This page is about me.  I've worked in broadcasting most of my life, having spent 20 of those years as an employee of The American Broadcasting Company, (ABC).  I'm an advanced class amateur radio operator (ham - call-sign KI6JA), and a private pilot with an instrument rating.

In 1989, I left my job at ABC (I was Director of Engineering for KGO Television, the ABC owned and operated facility in San Francisco), and I helped form Spectrum Satellite, Inc. with Steve Moreen.  Steve was Director of Engineering and Operations for Westinghouse's facility in San Francisco, KPIX TV (which is now owned by CBS).  Our new company's initial purpose was to provide video transmission services to sports teams who were visiting the Bay Area.   As an example, whenever the New York Yankees or the New York Mets came to play the Giants or the A's, we would transmit the video from here, back to the East Coast so the games could be viewed by the New York TV stations.  It was really pretty simple, and was initially accomplished with just one large (11 meter), satellite antenna.  The company now has twenty antennas in use in various sizes ranging from 2.4 meters in diameter to 13 meters (43 feet), in diameter.

The company, Spectrum Satellite, was originally formed with a second mortgage, a fistful of credit cards, a lot of energy, and lots of faith!  By 1997, the company had grown from just the two of us to a total of 12 employees, and we then decided to entertain offers to sell.  Eventually we agreed to be acquired by Loral Skynet, a division of Loral Spacecom Corporation.  The sale was finalized in August of 1998.

After selling my interest in Spectrum Satellite (see Loral Skynet SF), I decided to purchase a sailing yacht.  I had been interested in sailing since the 1960's.  I even took a sailing class in El Toro's at Oakland's Lake Merritt in the late 1960's, and I've sailed with several friends over the years on San Francisco Bay.  But for some reason, I never continued to really purse the avocation.  Instead I became interested in flying, and I owned two airplanes over the years.

Recently though, I became re-interested in sailing, and for the past couple of years I had been researching all aspects of yacht ownership.  I had gone to many boat shows, and had gone aboard many yachts to see what would be my ideal.  I decided that I would like to retire early, in just a few years, and begin cruising in a sailing yacht.

With that in mind, I began looking for a yacht that would be well equipped, or at least, could be well equipped for coastal passage making, and possibly open ocean passage making.  My thoughts were to begin cruising in Baja Mexico, the Sea of Cortez, and the Western Coast of Mexico.

Well, I finally found my 'dream boat' (the first one), via the Internet on a Thursday night (August 20, 1998), and made arrangements the next day to see it that Saturday.  Soon I was on an airplane heading for San Diego.  I saw the boat, returned to the Bay Area and the day after made an offer.  Finally, on Monday, August 24th, my offer was accepted, and I began the process of yacht ownership. (see The Yacht)

Subsequent to purchasing my yacht, I joined and became involved in the Marina Bay Yacht Club.  I had been the Club Secretary for two years, the Club Treasurer for one year, and Webmaster since 1999.  The yacht club is located where I have been berthing my boat in Richmond.