|
|
the dragon king
Sailing to ParadiseThe Story Tired of living under the threat of hurricanes and life in the over- populated, sterile environment that is Miami, Florida, Michel and Barbara Roatta longed for a simpler life. An avid outdoorsman, Michel was frustrated with the lack of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors in a place he describes as "a tough town with little in the way of nature." A close friend
of Michel's, attorney Tony Huffman of Camden, Arkansas, a
friend for nearly 20 years, provided the answer. Move the family to the Natural State. Live in Camden. "Tony was always trying to get me to come here, to check it out", Roatta explained. "He would describe Arkansas as a paradise with woods, greenery, rock climbing, hunting, camping, all of the things that I wanted to do. I told him that my dream had always been to sail around the world. I said if he found us a place to live near the river where I could get my boat in we'd come up and boy did he deliver." After an initial scouting trip to the area, the couple - along with daughter Jackie, who would turn 2 on the trip - prepared for an unconventional way to move halfway across the country. A journey aboard a sailboat. The plan was to utilize a boat that, when purchased in 1993, was nothing more than a hull. Captain Roatta spent the past decade building it from bottom to top, furbishing the inside and out, performing all of the labor himself. A decade of blood, sweat and toil has transformed a simple boat hull into the christened "Dragon King", a worthy, seagoing vessel, a vessel he still considers a work in progress. Complete with a cozy sleeping cabin and living quarters, a small garden on board and even satellite television, the family was ready to embark on their Sinbad-esque voyage, a trip that would originate in Miami and end five months and 2,000 miles later in Camden, Arkansas. They split the journey up into a number of smaller excursions, hugging the coastline for the most part with the exception being several-day trek that would cover a vast expanse of open gulf. Upon arriving at the mouth of the Mississippi River, they would travel 600 more miles, navigating several different river systems, eventually bringing them to their new home. With a GPS in hand the family's first stop was Key West, a trip that Roatta refers to as the shakedown cruise, ensuring that the boat would perform for the length of the trip. By the time they reached their destination, the boat was encountering steering and mechanical problems and it was there that they dodged the first of three hurricanes. After a month had passed, with mechanical problems resolved and clear weather forecast, they left the Keys, heading northward, up the coast to Tarpon Springs, located just NW of the Tampa Bay area. With Hurricane Dennis lurking on the horizon, the Roatta's found safe harbor and after restocking supplies they hunkered down and rode out yet another storm. After several weeks and improving weather they readied for the long anticipated jaunt across the open Gulf to Apalachicola, a trip that would take three days with no sight of land. "That's probably the scariest part because it's just you out there", Michel said. Once close to land again, the journey took them along the Inter-Coastal Waterway to New Orleans, arriving just three weeks ahead of Hurricane Katrina. With the storm still forming in the Atlantic Basin, the family pressed on, up the mighty Mississippi to the Old River, Red River, Black River and then to the Ouachita River. About the time Katrina was unleashing her fury upon the Gulf Coast, the Roatta's had found safe haven at Moro Bay and rode out the remnants of yet another killer storm. The last leg of the trip was a mere formality, finally arriving in September, to start a new life. With news that Barbara was expecting their second child, the Roattas have begun to settle into their new home." We see that Camden is a nice place to live and has all kinds of possibilities for having a business and being part of a community. That's what we didn't have living in Miami - a sense of community." This story was published in the Camden News, written by Mark Wilson 
|
|
photo gallery 
|
|
| email: dragonkingadventures@gmail.com Copyright (c) 2006 Barbara and Michel Roatta, ZK Designs and Mark Wilson. |
