Letter of recommendation S/V "Didi Mau" - JAN CLUISTRA

*George & Christine Brown*
PO Box 7989Incline VillageNevada 89452Registered in Nevada, USA- Registration:
DL3533Y
*United States of America*June 7, 2004Subject: Letter of RecommendationTo Whom It May Concern,It gives us great pleasure and privilege to write a letter of
recommendation for John Cluistra. This letter cannot possibly cover all
the personal and professional qualities John possesses, but only
attempts to briefly highlight the points we consider most important.We have just completed a passage with John (our delivery captain) that
took seven weeks and covered over 7000 nautical miles. We were fortunate
to be "crew" for this very capable captain on our 38' catamaran, built
in Cape Town, South Africa.The trip included all the normal challenges of such a long passage, as
well as some unanticipated mechanical, navigational, and weather
situations. John was magnificent. He was always aware of what was
happening and intuitively knew what would come next. He kept ahead of
the boat, did a quick study of any possible problems, if time permitted
he asked for crew input, and then took appropriate corrective measures
before they became dangerous. He demonstrated this over and over again
during the course of the passage. John is a "sailor's sailor" in every
aspect of the profession: Mechanical breakdown (being a new boat there
were many); sailing in severe weather; excellent navigational skills;
prudently managing the boat's systems; diplomatically dealing with
immigrations and custom officials in five different countries as well as
handling the US Coast Guard. In ever aspect, John was superb.We started this adventure as inexperienced sailors, so of course, we had
some trepidation over the magnitude of this passage. John's leadership
quickly quelled any reservations we had and instead he instilled self
confidence in our sailing ability.Even during the most stressful times, his manner had a calming affect on
the crew. Without fanfare, he worked the most hours, did the hardest
jobs, and anticipated our boat problems. If we made mistakes in
accomplishing a task, he concentrated on praising what was done right
and gave positive critique on how to improve. He was a very patient teacher.Thanks to John, we came away from this trip with renewed confidence. We
are ready to make this boat our home and sail anywhere.Sincerely,Bill and Chris Brown