The Crew
Richard was born in Massachusetts as a member of the baby boomer generation.  He
got his first taste of sailing at a young age, crewing on sailboats in nearby Marblehead,
where he particularly enjoyed the festivities of Race Week.  Through the years he
sailed whenever possible, but work and other priorities unfortunately conflicted with his
love for sailing.  After a long career in the hotel and restaurant industry, followed by
another career in the telecommunications business, he came to the realization that
there was more to life than work, and looking for a passion to with which to balance his
life, he jumped head first back into sailing.  After taking some refresher US Sailing
cruising and bareboat courses from J World in Newport, RI he was ready to start
chartering in the Caribbean.  He was hooked.  Numerous bareboat charters later, and
having had the great fortune of refreshing an old friendship with Penny, who was
shortly promoted to the dual positions of Wife and Admiral, the search was on for a
boat of their own.  Now he's one of the luckiest guys in the world.  He's got a
fabulous wife, a great boat, and the time to enjoy life.  And, let's not forget Otis.  
But you'll learn more about him later.  Let the Adventure begin.
Penny was born in Michigan and started sailing at an early age. From the time she
was 8 until age 13 her family lived in England and she took her first lessons in the cold
North Sea. Her father had a 30' mahogany Bermudan sloop named "M'Rene" which was
a weekend family getaway for many years.  Returning to the USA, her family then
lived on Walnut Lake, one of the many small lakes of the Water Wonderland. An Alcort
"Catfish" was a much used 16th birthday present, sometimes setting out before school
in the morning. Many summers were spent lazing away the day on Lake St Clair and
Lake Michigan on family boats. Adult life saw the times of such fun wane with the
responsibilities of the real world: art school, retail management, event planning and
restaurant ownership. You may view her current artistic outlet through her photography
on these pages and her beaded jewelry at Penelope Studio Designs. But love of the
water and sail did not fade and there was always a draw back to the beach or boat.
While living in Atlanta there were a few trips to the islands by boat, teasing the
future. Twelve years ago with serious life changing events, the dream was hatched and
became a very earnest goal. Otis came along to help, dropped in by fate, and then one
day she knocked on Richard's door. How smart that was! Her sailor in shining armour
really did exist. Penny and Richard were married in 2004 and the dream grew wings.
Otis has no birth date that we know of so he is ageless but came to join the crew in
2001. Always willing to try new things, he has survived being abandoned by his previous
owner, lost in the North Georgia mountains after chasing a cat, learned to scale the
companionway steps without assistance, trusted his owners navigational skills to the
next dinghy stop, flown from rocking dinghy onto rocking Rose, been harnessed,
jacketed and tethered in 8ft seas and has only once gone missing between boat and
dock. He hopes to graduate soon to Doggy Go-on-Board and has excelled in the
Barketing Department. He has two legged friends in every port and plans to meet
every cat along the way of the voyage of the Rose. Where are we going today, Mom?
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Travels of the Viking Rose
The Crew on the Bow
Penny at the Helm
Penny and the Beez