Super sloop War Baby and her owner, veteran sailor Warren Brown, have no doubt shared enough adventures on the world's seas to fill the pages of a book.

Mr. Brown, known for his expertise on heavy weather sailing, has owned War Baby for the past 17 years although this is the first time War Baby has been in local waters since the 1990 Bermuda Race.

"What's interesting about this trip is that over the past nine years, War Baby has visited 80 countries and islands as well as 500 ports and stops,'' said Mr. Brown.

"She's been from the north of Greenland to Campbell Island 500 miles south of New Zealand, and we encountered a number of storms during that time.'' Although Mr. Brown has sailed all over the world -- specialising in the journey from the north/south route between Antarctica and the North Pole -- he and War Baby also have a local claim to fame. War Baby is credited with holding the record for the long-distance course in the Marion-Bermuda race -- although its time of 78 hours, 35 minutes and 3 seconds was later beaten by Kirk Cooper's Alphida by 21 seconds, Mr. Brown said it was a shortened course so War Baby is still credited with the record for the long-distance course.

Mr. Brown said he has lectured about sailing in treacherous weather conditions at the Annapolis Naval Academy as well as maritime academies and several yacht clubs.

He mentioned a few highlights from his adventures on the high seas, including a trip to Easter Island and Pitcairn where he met friends Steven and Olive Christian -- direct descendants of Fletcher Christian who led the Mutiny on the Bounty.

"The first War Baby was a Bermuda dinghy built during the first World War by Eldon Trimingham Sr.,'' said Mr. Brown.

"We bought that boat in 1940, and the rest of our boats since that time have used that name.

"I've met more heavy weather than most people -- and although I don't agree, I'm considered the expert in heavy weather sailing.

"When you've been sailing as long as I have, it's impossible not to run into bad weather from time to time -- and when you're a long distance from home, it's inevitable.'' Despite some of the intense weather conditions he's experienced, Mr. Brown said he's only been truly frightened once at sea -- during the 1990 Bermuda Race.

"We lost a man overboard in the middle of the night in pitch-dark water, and Kevin Horsefield went over the side in a life jacket to get him aboard,'' he recalled.

"The worst storm I ever encountered was in a boat called Force-7 . It was a 1964 hurricane in the Gulf Stream north of Bermuda.

"Two ships and 12 planes were looking for me for three days. Several of the crew on board were Bermudians, including Dr. Colin Couper and Michael Ashton... at that time, we were lucky to get out alive.

"The hurricane was called Cleo... it bypassed Bermuda, went up the Carolina coast, and the reports were that it had dissipated inland.

"But it switched direction and picked up steam. The Queen Elizabeth was out, too, and 23 people were carried off in stretchers.'' Mr. Brown said he usually likes to take a crew of four people when the weather is good; when cruising, six to eight people are needed except in very cold conditions where he likes to take ten people because of the ice and snow on deck.

Racing without a spinnaker, Mr. Brown takes a crew of 12 and racing with a spinnaker he usually has 16 people aboard.

"She's a heavy displacer, and the stress on the equipment is very great -- it takes three people to pick the jib up,'' he said.

"I make doubly sure no one goes over the side, because the chances of getting them back alive are very slim. I give my crew a macabre tale: `If you go overboard, do me one favour -- put your hand up over your head when you come to the surface and wiggle it so we can say goodbye, because we'll never pick you up','' he said.

"Under very cold conditions, you only have six minutes to live before hypothermia sets in -- so I tell them to scare them because I'm very safety conscious.'' Part of having a safe trip is tied to proper planning -- and Mr. Brown said if he's planning a major trip, the planning time is as long as the actual journey.

"Preparing for a trip makes for a successful trip -- we have to obtain the right charts, check the weather conditions, and other things,'' he said.

"My favourite cruising area is Chile because of the absolute beauty of the area and the uncharted waters -- you see glaciers, condors sailing over the trees and whales sounding right next to you.''