Bottoms Up/Impossible Dream

[cudachaser]

Going way back like to the late 70's, does anyone remember an operation out of Boynton Beach called the "Bottoms Up"? It was an old wooden ex Coast Guard vessel that hauled 40+ divers out of Boynton Inlet. Capt was Bill Cornell and his wife was Paige Cornell. They later ran the "Impossible Dream' a livaboard out of West Palm.

Paige married my wife & I underwater in the the Bahamas while on a trip with Impossible Dream in 1979...

For several years now, I have been trying to track the couple down (gottta see if my marriage is really legal...only kidding)

Just like to to touch base with them...their kids were like 8 & 10 years old when we knew them...now ours kids are 18 & 20...Just love to have a reunion. Had so many great dives on with Bill in command on both vessels

 

[deepstops]

A friend of mine from high school took a job as the cook on this boat somewhere around 1983. Shortly afterwards, the boat crashed into a channel marker (the huge NW channel marker in the Bahamas I think) in the middle of the night. As the marker is in shallow water, the boat didn't sink but was declared a total loss. That was the last I heard of the boat (and the business).

 

[cudachaser]

Bill had quit working on the Dream after a major dispute with the boat's owner prior to the accident. Word has it the he swore he would never work in the dive business again and went to captain charter fishing vessels out of West Palm.

Also, Dan Wagner bought another vessel, the Dream II which also either sank or caught fire

 

[tvictory]

There is a liveaboard "Dream Too" which runs from Riviera Beach Marina in the West Palm area. They do take divers but concentrate more on dolphin encounters in the Bahamas. They are very popular with Japanese groups.

 

[DennisW]

I went on a trip to the Bahamas with a group trip that Walter planned back in May of 1991. The Impossible Dream either sunk or was damaged beyond repair right after Walter went on a trip with her. Another live aboard in the Sea of Cortez sunk right after a trip Walter went on with that boat. I figured I was safe on The Dream Too while with Walter, but probably shouldn't go on a trip on her after that. Never did. I don't know what happened to the operation after we went on the trip. We had a good time, but I was less than impressed with the crew. Maybe a web search would turn up something.