Charlie's Virgin Island Home Page

My current home page is here.

Interests: My wife Alex, helping people use neat computer stuff (see my homebuilt computer), sailing, and dancing. The emphasis changes.
Work Stuff: I'm active at the University of the Virgin Islands, where I've been a full-time Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems for over ten years, Director of the Centers for Excellence in Research and Instructional Technology (CERIT), and Vice Chair of Faculty. I also served as the Faculty Representative on the UVI Board of Trustees and Coordinator for the Computer Information Systems component of the Business Division.
My strong interests in Asynchronous Distant Learning, developing other users, and Web Development are demonstrated in my Web and Host master status for a number of web sites (see my Vita of a list).
I also do a lot of consulting on software/database development.
Among the the other things I've been paid to do are bartender, chef, sailing instructor, ship’s captain, TV camera operator, mental health specialist, orderly, priest, welder, computer programmer, writer and systems consultant. I recently ran for the local Senate but didn't make it. I think I was once paid to dance but the memory is blurry.
Hobbies: I like to write computer applications and give them away (much more fun than crossword puzzles). In example, check out the good stuff at SereneSound, Charlie's Jokes, and my ExcelToHTML macro. My biggest current project is the Internet Course Delivery System that organizes and presents information asychronously on the web. The previous link gives you administrative access to a working demo. If you want to download ICDS, Click Here.
Education: My first degree is in Psychophysiology. I wrote the degree and am one of a handful in the world that have one. I admit it's not the most useful degree. I learned mondo control of my body functions and some other esoteric stuff. I.E. I can stop my heart for a bit, but who cares? (Don't answer that.) I also have masters degrees in Education and Business. Outside of academia, I'm an ordained Minister, a licensed US Coast Guard Master Captain and US Sail Sailing Instructor.

Our Boat, Ubi Libretas and Alex

Personal Stuff: The Virgin Islands have been my home on and off since grade school.
I'm living well, enjoying my useful and challenging jobs and married to a wonderful woman named Alexandra (Alex). We live between our boat and mountain "surf shack." Here's a picture of our boat Ubi Libertas, (Latin: Where there is Freedom ) and Alex (cuter than kids or pets). The view from our bunglo is awesome.
If interested, I wrote up the whole mushy story of how I met Alex.
Recent accomplishments include numerous single-handed sailing trips to South America and all but three of the islands in the Caribbean chain.

Our front porch view. If your browser supports it, you can click and drag inside to look around and use the A/Z keys to zoom in and out.

If sailing adventures interest you, I kept non-traditional ship's logs. In the first log [1/4 meg] I get a bit introspective while spending about five months traveling from the Virgin Islands to South America and back though many islands of the Caribbean chain. In the second log I travel with my then girlfriend (who I met in the first log) and explore some fun places and our new relationship. Names have been changed. There is a third log but it is to wild to print.
Looking for a Job: I get asked this a lot. Sorry. I don't know of any work out this way. You could try Emailing our Vice President of Academic Affairs, Laverne Ragster, at lragste@uvi.edu.

The Hurricane Tales: We continue to survive.
José dropped by late in '99. The eye passed about 30 miles from us but it was not impressive. My belief that storms pass only in the night was supported.
In '98 Alex and I were fearfully looking at Category Five hurricane Georges that looked like it was going to be a direct hit. We boarded up the house, prepared the boat then rented a room in a local resort. Georges briefly fizzled then wiggled and St. Thomas was spared. We got more water on the floor from the ice melting in the cooler than from the storm.
In '96 I was surprised by Bertha while visiting St. John Carnival. I weathered the storm on the boat with less anchors than I like to think of without problems in Hurricane Hole, St. John. Fortunately there was little damage. With Bertha, I achieved the dubious distinction of surviving a direct "eye" hit on all three of the Virgin Islands. Bertha was my first daylight storm -- what a view!
In '95 things got a bit wild during Louise as I weathered the storm aboard in a partially exposed anchorage. I saved Ubi by jumping a number of times between her and another boat that had broken free and caught my anchor lines. Not what you want to be doing at night in hurricane winds and seas. Still, UBI was sawing through the other boat which would soon sink taking UBI and myself with her. The ultimate solution was to cut my own anchor lines along one side! This allowed the other boat to drift back to the beach and Ubi and myself to live. Cutting your own lines in the middle of a hurricane is not for the timid. I survived the rest of the night on fear and half my anchor lines! Talk about executive decisions!
While much more devastating to the islands, Marilyn was almost kind to me. I watched from the beach for that one (OK, I know that's stupid too). During Marilyn, about eight boats took turns grabbing on to Ubi and dragging her towards the beach. Ubi was within about five feet of the rocks when the eye hit, the wind reversed and she was pushed back out to deeper water very close to where she had started the storm. Whew! Ubi suffered some cosmetic but no structural damage.
After the storm, my access to news was better than most and I started a popular daily newsletter on local topics of interest. If you want to get a feel for storm recovery, read the newsletters I wrote after the storms. They are in WinWord 6 format.
I have also survived direct hits from Hugo and Camille. You would think I would know to get out of the wind!

Regards,

charlie@balch.org

Charles V. Balch