Bid Adieu and an Auspicious Welcome
 October 7, 2004 -- Elishea Strickland

The ancient Chinese YIN-YANG scholars believed that there are two natural, complementary and contradictory forces in our Universe. YIN and YANG are continually in the state of flux and always looking for the BALANCE point. One moves, the other responds. In our little part of the Mel Fisher Universe, we have come to a time of flux and balance. In our flux, we sadly find ourselves bidding adieu to our friend, protector and symbol of good fortune, The Dauntless. And to create the positive balance our Universe requires, we are giving an auspicious welcome to our Yang, new comrade and research vessel, The R/V Dare. The Yin-Yang philosophy brings us extreme confidence that she will keep us safe while providing us good fortune and opulence.
During her cruise from Ft. Pierce to her new home in Key West, R/V Dare fearlessly traveled between the skirt tales of two of the four hurricanes that hit Florida. Kim Fisher, President, and Gary Randolph, Director of Operations, went to purchase the R/V Dare. While transporting her through lake Okeechobee, hurricane Ivan darted our way and caused them to re-evaluate their navigational strategy. Taking their wisdom seriously, Kim & Gary pulled her out at Ft. Myers to be worked on while the second hurricane, Frances, passed the Treasure Coast. In the true nature of balance the safe and successful trip offset the harsh weather.
Dare's arrival was met with many cheers and as you can see from the photos, she has been taken out of the water for repairs and upgrades. With the winds upwards toward 20, the crew has taken advantage of their shore time to renovate Dare. They are working diligently to get her back on the water as soon as possible for her maiden Atocha voyage.

Here’s a little interesting tidbit about the Dare. Her prior owner, Captain Art Hartman, worked with Mel in many recovery efforts. Some time ago, he cruised the R/V Dare down to the Dominican Republic to research their waters. Due to the threat of obnoxious, dread pirates, Captain Art came up with a somewhat dishonest but downright ingenious idea - painted the U.S. Coast Guard flag on her hull to deter any threat to cargo and human life. Fortunately, his troubles ended up being nil.
The Dare comes with many practical and lavish amenities among which include five large staterooms with central air and heat for dignitaries and VIPs. While on the water, nothing is more desirable than a fresh water shower and ice for your drinks - Dare brings a 700-gallon per day water maker and icemaker. Shešs also dressed with freezers, refrigerators, a one-ton ice compartment, large galley and lounge area.


 
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