Diary of Days Gone Bye

Welcome to our website with Mayke Sassen’s Artwork and our Sean Seamour adventures. (🇫🇷 en français voir “Journal de Jours Passés“). This Diary of Days Gone Bye is somewhat eclectic, reflective of much of our lives as we tended to simply push forward or “mess on” as Mayke liked to say with our individual pursuits and challenges.
You will find Mayke Sassen’ Artwork omnipresent to not say foundational throughout, at times to highlight Jean Pierre’s Old Stone challenges and our Sean Seamour Adventures.

To help you navigate through our endeavors from Mayke Sassen‘ Artwork to Jean Pierre’s Old Stones and Our Adventures:
– the menu-bar on the right side is organized in four category headings: Mayke Sassen, ART, Mountain Postings and  SEA. These are paths into our current and past endeavors, creations and adventures, but also life-waypoints.
– If your interests are focussed to Mayke’s artwork Galerie Suyère Oeuvres /Artwork appears on top center. This presents some currently available artwork visible in the Galerie and Mayke’s studio for work underway.
– If you would like to window-shop some of our postings just scroll down through this page and enjoy the feature images and short descriptives that may entice your curiosity.

The first two postings below will be the last on our site, it is all about Mayke.

Bonifaccio Artwork by Mayke Sassen

Mayke, célébration de mémoires et expressions

J’ai de tristes nouvelles de La Suyère, Mayke nous a quitté après une ultime bataille. Sur cette page elle nous laisse avec des souvenirs et images si typiques de son être.
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Mayke forever, a celebration of memories and expressions

Mayke has departed after a long valiant battle. In this post I have sought to illustrate with photos of her times, the great, the good but mostly the expressions so typical of her being.
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🇫🇷 “Arrachés à l’Enfer” – le Sean Seymour II ou Sean Seamour II?

Depuis la publication du best seller A Storm Too Soon en 2013 on me demande quand une version française sera disponible, surprise de novembre il vient de paraître titré "Arrachés à l'Enfer" par les Editions Ancre de Marine. Cependant...
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Mayke Sassen – Publications Articles Images

Quelque publications & articles  & images – Que dit-on que voit-on à propos de Mayke Sassen / Some publications and articles about Mayke Sassen: Dans “Le Guide des Galeries” de […]
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Painting "La Salle de Bains" of Mayke Sassen' Inimate Scene period.

Perspectives & Retrospective – Mayke Sassen

Perspectives in Retrospective - exhibition at the 17th century setting of Chapelle Saint Jean in our village of La Garde Freinet invited by the township's Association of Artists. 🇫🇷 Perspectives en Retrospective - L'été dernier à l'invitation des Amis de La Chapelle Saint Jean et l'Association des Artistes de La Garde Freinet j'ai exposé une retrospective d'oeuvres dans ce site extraordinaire du 17ème siècle.
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Mayke Sassen – 2019

🇫🇷 Mayke est de retour après deux ans avec des oeuvres qui expriment les perceptions existentielles de l'artiste face à l'adversité. Une nouvelle exposition s'est ouvert le 13 septembre à la Galerie Sens Intérieur. 🇬🇧 Mayke returns after two years with work illustrating the depth of the artist's existential perceptions in the face of adversity. Her new exhibition opened September 13 at the Galerie Sens Intérieur.
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Mayke 2016 work and exhibition

Here is Mayke's 2016 work under the theme "Henri & Mathilda". Her exhibition at the Gallery Sens Interieur is now on with a retrospective of some of her prior year works. Enjoy
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Adventures continue : discovering Sicily and Apulia

🇬🇧 No, we have not turned our backs to the sea ! Quite to the contrary we are engaging it from a new perspective. 🇫🇷 Non, nous n'avons pas tourné le dos à la mer, nous l'engageons dans une nouvelle perspective.
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L’Exposition “Moi-je” de 2015

🇫🇷 L’exposition 2015 de Mayke à la Galerie Sens Intérieur est d’un grand cru, c’est un retour à son expression intégrant l’abstrait et le figuratif, travaillant texture et profondeur avec une perspective qui lui est propre qui me rappelle certains de ses tableaux de la période Port Grimaud.
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Mayke’s 2015 “Moi-je” Exhibition

2015 is a “grand cru” of Mayke’s work, returning to some of her basics with that ability to meld the abstract with the figurative expressed with depth and texture. Then again her work theme this year is in short “Moi-je”. “Moi-je” that “id”expression form the French language possess in a sort of innate, instinctive, often impulsive “me, I”
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Starquest, a Tale for All Ages

