In what he describes as "some sort of mid-life crisis," Psychotherapist John Graham decided he wanted more fun in his life. That was in the mid-1980s.

From his home in Colorado, he found himself drawn to the sea. He began to read magazines and books about sailing. And after months of reading and dreaming, (he had never actually been aboard a sailboat) he announced to his wife and two daughters that they were all going to sailing school.

They chose the famous Oyster Bay Sailing School on Long Island, New York. And when the school announced they were organizing classes in the British Virgin Islands to certify bareboat charter captains, John signed up.

In the clear, deep water of the Virgins, he snorkeled for the first time. He was astounded by the sailing and the underwater view through a diving mask. It was the beginning of a new passion and a new career.

Capt. John is certified by the U.S. Coast Guard to charter his boat for hire. He also holds certificates from the American Sailing Association for:

• Basic keelboat skills

• Coastal navigation

• Celestial navigation

• Bareboat chartering

• Sailboat instruction

The next step in his sailing adventures was to own his own boat. The first was a 44.5-foot Beneteau which he purchased as part of The Moorings management program. The Moorings is an international sailboat chartering company. You buy the boat. They act as broker to charter it to others. The charter fees pay for the boat. As the owner, you get to sail your boat – or another like it – anywhere The Moorings has a base. So every year, for six weeks, the Grahams were sailing in the Caribbean.

They sailed to St. Martin, St. Barts, Saba, St. Eustache, St. Kitts and Nevis out of Tortola on their own boat. And to St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Bequia out of Martinique on other Moorings boats.  They also sailed the Sea of Cortez out of the Moorings base at La Paz, Mexico.

He served as a crew member on five passages from North Carolina to the Virgin Islands, delivering sailboats to their owners there.

Graham moved up to his present boat – a 46-foot Beneteau – in 1999. The charter agreement with The Moorings continued until 2003, when he took full possession of Ne Oublie Voyager (the unforgettable voyage) and moved it to the Twin Dolphin Marina in downtown Bradenton, Florida.

Since then, Capt. John lives aboard Ne Oublie Voyager from November through May each year, taking passengers on exotic sails in Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. A favorite destination is Egmont Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay. A National Wildlife Refuge, Egmont Key is home to thousands of birds. It also hosts a working lighthouse and Fort Dade, which was built in 1882. A heavy gun battery was installed there to protect Tampa during the Spanish-American War and World War I.

The pilots who steer large ships into the Port of Tampa also live on Egmont when they are on duty. A small pilot boat takes them to the ships as they approach, and returns them to Egmont after they steer a ship into the Gulf of Mexico.

See a satellite view and nautical charts of Egmont and Tampa Bay on the Adventures page.

Now retired from his career as a psychotherapist, Capt. John summers in the mountains of Colorado.