Voyage Of The Capricorn Lady: Lost At Sea With Daniel T., Book I [Unabridged] [Hardcover]

Judith Gilman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2005

Voyage of the Capricorn Lady, Book One, Lost at Sea With Daniel T., is a true story about a Caribbean Charter yacht couple. Captain Judith Gilman and her husband, Captain Dan T. Gilman III, sailed away from their life of prestige and social status in Central Florida, after they lost their business and almost all their personal possessions in the mid-1970s. With no advance planning, emotionally struggling to adjust to a totally different kind of life, they made their way through the Bahamas to the Virgin Islands on their aging wooden sailboat, Capricorn, with one daughter and their Himalayan Cat.

Book One describes the author’s early life, her meeting and marriage to Dan, and the events that cast them adrift to an uncertain future. One moonlit night at Salt Pond Bay in the Exumas, Dan and Judi were thrown out of their rubber dinghy when it hit an obstruction in the water. As the swift current carried them out toward the open sea, the boat turned in a circle, striking Dan in the face with the propeller of the 15 horsepower engine. Their rescue by a "mysterious stranger" was followed by a wild midnight ride in an old flatbed truck to a tiny clinic at Dead Man’s Cay. Bahamas Air Sea Rescue flew the couple to Nassau where Dan had surgery, and subsequently healed from his horrific wounds. After he regained his strength, the couple made their way to the Virgin Islands where they were introduced to "crewed chartering" as a way of life.

The first book chronicles in detail their cruising live-aboard life, and incredible adventures as they sailed into the culture of many island societies. Dan and Judi rode out several hurricanes on Capricorn, almost sank several times, and lost all their personal belongings when the boat actually did sink on it’s mooring at Red Hook one black night. Stories of the charter life, guests and crews, and the colorful characters, who were part of the fabric of their lives during this period, are told with sharp detail right down to the fabulous cuisine that was served.

Voyage of the Capricorn Lady is not just a book about boats and chartering; it is the story of a personal journey told with honesty. Two families were forever damaged by the events that cast this couple on their path to a life of love and adventure. Working together, they brought joy to their guests, but failed to heal wounds resulting from their wrenching departure from family and friends.

Dreams and Psychic occurrences during the author’s life are woven through the tapestry of the book. They reaffirm the author’s belief in the afterlife, and the timelessness of her connection to her Captain. The first book ends with the sale of the 40’ Newporter Ketch, Capricorn, as the couple leaves the Virgin Islands to search for a new boat to continue their charter career. Book Two is a continuation of the author’s voyage, from the decks of the 71’ Trumpy charter yacht, Capricorn Lady, to the banks of the Siuslaw River on the Oregon Coast.

"Forever", not until "Death Do Us Part", is the theme of this loving memoir of a Captain and His Lady.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

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: 400 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corporation; 1st edition (July 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413476333
• ISBN-13: 978-1413476330
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,322,086 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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Life Worth Living, March 16, 2010

By 

satorigal "satorigal" (Marion, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voyage Of The Capricorn Lady: Lost At Sea With Daniel T., Book I (Hardcover)

There once was a magical place in a magical time that really existed--life aboard charter yachts in the Virgin Islands. Those of us who connected with our hearts spent years there, enjoying our vagabond lifestyle of taking guests for a week or more on cruises throughout the U.S. and British Virgins. My husband and I built our 57' (75' overall)gaff-rigged schooner, Satori, in California. We arrived in the V.I. in 1976, and chartered until 1991. I remember first meeting Capricorn, and Dan and Judi. I was amazed at how much they loved chartering their yacht, even though they had no personal space to speak of and scheduled an amazing amount of charters. I knew them socially over the years as friends, but never knew the history of their life together, which she retells in total honesty. I cringed when reading about her daughters ashore on their own in St. Thomas (especially at such a young age), Dan's accident, the previous owner trying to steal back their Trumpy, and other vignettes. I laughed at some of the charter guests and skipper's tales--having 14 years of my own stories which were so similar. I ached for her loss of her adored husband, as my own of almost 40 years has had health issues, which also may be related to the building and maintenance of our boat. But mostly, I delighted in her logging for prosperity a time, place, history, and lifestyle that was living aboard and chartering. The other reviews mention the editing, which is a distraction, but that does not negate the positive historical accuracy of this view. As to her justification of leaving their families for each other, who are we to judge one another? She is not the only charter cook I knew of to do so. I am blessed to have met my soul mate when he was first considering building a boat, and being there from the onset of our lives and adventures. Those people who messed about on boats were, and are, a unique breed. Bruce and Laura Masterson chartered when we did, raised a family in California, and went back to the life on Amaryllis. It is an experience like no other. My many friends from that time and place are still my dearest friends. As my husband Ed said, "We do it for the love, the money is just a souvenir." Read both books, in order! Gabrielle (Gay) Thompson

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love and adventure., October 22, 2009

By 

Yvonne Ponce (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voyage Of The Capricorn Lady: Lost At Sea With Daniel T. - Book I (Paperback)

Mrs. Gilman grabbed me from the start; she has wonderful storytelling ability. Judith tells us of her life, her adventures and her love. Judith describes the landscape and the weather so accurately, to many of her travels I have been. It is her ability to describe her adventures and her feelings that are remarkable. Their bohemian lifestyle was not so strange back in those days, how awesome that she kept a log that enabled us to relive her adventures. She takes us through her romance with her Captain; she acknowledges her decisions, wrong and right.

I met Mrs. Gilman travelling through Oregon, so I knew of Daniels outcome but even then I was captivated. It is her love story that touched me so; a once in a lifetime opportunity. I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait to read Book II.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great potential but really bad editing!, January 5, 2007

By 

Aurora Reinke "sunriz" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Voyage Of The Capricorn Lady: Lost At Sea With Daniel T. - Book I (Paperback)

I enjoyed much of this story but the terrible editing was distracting. Was this book even edited or proofread at all? There were subtle things that perhaps only the most discerning eye would catch, but even more annoying were the blatant errors such as missing punctuation, which I hate to say occurred more than a few times in this book. Also, there were lots of inconsistencies - like someones name spelled one way in one chapter and then in a different way in a different chapter. Confusing. Also, this is only Book 1 - I would have loved to hear the rest of the story but that's too much of an investment in my time for only an okay presentation of the material. A good editor could've shaved off some unnecessary details and combined the stories into a far more compelling book.

And if, like me, you're considering it primarily for the anecdotal sailing information, you will learn about the pros and cons, and the joys and pains of living on a boat from this book....but if that's all you're interested in, there are probably much better resources, like a years subscription to any sailing magazine.