STARQUEST is a tale of witches and angels in quest of … you will chuckle and smile then laugh yourself silly trying to explain to your child why it is so funny.
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Mayke’s 2014 Exhibition

Much the inspiration driving Mayke this year started with our incredible road trip across the United States in an Airstream Land Yacht. If the “yacht” notion took us back to our blue water sailing days this time the waypoints were more constrained, beginning south of Tampa Florida across the southern states to Big Sur south of San Francisco.
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Mayke’s 2013 exhibition

2013 Exhibition Overview Cliquez sur une photo pour le visualiser ou lancer le diaporama Click on a photo for viewing or to begin the slideshow Pas reçu le dernier “Ebats […]
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s/v Sean Seamour as the adventure began

s/v Sean Seamour II photo-history

If you look at the photo of our life-raft on the side of the mountain of water it is hard to imagine, but to put these incredible 70+ foot wave in perspective : Hurricane Grace in 1991 led to book and movie "A Perfect Storm" had averaged waves of 37 to 50 feet and rogue waves hitting 100 feet. Sub Tropical Storm Andrea that led to our demise had waves that averaged 70 feet with rogues waves much higher!
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As the woodshed becomes cottage

The woodshed has been one of my big projects, one that has waited years in quest of a driving inspiration that occurs when the creative ideas crystalize into a master […]
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ST Storm Andrea swallow s/v Sean Seamour II

A Storm Too Soon, a true story by Michael Tougias

Michael Tougias' newest best selling true story 
of our disaster, survival, 
and incredible rescue titled "A Storm Too Soon"’ is missing pictures in the hard cover first print run so I have scoured years of old computers to reconstitute a photo-history of s/v Sean Seamour II, it is a work in progress but have a look, much of our ordeal is related through stills of the video the US Coast Guard.
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A long journey

Maria Elizabeth (Betty) Buehler de Lutz was born on December 10, 1921 in Oberachern, near Baden-Baden, Germany. She immigrated to the United States with her parents Sophie and Gustav Buehler in 1928, and lived in Fort Plain in the Mohawk Valley of upstate New York.
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Negotiating Bridges on the Inter-coastal Waterway

We escaped the nor-easter by navigating our way up the inter-coastal waterway - a challenges in and of it's own when attention to the depth-sounder was disturbed by overhead obstacles beyond our sailing culture - Navigating northbound on the inter-coastal waterway brought new challenges the multitude of bridges ... competing for the limited space above the top of our mast
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Hamlet of Camp de la Suyere

It felt like my landing in the Canebiers Bay years earlier after my first solo Atlantic crossing, a paradise found, another safe haven and living project to engage
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And humor, there must be humor

I am constantly sketching, drawing stamps in which I concentrate the story or image floating elusively in my mind. Whether it is laughing at my work or the situations that surround […]
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An Electrifying Experience

s/v Sean Seamour III has a new master and destiny, vive Seanee IV. If I never attained the dream of a green Seanee with electric propulsion s/v Sean Seamour IV made her Mediterranean debut this summer after 40 years on the Baltic Sea. Built in 1970 in the true tradition of the Nordic Folkboat, Seanee IV is clinker built wooden sloop originally designed in 1942 about to be modernized with electric propulsion...
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Dernière leçon apprise du naufrage du Sean Seamour II

🇫🇷 Le 7 mai 2007 ‘une vague scélérate estimée entre 24 et 36 mètres de haut a percuté notre flanc bâbord au milieu de la nuit. Les miracles qui nous ont permis de survivre sont contés; les héros qui nous ont arrachés à ce maelström médaillés; les leçons apprises publiées. Cependant, lors des remises des ces décorations...
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Atelier de la Suyere 2010 work

The ferry leaving Mindelo Cape Verde with the dayworkers bound for Sao Anton across the straight, a morning and evening event. Overladed with passengers hanging on over the gunwale with […]
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Equipage du HH-60 médaillé pour le sauvetage du 7 mai

🇫🇷 C'est confirmé, les quatre membres de l'équipage du HH-60 des Gardes Côtes (US Coast Guards) seront médaillés le 19 décembre pour l'extraordinare sauvetage de l'équipage de Sean Seamour II
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Epitaphe du Sean Seamour II

