Where WAS Brick House...The First Eight Years

Like Tarawa, Butaritari was occupied by the Japanese in WW2. The Japanese enslaved the local villages to build by hand the earthen pier which is still, today, very much used. According to one very old villager, who was a young boy at the time, a single Japanese soldier told the villagers to work slow and make the project last as long as possible. When the pier is finished, all the men would be killed and the women kept as slaves for the soldiers. It is well documented the Japanese followed brutal patterns wherever they planted themselves in the Pacific and into China. But on 20 November Tarawa was invaded by the U.S., so too was Butaritari.

Today, life on Butaritari is industrious. The ever present coconut palms are thick and tall. The palms are a staple of food and housing. Nearly all buildings are made of palm trunk structure and pandanus thatch roofs. It is careful craftsmanship which tightly joins the building together, bound with natural hand woven line. Laboriously, tightly plaited mats, which take at least a week each to craft, cushion the raised floors.

Vessel Name:	Brick House
Vessel Make/Model:	Valiant 40 #134
Hailing Port:	Middletown, RI USA
Crew:	Patrick and Rebecca Childress
Extra:	Patrick completed a solo-circumnavigation on Juggernaut, a Catalina 27 in his younger days. He has been published in most U.S. and many foreign sailing magazines, for both his writing and photography. He co-authored a book titled "The Cruising Guide to Narragansett Bay and the South Coast of [...] Massachusetts". He holds his 500 Ton Masters Captains License, and is an active delivery captain and instructor. Ham license is a General. Patrick owned a home improvement business in Newport, RI but retired in June 2007 to cruise a second time around the world on Brick House. He is also, most importantly, Captain of Brick House, AND married to Rebecca! (July 4, 2007) Rebecca Childress (formerly Rebecca Taft) is an accomplished sailor as well. She has owned many boats ranging from a 17' MacGregor, a Catalina 27' and a 36' Catalina, and now the Valiant 40 that she purchased a few years before meeting Patrick. Before they head out on their circumnavigation, she had completed numerous blue water passages between Rhode Island and the Caribbean and passages across the Gulf of Mexico. Cruising has included the Bahama Islands, New England, Nova Scotia, the Florida coast all in preparation for the day she could circumnavigate. Rebecca holds her 50 Ton Masters Captains License with towing and sailing endorsements. She is also a General Licensed Ham Radio Operator. She met Patrick on her first NARC Rally from Newport to Bermuda. She had always dreamed of sailing around the world, and knew that a passage to Bermuda in November would teach her more about heavy weather sailing since it is usually rough that time of year. Several years later when Patrick and Rebecca got together, they set their sites on earning enough money to cruise around the world together! Three years later, they had saved their money and were ready to move aboard! Rebecca was a very successful Realtor in Newport, RI, and has an extensive list of Computer Certifications and experience as well. Together now, they make a great team to take their home around the world for several years! More
Home Page:	http://www.whereisbrickhouse.com
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Created 8 October 2015

Where WAS Brick House...The First Eight Years

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