Voyage of the Capricorn Lady-Bk II [Unabridged] [Hardcover]

Judith Gilman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2005

VOYAGE OF THE CAPRICORN LADY BOOK TWO The Shadow of His Smile Voyage of the Capricorn Lady, Book Two, The Shadow Of His Smile, continues the true story about a Caribbean Charter yacht couple, Captain Judith Gilman and her husband, Captain Dan T. Gilman III. After they lost their business and almost all their personal possessions in central Florida, they sailed away on an aging wooden sailboat, finding a new life in the Crewed Charter Industry in the Virgin Islands.

The first book, Voyage of the Capricorn Lady, Book One, Lost at Sea with Daniel T., recounts Dan and Judi’s miraculous escape from almost certain death after a boating accident in the lower Bahamas, and chronicles the challenging and adventurous life they stumbled into that would provide a new career for the next 23 years.

After they sold their sailboat, Capricorn, in 1980, they became the new owners of a 71’ Trumpy Houseboat, built in 1947. From 1980 until 1999, Dan and Judi Gilman owned and operated Capricorn Lady in the British Virgin Islands, hosting Oscar winners, film directors, royals, and families from around the world. The vessel, and her owners, was featured in many international yachting and travel magazines, and was one of the first motor vessels to do crewed charters in the Virgin Islands. Dan and Judi purchased another smaller Trumpy, Capricorn Mistress in 1985 to join the Lady at her Nanny Cay base, often running the two vessels in tandem to provide accommodations for large family reunions, and corporate charters. Licensed Captain, First Mate, and Master Chef, Judi, a Capricorn Lady, tells "all" with a sense of humor and obvious love for the life she shared with Captain Dan. Tales of charter guests, charter crews, colorful island characters, beloved friends, and life in the beautiful British Virgins, are spiced with the memories of years of hard work and accomplishment. Judi describes what life was really like, "below decks", on her successful charter yacht, as she and her husband strived to provide luxurious cruises for their guests, aboard a classic wooden yacht.

Judi embarked on her voyage of love and adventure with Dan in 1964, and during their life together, they shared many tests of their ability to adapt to new circumstances. Never separated, working together 24 hours a day, they were loved and admired by their charter guests, but failed to heal the wounds caused by their abrupt departure from their previous life. Two families suffered the pain of separation, never sailing across distant horizons to reach the shores of forgiveness. This phase of the Capricorn Lady’s journey culminated with Dan’s death from Lung Cancer in April 2003, after a fierce two-year battle for survival. Travel with Judi from the carefree golden sands of the Caribbean to the Cancer Centers in Oregon where Dan stood his final watch. Judi’s beloved Captain departed "across the bar" in Florence, Oregon, leaving her in a world far from the sunny islands of the Caribbean. Learning to cope without her beloved soul mate, while transitioning to a new and interesting life, is her new challenge for the future. Dreams and psychic occurrences during Judi’s life, and after Dan’s death, confirm the bonds of love that bind this Capricorn Lady and her Captain, "Forever". The Capricorn Lady’s Voyage will continue "Somewhere Beyond the Sea".

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Judith Bauer Gilman was born on January 12th, under the sign of Capricorn, in Rome, New York. She graduated from Utica School of Commerce, and was employed as an Executive Secretary and Administrative Assistant for companies in New York, Ohio and Florida. With her former husband, Judi owned and operated several companies in Central Florida before marrying Daniel Trimble Gilman III in 1971.

Following a severe slump in the Central Florida economy in the mid-1970 and the collapse of their Real Estate business, Judi sailed away to the Bahamas with her husband on their aging wooden sailboat, Capricorn. After a close brush with death in a boating accident in the Exumas, the couple made their way to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgins, arriving in 1977, where they found work in the crewed charter industry, taking guests aboard their boat for week long cruises through the British Virgin Islands. In 1980 they sold their sailboat and purchased a classic 1947 Trumpy Motor Yacht to continue their charter career.

From 1980 until 1999 Judi owned and operated a Charter Tour Company in the British Virgin Islands with her husband. Their luxury yachts provided crewed vacations for guests from around the world, and guests often returned to cruise every year. Guests referred to Judi’s cooking as "Great Cuisine of the Sea", raving about the delicious meals that were tastefully prepared and elegantly presented on Capricorn Lady.

For many years, Judi was the volunteer Secretary of the Charter Yacht Society of the BVI, doing the business of the Society from the crew area of Capricorn Lady. She worked with boats and agents to organize Charter Yacht Shows in the British Virgins, spotlighting BVI crewed charter operators as a recognized and valued part of the country’s economy.

After selling Capricorn Lady to a charter guest in 1999, Judi left the islands with her husband. Their partnership of almost 40 years is a love story that cannot be ended by his death from Lung Cancer in 2003.

Judi lives with her two cats, and Yorki Dog, in a historic 100-year-old building in Florence, Oregon on the scenic Oregon Coast, on the banks of the Siuslaw River. Her tiny bookstore, Captain’s Lady, is a favorite stop for locals and tourists, specializing in books on a wide variety of categories such as Philosophy, Poetry, Native American Culture, Spirituality, and Religion. Captain’s Lady sells incense and pirate flags, sarongs and wind chimes, and many other items both old and new; there is something for everyone in Captain’s Lady Store, especially friendly conversation.