🇫🇷 Après le tableau de Mayke "Widow Walk du Camp de la Suyère", si prémonitoire des évènements du 7 mai, une résignation silencieuse envahie sa vision de Sean Seamour II qui repose au fond de la Fosse de Hatteras, un épitaphe et une immortalisation qui permet à notre créativité de rebondir et à une nouvelle aventure d'émerger
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Epitaph for the Sean Seamour II

The storm has subsided, Seanee as we always affectionately called her for me, him for Mayke, lies at rest 2500 leagues deep in the Hatteras Trench. I singled out this part of Mayke’s rendering of Seanee at rest for the artist within her still sees blue sky from the depths as the epitaph reads “met a rogue wave on the seventh of May 2007”. The full painting lies below.
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Of my battles of human history

This new posting celebrates two events, the inauguration of the Gallery Suyère close to my Atelier and my most recent ...
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A Final Lesson Learned from Sean Seamour II

Just one year ago today a rogue wave estimated between 80 and 120 feet high pounced upon Sean Seamour II ...

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Next generation Sassen : Viviane Sassen honored with the Prix de Rome award

Viviane Sassen honored with the highly coveted Prix de Rome award for her unique contribution to the art of photography
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Stars Are Made In Heaven – Witches Are Not

A humoristic book of illustrations about witches and angels with laughs and stories for all ages For a slideshow presentation or just a visualization of the illustrations click on the […]
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Death’s Door by Doug Campbell

Death's Door in Soundings November magazine by Douglas A. Campbell Senior Writer is the story of Sean Seamour II rescue and a glimpse at the investigation regarding the malfunction and duplication by cloning of the ACR EPIRB hexadecimal code that almost cost the life of the crew
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The widow walk of Camp de la Suyere, awaiting Sean Seamour

From my mountain top half a world away I felt sub-tropical storm Andrea brew then explode, Camp de la Suyere became my widow walk, canvas my only connection to ...
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Video du sauvetage de l’équipage du Sean Seamour II

🇫🇷 Video du sauvetage des trois membres de l'équipage de Sean Seamour II en face du Cap Hatteras le 7 mai dernier, a peine une minutes des 30 disponibles... dans des creux de plus de 20mètres (70 pieds)
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Sean Seamour II rescue video

I have uploaded the Sean Seamour II rescue video edited by NOAA for the COSPAS SARSAT 25th anniversary conference at the State Department in Washington D.C.
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Mayke Sassen back to Saint Tropez

It will soon be three years since our transfer from the Luberon back to the Golfe de Saint Tropez, successful albeit with the loss of our Sean Seamour II in sub-tropical storm Andrea. Mayke's atelier is finished and humming away with new works you will soon be able to see on her website but better yet in her Atelier Gallery soon finished.
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About me

I paint from a passion to get to know who and where I am. I once had a dream, I was on stage giving a brilliant performance. At the end, I noticed that the curtain had been closed during the session. I want to open that curtain and share.
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A mon propos

Je peins, mue par la passion de découvrir qui et où je suis. Je vis un rêve : je suis sur scène délivrant une brillante performance. A la chute, je remarque que le rideau est resté fermé. Je souhaite l’ouvrir et partager
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s/v Sean Seamour II – the final log entry

This is the log of actions and events driven by the only subsequently named Sub-tropical Storm Andrea, leading to the sinking of s/v Sean Seamour II and the successful rescue of its entire crew on the early morning of May 7th 2007.
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Récit du naufrage de Sean Seamour II

(extraits du magazine Voiles et Voiliers # 438) Jean-Pierre quitte la Floride avec deux équipiers à bord de son Océanis 44 CC, direction Gibraltar. Après quatre jours de mer, au large du Cap Hatteras, l’équipage doit faire face à un coup de vent bien plus fort que prévu.
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Mayke Sassen – some of my older work

At the request of many interested in my earlier work I have begun to post photos here ... there are few dur to youthful insouciance, none from Japan, a few from Nigeria and of course some of my commissions.
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EPIRB / GPIRB issue update

Photo: my GPIRB that did not & could not fulfill its vital life saving function and its clone manufactured two years later. This alert seems to have gone somewhat unnoticed until gCaptain.com focused their attention on the issue. I have sought to inform the mariner community worldwide to check the EPIRB/GPIRB registrations in postings in various forums.
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Sean Seamour

The Greening of Sean Seamour III

The Green Boat Adventure seeks to define a new art of "green sailing" with the ultimate objective of totally eliminating fossil fuels from our sailboats in favor of a total dependence on renewable energies.
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Security notice to all mariners

