Born on the 20th of October 1957 to a reluctant father and dominated mother, I began my rather lonely life in the hostile home of Pam and Bill Kehl..
It was my father's habit to beat my mother and myself whenever he was dissatisfied with us, or himself. I guess I have Freemasonry to thank both for the abuse as well as a restraint from any permanent physical damage, though one can never quantify the emotional scars which remain... It would seem as though I was an unplanned child which was terribly damaging to my father's pride, and the image which he liked to deliver to his fellow Freemasons. The restraint which kept balance to this equation was ironically, that he couldn't afford to have his Freemason buddies discover his dirty little habit of battering his wife and child. He was also obliged to be seen to be a good father, and thankfully, he provided me with material necessities and a good education. I realise that in my defense to remain an individual, I did a lot to antagonise the situation: being defiant was probably the worst reaction that I could possibly have shown to my narcissistic father - it only further enraged him and the result, after me running away from home on eight occasions, was to have me sent to boarding school where I would be spared his wrath! I think his world became a better place without me, though the last time I saw him in 2002, I was left with the impression of a small, insignificant individual.
Life really began for me when I graduated from High school: It was the first opportunity for me to express myself freely, though I was sadly lacking in many of the experiences and lessons of a young boy's upbringing, and I had to learn them at a late stage in my life. University was more about a personal education than an academic one for me. I made the best of my time at university, joining many of the sports and social societies and even ended up with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a post-graduate diploma in education as a bonus!
Shortly after completing my university studies and finding a job with Frank & Hirsch, I moved to accomplish my aspiration of a free spirited sailing lifestyle. The first step was to serve an apprenticeship for a number of years out of the Royal Cape Yacht club in Cape Town as a crewmember on racing yachts. Once I had enough experience and the required certificates, I replied to an advertisement as a captain to deliver a yacht to South America. This was the beginning of an 18 year journey which took me to many and varied corners of the Earth and eventually spat me out in Houston, Texas where I spent 8 years before returning to live in Cape Town in 2001.