Delivery Testemonial (or 'How I spent my Summer Vacation')

[dave6330]

To whom it may concern,

BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: I would heartily recommend Jesse Osborne to ANYONE needing an absolutely reliable, trustworthy and rock solid delivery skipper. However, Jesse’s real strength is in his ability to pass along his knowledge, experience and spirit in helping folks realize their capability to experience their own “taste of adventure”.

By way of background, my wife and I recently purchased a used sailboat in Olympia, Washington and were in the process of having her delivered to Seward, Alaska when our first delivery skipper quit on us after getting the boat as far as Juneau, Alaska. His unexpected departure left us in quite a predicament. We needed to complete the delivery over the final and most difficult leg of her journey (across the Gulf of Alaska). Crossing the Gulf represents over 400 miles of open ocean, known for quickly changing weather and notoriously dangerous, rough conditions. In short, we needed to hire a new delivery skipper and he needed to be a good one!

In August of 2009 we were corresponding with Deborah Altermatt of Sailing Inc. (a yacht brokerage in Seward Alaska) about our situation. Happily, she put us in contact with Mr. Jesse Osborne, operating under the trade name of “A Taste of Adventure”. At the time, Jesse was in the process of moving his own sailboat from Ketchikan to Seward but he took the time to call us and discuss our situation.

After meeting with Jesse we were very impressed with him and agreed to have him deliver our ‘baby’ from Juneau to Seward. However, Jesse’s goal is to be more than simply a delivery skipper. He agreed to take us along to assist him with the delivery. He insisted that our relationship for the crossing would not be as skipper and crew, but that we would partner in the preparation for and execution of the crossing. It turned out that, under Jesse’s mentorship, the trip from Juneau to Seward evolved from a mere logistical exercise into a true sailing adventure for both my wife and I. We learned more about cruising under sail, the particular systems on our boat, and ourselves than we ever imagined possible.

I absolutely cannot overstate the satisfaction we had working with Jesse as he quickly assessed the condition of our vessel and our level of experience, initiated on-board repairs, advised us on provisioning and generally readied both the vessel and us for the trip across the Gulf. Jesse demonstrated a depth of knowledge and experience that he willingly shared with us during our time together. His unsinkable sense of humor, self confidence and genuine spirit of adventure carried us through two arctic gales, mechanical issues, and our first exposure to standing watch 24 hours a day on an extended cruise.

Jesse Osborne is one of the most remarkable young men I’ve ever met and our adventure this Summer will remain a highlight of my sailing experiences .

Sincerely,

David Allen owner S/V Polaris

[arf145]

So, you kind of liked this guy then?

But, wow, that is a wonderful recommendation, and it sounds like you had the perfect indoctrination into your boat!

[Valiente]

Please describe your boat, the weather conditions encountered, the accuracy of the forecasts and any issues you encountered during solo watches. It's a challenging chunk of water, and I would be interested to hear more.

[dave6330]

Valiente,

Polaris is a 1979 Pearson 365 Ketch with fairly new sails, roller furling jib and a westerbeke 4-108 auxilliary engine.

The weather was cool and wet for most of the trip with winds favorable for sailing (or motor sailing) during most of the open water crossing. We even had one day (well, most of the day) of sunny weather! The Gale that forced us to lay over in Elfin Cove had winds at 45+ with very confused 15-20 foot seas. Kind of scary stuff (for me, anyway). Forcasts were accurate out to about 4 days, which is about the length of most of the weather windows here-bouts. When we left Elfin Cove for the actual crossing the winds were down to about 15-20kts but the seas were still up. By the evening, however, things had pretty much settled down. On our last night we were sailing (no motor) just South of Montegue Is when we got caught by another gale that spanked us into Resurection Bay. We didn't take the sail down until we were in the lee of Fox Island and motored the rest of the way into Seward.

The most challenging thing (for me at least) was actually getting to sleep when it was your turn. Second to that was maintaining your concentration to stay on course towards the end of your watch. I had never helmed a boat at night strictly by the compass before. THAT was a challenge too!

We ran 4 hours at the helm, 4 hours sleep and 4 hours at the ready (dressed and available to assist the helmsman if needed but not actually helming the boat).

I wouldn't trade our experience for all the tea in China!

V/R

Dave Allen

[verga]

I believe this is the Jesse Osborne who left Alaska State Troopers with a reputation for brutality - leaving a trail of death and misery behind him. He is known for killing a cripple in a highway turnout in Alaska. He is also know for smashing a handcuffed woman's face until she was unrecognizable. Check the internet under Osborn (not Osborne). The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has just ruled that Osborn can be sued for killing the cripple (Casey Porter) - the act "shocks the conscience." Osborn is a major embarrassment to the Alaska State Troopers. It is irresponsible to recommend that people hire Jesse Osborn. The man has left a trail of disfigurement, brutality, and death behind him. It is irresponsible to suggest that people should hire him, and be alone with him on the high seas. Alaska citizens are outraged that Jesse Osborn is not in prison for murder. Do you really recommend that people really be alone with this guy on the high seas. That is a very dangerous thing to do. It won't take you long to verify this on the internet. (search criteria - Jesse Osborn, Casey Porter, Joseph Wittom, Alaska State Trooper."

[verga]

One has to wonder what Dave6330 is up to in recommending that people be alone and at the mercy of Jesse Osborn. Living in Peter's Creek Alaska, Dave6330 certainly knows of Osborn's history. Stories about Osborn are all over the Anchorage and Fairbanks newspapers. Echoes of Osborn's brutality still echo in the Alaska and Washington courts, even 7 years after killing Casey Porter, a Kenai parapalegic. It isn't as if Dave6330 doesn't know about Osborn's notoriety. Be careful of these guys. One wonders what they might be cooking up. Osborn is one of the most notorious people in the state of Alaska. One has to wonder why Dave6330 is chummed up with him. I'd give these 2 guys a wide berth if I were you.

[smackdaddy]

Well this just got very interesting.

[xsboats]

This is a good read, but is it the same person? There is a man with my same name who beat up a couple in a Maryland marina years after I left the Chesapeake and another who is a State Supreme Court justice in a state that I have not been to. Neither are me. No one has accused me of being the judge, but I have been asked about being the other. If I were Osborn[e] , and still residing in Alaska, I would be maintaining a very low key existance. I would want to be sure about who I was posting about before putting potentially erroneous info out on the web. P.S. Smackdaddy, wasn't that your photo I saw in the postoffice ? I see you're wearing the same ankle bracelet!

[Billy654]

I'll go with Dave6330's personal experience.

[Flybyknight]

What's this? The forum of long knives?
I would be very careful not to bad mouth an innocent person who happens to have the same name as a knave, for fear of doing an injustice, and of being hauled in to court.

Let us remember that the whole purpose is to have fun, and learn something positive, IMHO.

Dick