On this anniversary of the loss of Sean Seamour II and the traumatic experience of clinging to a life raft in seventy foot seas with the belief that no help is on the way I call on all mariners to read and consider appropriate measures to avoid our predicament (in photo side by side the original GPIRB and the clone manufactured with the same serial number close to two years later).
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Note de sécurité à tous les navigateurs

🇫🇷 Photo : ma balise et le clone fabriqué deux ans plus tard. L'expérience traumatique de se cramponner à un radeau de survie dans des creux de plus de vingt mètres, persuadés qu'aucun secours n'arrivera, m'amène à alerter tous navigateurs à lire et prendre les mesures nécessaires pour éviter que ce drame se reproduise.
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Yet another award for USCG Swimmer Drew Dazzo

US Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Drew Dazzo is once again awarded for the extraordinary rescue of the Sean Seamour II crew by the Naval Helicopter Association
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US Coast Guard HH-60 crew receives award for May 7th rescue

US Coast Guard HH-60 crew members will receive awards for the extraordinary rescue of the crew of s/v Sean Seamour II last May 7th. The vessel caught in a sub-tropical depression subsequently named Andrea, was further battered by a rogue wave.
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US Coast Guard crews honored by her Majesty’ services after saving Sean Seamour II crew

The US Coast Guard crews (HH-60 and C-130) are the true heroes of the day for their extraordinary rescue of the Sean Seamour II crew. The HH-60 crew is to be recognized (we hope and are pushing) by both the Canadian and US governments for their courage and valor.
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Les services de la Reine d’Angleterre honorent les équipages du HH-60 et C-130 des Coast Guard

🇫🇷 Les deux équipages du HH-60 et C-130 qui ont assurés le sauvetage de Sean Seamour II sont honorés par les services de la Reine d'Angleterre, l'équipage du HH-60 sera reconnu par les deux gouvernements du Canada et Etats Unis pour leur prouesse et courage.
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Action summary for the US Coast Guard rescue of Sean Seamour II’ crew

The US Coast Guard action report on the Sean Seamour II rescue is another extraordinary demonstration of valor and courage, the parallel between Kevin Costner' The Guardian is not limited to Comdr. Smith' role as co-pilot, here again the winch cable...
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Rapport d’activité US Coast Guard – Sean Seamour II

🇫🇷 Le rapport d'activité des US Coast Guards dans le sauvetage de l'équipage de Sean Seamour II est édifiant, le parallèle avec le film de Kevin Costner The Guardian ne se limite pas au Commandant Smith qui joue le rôle du copilote, ici encore le cable du treuil...
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Diary of Days Gone Bye

2 Comments

    1. Hello JP,
      We just read “A Storm too Soon”. What a story and what an ordeal. We are so glad you survived and got to share your story. My wife and I were sailing our 50 ft catamaran, El Gecco, from Puerto Rico back to Charleston, SC when we encountered the winds of your storm north of the Bahamas and took cover after 24 hours of battering seas & winds in a remote atoll/island. . Herb Hingleberg from South Bound 2 was routing us and covering 200 miles a day, routed us out of that storm. Had we continued north, who knows what our fate would have been. I took my previous boat, a 38ft monohaul I designed and built myself, racing solo around the world in the BOC Challenge and the Around Alone, and too encountered life threatening storms, in particular on my approach to Cape Horn, and I wrote about it in my book, “Journey of a Hope Merchant”, but did not, in the entire 27,000 mile solo race, encounter seas such what you had endured. My hat is off to you. We are back out sailing on our cat with our family. Hope some day we will get to share an anchorage. Keep living your dream as you too know how fragile life can be.
      Regards,
      Neal Petersen

    2. Nick Merkle says:

      Dear JP and Mayke,
      I just finished reading “A Storm Too Soon”. I could not put this book down and wanted you to know how much you have inspired me. I am 42 years old and have always dreamed of sailing on the ocean. Although I was born and currently live in landlocked Ohio USA. I have lived in the Florida Keys, England, and Connecticut yet have never accomplished my dream. I broke my back in a very violent car crash when I was 17. I have battled alcoholism and have been a steady smoker of both cigarettes and marijuana. I have divorced from my English wife a year ago and have a great 10 year old son. I run my own construction business which is failing more every year. I have made the decision to quit the alcohol, drugs and smoking which helped mask the back pain. I have accumulated much debt but refuse to file bankruptcy.
      I just wanted you to know you have inspired me that I am only not too old to yet sail across the sea but that my back problems can no longer be an excuse for my life’s failures.
      Good luck on your new adventures,
      Nick

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Diary of Days Gone Bye

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