Dear fellow OCC members,
I notice a letter from Chris Parker has been posted on the OCC Forum. I wish to support anyone who chooses to use his services.
My wife, Ginger, and I first met Chris on his own boat in 2002 in Baltimore on the Chesapeake. We were among a group of boats heading south the warmer waters. For the next few years we listened to Chris’s daily weather forecasts and benefited from his routing suggestions, all done by voice on SSB. When we were in Central America for a couple of winters, we received daily weather forecast emails (via Winlink) from Chris: the trade winds dominated, but you could get in big trouble if you did not get ample warning of the occasional cold fronts which pushed this far south.
Every year Chris expanded his services a bit and enhanced his experience and expertise. It was with regret that we left his daily briefings when we sailed to Europe in 2006. Since then he has continued to expand his services moving into the vacuum left by the venerable, Herb Hilgenberg (Southbound II).
Over our 10+ years in Europe, we made suggestions to many cruisers of things to take advantage of when they got to the other side of the pond. It was Chris’s weather/routing services that was frequently mentioned as a wonderful suggestion.
Chris is very thorough, conscientious, and knowledgeable, but the added bonus he brings to the mix is that he is an experienced sailor who knows about the cruising life and the concerns of cruising sailors. There is no hesitation on my part in recommending his services.
Please feel free to come back with questions.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy