagine! Personal visits to a tropical paradise for verification of achievements are encouraged!
To check on the pledge progress please log onto http://cassiopeiarefit.blogspot.com/
To make a pledge please send an email and contact details to svcassiopeia@yahoo.com
When I receive your pledge email I will return a confirmation which will include the partnership agreement in the book and an account number for the funds to be transferred into. You will be allotted a pledge number and it will be posted on the blog site. You may request to have your pledge listed as anonymous if you need. Bank transfers or Western Union or any method of your choice will be happily accepted. When the target of two hundred pledges is reached I will send an email requesting the transfer and then a confirmation upon receipt.
The optimum starting date for this project is May 1st of this year so please send me your thoughts as soon as you can.
For more details on the refit, the book and the accounts please see attachments.
Many years ago the gift of a dream come true was bestowed upon me. Thus a faith in dreams and the passion that goes with them have guided my way. Saving the lovely Cassiopeia and sharing my adventures and reflections is now even more than a dream. It feels as both a dream and an obligation.
I must thank all of you for your years of support and interest as that spirit is what has infused Cassiopeia with the magic energy that oozes from her timbers. If I must let her go to save her I will, but I believe that our time together is not yet over and this challenge is simply another page in the book.
Thanks,
Captain Harry
