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by Christopher B. Lee (Author)
Since the beginning of time and sure to be well into the future, our primal fear of the deep Oceans persist. There are some who brave the abyss for exploration, others for exploitation, and then there are the few that day in and day out don the suits and gear to work beneath the waves. It is this group to which the author had the good fortune to belong and what brings the subject matter and stories in this book. From Sail to Supertankers and enormous Containerships, there is no limit on how far we've advanced to tame the Seas and conquer the Oceans. The question is: How far can you go to take on the challenges of working beneath these man-made behemoths? This book was written in hopes of giving the reader a front row seat to more of the adventures and sharing the joys of success along with tales of terror in the deep, being asked to perform nearly impossible tasks to keep ships in service in the highly competitive maritime shipping community.
"READ MY LIPS " spoken as a battle cry during the Presidential Election of 1988 with George H.W. Bush going on to become the 41st President of the United States; this was the beginning time frame for the book. Not long after Bush settled into the White House in 1989, LEEWARD MARINE was born from the ashes of Aquafacs, the authors first company and subsequent title for his first book. With the new administration continuing to pressure the Soviet Union while balancing the uncertain march of forces destined to clash in the Middle East, the winds of war were gathering. All the while, the demand for underwater services working beneath the giant ships of commerce and crude oil shipping continued. From the freezing docks of winter in Portland, Maine preparing ships for Desert Storm to Rijeka, Croatia during the Croatian War, these were challenging times. The author did enjoy basking in the sunshine and warm waters of the Caribbean from time to time where most of their work on Supertankers was performed. That helped to mitigate some of the more unpleasant ports and stretches of water they'd find themselves in and provide the backdrop for a number of tales in this book. LEEWARD MARINE The Phoenix is a fast reading collection of stories with embedded photos to enhance the readers experience and add visuals to augment the tales.
