James Baldwin & Mei Huang
When one has good wine,
A graceful boat,
And a maiden's love,
Why envy the immortal gods?
- Li T'ai-po
Mei and James aboard Atom in Trinidad's Scotland Bay.
Who is James Baldwin?
I'm originally from Mt. Clemens, Michigan, where in 1979, at the age of twenty, I
purchased Atom, a 28-foot 1963 Pearson Triton for the then fantastic sum of
$12,000. In 1984-86 I completed my long held dream of a solo circumnavigation.
Since then I've cruised and worked as boatbuilder, writer, delivery skipper and
a dozen other jobs around the world.
In 1987 I sailed Atom alone (this time without engine or electrics) from Florida to Hong Kong. There I joined the Marco Polo Voyage, sailing as navigator on a three-masted 75-foot junk between Hong Kong, Macau and along the coast of China. This project won the Rolex Award for Enterprise. For the next seven years I sailed extensively in Southeast Asia, writing about my adventures among the islands and people for various sailing magazines. During this time I also worked two years for Hans Christian Yachts, first as production inspector in Taiwan and then as production manager at their new yard in Thailand.
What about Mei?
Mei Huang
(pronounced "may") is originally from Hsinchu County in northwestern
Taiwan (Map).
After graduating from business college she worked several years in trading companies in Taipei. Her
other interests include writing poetry in the classical Chinese form, cooking, and
now, of course, sailing.
What are they doing now?
Following my second circumnavigation in 1999, Mei joined me in Trinidad where we were married. While in Trinidad I bought
Lela Zoraida, renamed Zulu, a 60-foot wooden
cargo schooner which we worked on for several months before reselling her. Check
Saga of a Jungle Schooner for details on how I got sucked into that deal! Despite the ordeal
with "the boat who wouldn't float", Mei was still keen to join me in the summer of
2001
for her first long voyage when we delivered a 28-foot Taipan sloop from Venezuela to Brazil
and then sailed back to Trinidad on a 44-foot Dean catamaran. We then returned to Atom in
Venezuela to continue cruising the
Caribbean and the US east coast. Between cruises in Atom we recently completed another
trans-Atlantic sailboat delivery and since then have kept busy repairing and refitting other
cruising boats. In 2004 we purchased a house and built a workshop near Brunswick, Georgia, one and a
half miles west of the ICW and St. Simons Island. We expect to be based here for
the next couple years before taking another long voyage.
At our company, Cruising Yacht Services, we specialize in partial or complete refits of sailboats and act as consultants for sailboat owners preparing for extended offshore cruising. It may take someone years to learn what improvements and modifications their boat needs for comfortable and safe cruising. Besides knowing what equipment is desirable to have and how to use it, it's also important to learn what you don't need. The standard cruising reference books are helpful, but don't answer all questions relating to your particular boat, your experience level, and your specific cruising goals. For several years we have worked with people new to cruising to help them realize their dreams sooner rather than later. Whether you learn from others or do it entirely on your own, my advice is - start today!
If you have any questions, we can be contacted at: yachtatom "at" hotmail.com
You can read more about our recent travels on the Atom's Voyages and Articles pages.
Atom under spinnaker in the Indian Ocean.
Atom Voyages
© 2003 by James Baldwin. All Rights Reserved.
Website Design © 2003 by Lackey Sailing