[South Africa] [Florida]

I have lived in the Caribbean on Sint Maarten since 1982, with a break when I lived in St. Augustine, Florida for two years. My home page started off as mainly information for users of the Internet, and as test pages, when I was with the team setting up the Internet for the local telephone company

 

Andre at home

I was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1951. I went to various schools, mainly in Natal. My high schools were Port Shepstone High and Pinetown High.
When I finished high school, I went to work in Tsumeb, Namibia, on a copper mine in the laboratory as an assayer.

I then had to do military service at Ladysmith [5 SAI]. I moved to Capetown after this and loved the town. I was assigned to the Cape Town Highlanders for my 10 years duty , one month, then three months each alternate year. I did my stint in Angola, thank you. I was a section leader/APV instructor until I resigned all rank because I did not like the policy, or the clubbiness at that time. Needless to say, I was not liked much by the officers, and considered a "risk" after I had written to the Provincial High Command, and to my Member of Parliament! hehehehe..tough shit!

I did a short stint at the University of Natal (PMB) and a course at the Cape Tech for a technical assistant, civil engineering. I worked for Murray and Roberts, then Clifford Harris in Cape Town as a Technical Assistant for some years.

In March of 1982 I left Royal Cape Yacht Club, Cape Town,on a 30 foot sailboat with two friends for a "cruise around the world". The first leg of the trip was to St. Helana [look it up! Napoleon died there!]. The third day out a storm hit us and stayed with us all the way to the island, which took 13 days, of which I was sick as a dog for 11 of them. There are three stages of seasickness 1. Afraid you will get sick. 2. Afraid you will die. 3. Afraid you will NOT die. I have been there! The owners wife would get sick in her bathtub, so the idea was that she would fly out to meet us. She and her son met us in Martinique. For various reasons I will leave alone, the three crew left the couple to the boat. Did I say that we had "rescued" a girl off another boat in St. Helena that was a chef?

I ended up in St. Maarten, where I landed a job with Stevens Yachts working on their charter boats. I stayed with the charter boat scene for ten years, and did a LOT of sailing, partying, and chasing girls. I then worked on construction sites as a supervisor for a few years, until the bottom fell out of the market. Luckily I had got hold of an old Tandy computer, and got bitten by the bug, and had gleaned more than average knowledge of computers. Things progressed from there to where I work with computers, networks, installations, and general business computer needs. I worked at The American University of the Caribbean for 2 years American University of the Caribbean, School of Medicine, where I had a contract to maintain the schools computers.

I need to update this again! Now work on the MegaYachts during the high season (computer stuff), and have several computer maintenance contracts. Updated July 27 2005.

I plan on leaving the island, and moving to the States, once I can find a place and work that I think I will enjoy.

Since working with computers, I have become somewhat of a hermit, much to the chagrine of my friends. The chasing has come to an end! I have not been married, although it was close on a few occasions! I am afraid I am a little set in my ways, and know I am selfish, liking to be alone at times.

My hobbies were/are field hockey, sailing and computers.

 

If you have any remarks, mail me!

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