The Native Iowan

It has been said that the Tropics is a land of wild adventure, where men are Larger Than Life. Where many Larger Than Life characters can be found. I can name names… Bully Hayes, Jack London, Wally Sanger, Phil Palmer…

Last eve one of the last-of-the-last Larger Than Life characters spent and eve with us.

Brian Bailey is indeed larger than life, and has never ending, entertaining and detailed tales to tell. A sailor, a charter skipper, a single hander, a character that has been sailing the pacific, bouncing around these islands from Juan Ferdindez to Palu for over 60years. A diver par excellence. An underwater salvage diver from the old days.

We were discussing last night his voyages on his sloop, Waihuna. (hope I spelt that right)

Launched in Cape Town in 1981, Waihuna has had her keel moving pretty consistently for the past 45 years. As we discussed last eve, if Waihuna averaged 15,000 nautical miles annually for 45 years there has been no less than 600,000 nautical miles of voyaging, sailing, moving. Lots of water under a keel.

Known as “Bailey”, never “Brian”. He stopped by on his way to Brisbane to celebrate his 80th birthday with family.

Tales for the evening included going through the Panama Canal, using a 150lb WWII bomb to blow a hole in the side of a wreck at Tulagi. Discovering the habitat for the elusive and (then) rare Gloria Maris… having a shell, “Baileyi”, named after him. He recounts headings and anchorages and details only a sailor’s sailor would recall.

The www is sooo cool, I found this: Shellers From the Past and the Present… https://www.conchology.be/?t=9001&id=12115&srsltid=AfmBOooW84368uhRWOF6pn7iuNroOBj4BaatwAxfexr7kLxCXm6nOhF2

It tells us of some of the exploits of Bailey, and his wife, Marie Claire.

Here’s a blurb that is cool:
Biography of B. Bailey, who collected the holotype of Duplicaria baileyi Bratcher & Cernohorsky, 1982 and that of Conus baileyi Röckel & da Motta, 1979 is today widely acknowledged to be one of the finest professional divers in the world and an amateur conchologist [Pterynotus brianbaileyi Mühlhäusser, 1984] (Dr. Riccardo Giannuzzi-Savelli kindly informed about this person). – Edit

Ahhh, to be so young and beautiful…

And the beat goes on…

Big Smiles