Judi sells books through her online store at Amazon.com, and helps her two daughters, Barbara and Lauri, in their Dollar Store in Florence, Oregon. She stays in touch with her friends in the Caribbean, and often assists clients to find the perfect yacht to cruise the peaceful islands of the British Virgins. In the winter, Judi is General Manager for a large Snowmobile Tour Company in the Colorado Mountains. She lives and works at 12,000 feet, continuing the mountain adventure she embarked on with her husband. In her "spare time", she writes, paints, and enjoys her grandchildren. The author’s first book, The Voyage of the Capricorn Lady, Book One, Lost at Sea with Daniel T., and her second, The Voyage of the Capricorn Lady, Book Two, The Shadow of His Smile, represent a loving tribute to her husband, and are a response to the plea of one of her husband’s children to know the complete story of what happened when they were young. She is presently working on her third book, JOURNEY OF THE CAPRICORN LADY, Book Three, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. Email to [e-mail]

Product Details

• Hardcover: 444 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corporation; 1st edition (July 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141347635X
• ISBN-13: 978-1413476354
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,436,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Judith Gilman lived and worked aboard boats in the Caribbean for almost twenty-five years. Every day she spent hours underwater with charter guests, leading them along colorful reefs, introducing them to her favorite sea creatures. The swimmers glided through schools of yellowtail snapper and blue tang as the fish followed with hungry eyes, hoping for another piece of homemade bread from the ship's galley.

Often the explorers lay quietly on the surface of the water, arms outstretched, watching giant tarpon with shimmering silver scales as they moved gracefully through flashing schools of minnows. Judi led the way into underwater caverns lit only when the sun slipped low in the west, sharing a secret world where strange denizens of the deep lived in the darkness. Years of free diving for conch and lobster made Judi as comfortable under the water as in the galley of her boats. Perhaps this is why readers will find a different kind of mermaid in OHNALEE - Mermaid of Heceta Head. MERMAIDS OF THE SIUSLAW, Quest for the Eyes of Atlantis, the second book in this trilogy is available now in paperback and hardcover editions. Both books feature historic photos and the author's full page illustrations of Ohnalee and her people.

Local Oregon coast history combined with magic, metamorphosis and mystery. are key elements of these paranormal romance and adventure novels.

The author's first book, VOYAGE OF THE CAPRICORN LADY, Lost at Sea with Daniel T, Book 1, took readers on a true-life adventure as Judi and her husband cruised from Florida to the Caribbean on their sailing vessel Capricorn, a 40' Newporter Ketch. Arriving in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the couple embarked on a new career as charter operators.

In VOYAGE OF THE CAPRICORN LADY, The Shadow of his Smile, Book 2, the couple continue charter operations on the 71' Trumpy, Capricorn Lady, basing at Nanny Cay in the British Virgin Islands from 1980 to 1999. They lived aboard the boat and hosted charter guests from around the world. Book 2 turns out to be an obituary not only for Captain Dan but also for his boat. Capricorn Lady was sold to a new owner in 1998 but was destroyed by a Florida shipyard in February 2009. A video on UTube showed the vessel being reduced to a pile of rubble in less than one hour.

Judith Gilman lives and works in Leadville, Colorado during the fall and winter months and returns to Florence, Oregon in the spring. Her Old Town building was constructed in 1904 and was the home of the first Florence telephone company. Captain's Lady Books & Gifts now occupies the first floor of this historic structure.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Adventurous!, February 7, 2010

By 

Jessica Marsan (currently in the Caribbean) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voyage of the Capricorn Lady-Bk II (Hardcover)

This is a true story full of life, love, and adventure. Captain Dan and Judi knew where and how to live life surrounding themselves in paradise, from the Caribbean, to Colorado and Oregon. No matter what hardships they faced or a new place they discovered, the beauty of the outdoors, their love for each other created their sanctuary. Just as good as book I, a great read!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Revives Bright Memories, But Brings Tears, October 11, 2005

By 

Lauri Hathaway - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voyage of the Capricorn Lady-Bk II (Hardcover)

The second book in this series is wonderful. It brings back memories of days living in the islands, when the challenges of living were overcome by the joy and energy of Caribbean life. Be sure to have a tissue close at hand when reading this book, as it is not all chuckles, as you read of entertaining charter guests and crew. The book deals with deeper subjects such as family, illness and death, and there is an undercurrent of regret for the things that might have been, but this is overcome by the sheer joy the author, my Mother, felt about her life with her captain. I shared the adventure with "The Capricorn Lady", and loved every minute of it.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Must Read, October 6, 2005

By 

S. Mercier - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voyage of the Capricorn Lady-Bk II (Hardcover)

While it isn't necessary to read Volume One to appreciate Volume Two, I would strongly recommend it. Volume Two continues the adventures of the Capricorn Lady from time in the Caribbean to life in the Pacific Northwest. Chartering in the British Virgin Islands provided adventures and stories galore and Judi presents them in her normal straight forward, honest fashion while amazing us with the activities and meals enjoyed by the guests. Makes the reader wish they had shared time on the Trumpy with Captain Dan and Mate Judi. While Judi loses her Captain in the end, the reader feels her pain but also her strenghth and determination to make Dan proud. This is truly an inspiring story.