Pirate and Co-Pirates

Tonie Ogimachi works for Santa Cruz City Schools as a teacher for Ark Independent Studies on the Branciforte Small Schools Campus.  The Ark is an accredited public high school independent studies program. Tonie's professional interests include instructional design and instructional technology, and the Salmon Trout Education Project She plays the harp and cooks gourmet meals in her spare time.

Shawn Ogimachi is a counselor and career development instructor at Cabrillo College, and he teaches graduate courses in career counseling at San Jose State University.  He's also darn good at catching fish.

Kyra is an Australian Shepherd who was born on 9/11/2002. We adopted her from Animal Friends Rescue Network (AFRP) in September 2006. AFRP is an amazing group of volunteer animal "foster parents," who take good care of animals while they wait to be placed in permanent homes. Kyra has lots of energy, and travels well.

These pictures show the almost shocking difference Kyra's summer haircut has made.

We spent every night of seven weeks aboard our 22-foot C-Dory in 2002, and 45 consecutive nights during the summer of 2003. We kept following the same pattern in subsequent years, and will probably do the same with our new boat, the Itsuro.  It helps that we're both rather short.  I'm four feet, ten inches tall, and Shawn is five feet, six.  After twenty one years of marriage, we also still get along.  That also helps in small quarters.  At the end of each trip, we joke about how we have not been more than 2 feet apart for over a month and a half.  Kyra will add a whole new dimension to all of this!