>>>>>>>>>>>> THIS IS MY LIFE, WELCOME ABOARD <<<<<<<<<<<<

I noticed that most deviants are fairly secretive about who they are, and give out little detail about their lives. Probably for good reason, I recently shared an IM with a young deviant who made her blog on MySpace private due to an adverse experience with a creep. At one point, she said, "I made it private now, but I have nothing to hide.” For some reason that stuck in my mind and I realized that the kid was right! I have nothing to hide, so I will begin this journal by introducing myself.

My name is Jack Underhill. I'm an ex-pat American, currently living in the South Pacific. I smoke Cuban cigars and drink WAY too much. I swear like the proverbial sailor that I am and I've been known to place a wager or two on a hand of cards. I own and operate a marine research and salvage ship, the R/V Swallow. I am a direct descendent of the late 17th century Welsh corsair and smuggler Alun Underhill and occasionally for laughs [when docked] I'll run up my own personal Jolly Roger [Arrrrgh]. I collect vintage dive watches and Leica cameras and have more than twenty in my collection, all of which I use on a regular basis.

I was born in Grosse Pointe Shores MI, but I grew-up riding the waves in La Jolla Shores CA. I've been in a highly tempestuous on again/off again [more on than off] relationship for twenty-eight years with a most loving, beautiful French oceanography P.H.D. named Gabrielle, who I met in a taverna on the Greek island of Milos in 1980. We own a home together in Papeete, although it's really more her place than mine. We share a daughter who passed from our lives at 16 to leukemia.

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy the day after I graduated from high school. I'm an old Mossback who served in various special operations commands, participating in the Grenada rescue, the Panama incursion, Operation Gothic Serpent [Somalia], Haiti, Dominican Republic, the Shuttle Challenger wreckage recovery, Desert Storm/Shield, finally in Kosovo and Bosnia, with several tours as the "Admirals Dogrobber.” In 1997, I retired after twenty-four years with the rank of Command Master Chief. Along the way, I earned two Silver Stars, the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three Bronze Stars, two of those with V for valor, four Purple Hearts and several Navy Commendations. And in the process, I attained my pilots license, became parachute qualified in both standard and HALO (High Altitude, Low Opening), and earned both my Master EOD [Explosive Ordinance Disposal] and Master Diver ratings.

For a year or so, in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island, I worked behind the bar in a sailor dive. Later In Seattle, I bought a 1947 45ft. wooden sloop, which Gabrielle christened the "Rocinante.” I and sometimes we sailed from here to there around the world for a couple of years. In June of 2000, while in Aberdeen Scotland, repairing a blown bilge pump, I heard about an old Korean War era patrol ship for sale. Out of curiosity, I went down and checked her out. The vessel was a 240ft. ocean going fast patrol ship. She was battered and rusty in spots, but was structurally sound. The previous owner had begun to refit her as a salvage boat. She was beat-up, old and gray, but what the hell, so am I! Over dominoes and a dozen or so pints of Scottish ale, I came to terms with the owner, after a bit of sweet-talk [on my part] and swearing [on her part] I convinced Gabi for a loan. I [we] were now the owners of the "Swallow" or as I call her the "Old Gulper Down" I rode my old rattle-trap pre-war Norton down to Portsmouth and a month later I took the tests and received my Master Mariners papers. It took me almost a year to totally refit her for both salvage and marine research [at Gabi's insistence]. I [we] did 90% of the work myself. It was loves labor.

For the past six years I’ve spent a great part of the time shuttling and shepherding oceanography and marine biology students and scientists all over the world’s oceans. I spend more time in a wet suit than a workingman has a right to, but its part of the job...at least this time nobody’s shooting at me.

Well, the suns over the yardarm as they say, so I think I'll go topside and enjoy an adult beverage, and watch the sunset.

Thanks for taking time to read this journal. I hope life gives you a full sail on a following breeze.

Mahalo, MasterChief' Jack (Haze Gray & Underway)