About 30 years ago, I joined up with a young Canadian cinematographer named Scott Brown (no relation), who had the lofty idea to make a definitive documentary film on multihulls. I had contacts,and he had cameras, so we started running around the world making on-camera interviews and covering events.

Soon we realized that a lot of nifty stuff, like the personal collections of the true multihull trailblazers, was being lost to attrition and the dumpster. We decided that the real need was to simply “get the stuff,” so Scott put the documentary idea aside.

Three decades later now, we have 40 hours of audio, 200 hours of video, and literally tons of photographs, documents, books, magazines, design drawings, models, memorabilia... all pleading to be shared but way too much for any ordinary mortal to manage. We’ve been calling it the OutRig collection, but it’s become the OutDone collection.

So, I was ready to just slither aboard the good ship BOX TURTLE (my minimal multihull shanty boat), and repose in the notion of having lived at the zenith of The Great American Experiment. Then, up stepped Andy Zimmerman. A long-time friend and client, Andy has engaged professional help, at least enough to find out what we’ve got and get it organized. Starting with a new website on a new platform, the “web guys” are re-organizing my previous website into an easily accessible archive.

Meanwhile, there are two cine-pros selecting content and identifying the through line for a full-blown, commercial, documentary film. Scott’s original idea is starting – at least starting – to come true. It’s going to take time and money to make this happen, but in the meantime, I will endeavor to produce a new series of podcasts. It’s been about five years since my previous audio-only series, so there’s been time to gather many new “capers,” and this time we’re going to do it with images as a video blog.

So, to truthfully answer your question, “Why am I doing this?” It’s because I’m selfish, egotistical and exhibitionistic. Right, I’m doing it for me. I’m 90 years old and 80 percent blind, but otherwise I am “wonderfully well for my age” and feeling very lucky. However, I am told

that a codger like me is at risk of declining into dotage, but can extend whatever time and vigor may remain to him by retaining two things: Contact with his community and, a sense of purpose.

Of course, my community is all of you who are now signing up to receive our newsletters, and getting hit-up to subscribe. And my purpose is to avoid that dotage.

Of course, we’re going to need succession someday, but Andy keeps telling me, “If you die I’ll kill ya,” But then, there’s Samuel Clemens, who once wisecracked, “There’s a lot of people dying who haven’t died lately.”

Well, when my “fleet” comes in, I’ll be going on a huge adventure, that voyage to the Great Perhaps. But don’t worry, there’s a chain across the harbor mouth until this trove is posted and the film is on your screen. Like I said, that’s going to take some time and money, but I bet we’re going to have some fun with this caper.

As they say in Bujumbura, “shaikabagabones.” It means just, like, more of whatever you’ve been talking about. In this case, it would imply, “Let’s take it well beyond mainstream.”