JEANNETTE DEAN

JEANNETTE DEAN - about

Jeannette Dean writes novels, short stories and feature articles. She writes because she must.

 

BIOGRAPHY
of
Jeannette Dean

 

Jeannette Dean was skiing, working and partying hard in Vail, a ski resort in Colorado, in the ‘70s. But the sea was calling, as it had throughout her life, so she headed for the Caribbean with singer, song-writer Rauf Bolden. They began their new life with little money, few possessions, and no debts. Their first boat, a 24ft sloop, had no engine, galley or head. Maintenance was low, conveniences nonexistent and life was fairly grand. They worked on charter boats, honed their sailing skills, lived on tomato sandwiches, and began planning to make their shared dream a reality. They would sail around the world together.

Jeannette was frustrated when she realized she could not adequately communicate the splendid encounter with a whale off St. Eustatius on their maiden voyage. She commenced jotting notes, scribbling poems, laying out short stories in her head when on watch, alone under the stars.

Their circumnavigation on the 35ft French sloop, ‘Applause’ took 7 years. Adventures, mistakes, positive encounters, as well as a few negatives, challenges, awe-inspiring observations, storms, doldrums, following seas & head-winds. . . .enlightening experiences all. Jeannette’s ‘scribblings’, as she calls them, took on better form after she studied with the London School of Journalism. She had a few short stories and feature articles published in England and was presented the British Diversity Feature Article Award in 1999.

Jeannette and Rauf have returned to the States and are still afloat on the Gulf Coast. She is working on the third novel of her sailing adventure trilogy. ‘Saffron’ and ‘Savannah’ are in the hands of her agent. I understand ‘Seychelle’ is not far from completion. What then. . . .another circumnavigation?