UPDATE: October 13, 2006Michel McDermott, Communications Coordinator at Mercury Marine has informed me today via email that Mercury Marine published my story about moving Richie Sowa's Spiral Island with my 9.9 Mercury outboard motor back in March 2001 in the Mercury Messenger dealer magazine. This is the message that I received today from Michel, and as soon as I receive a copy of the story from Michel, I will post it here on the Spiral Island website. I would also like to take this time to thank Michel for contacting me, and to Mercury Marine for publishing the story in the Mercury Messenger dealer news. Thanks again to Michel McDermott, Communications Coordinator, Mercury Marine. RandyMac McCallum Message to me from Michel McDermott: RandyMac,
We did publish your story in our dealer magazine, the Mercury Messenger.
I'd love to send you some copies, but couldn't find an address on your
website. Do you have a mailing address I could send them to?
Michel McDermott
Communications Coordinator
Mercury Marine Original Story on Spiral Island:Ultimate 9.9 outboard motor test?First off, Richie is an ecology green-environment friendly person and he wasn't too enthused about hooking up a motor to his island to move it from one lagoon to another back in 2001, but we talked him into it. After we moved the island, which took two days, I gave Richie the 9.9 Mercury outboard so he could sell it to a local fisherman so he could cover most of his expenses for a trip that he took to Central America back in the Spring of 2001. Can a 9.9 Mercury Outboard Motor move a 60 ton floating island? That's like asking if such a small motor can move a 60 ton barge or boat. And most people would never attempt such a task with such a small outboard motor. However, we put Mercury and their claims to the test back in March 2001. According to Mercury Outboards, they have been engineering, building and providing the best marine power in the world for over 60 years. And this little story is proof that their 9.9 Mercury outboard motors can handle heavy loads without failing. Back in March 2001, we attached my little 9.9 Mercury outboard to Spiral Island and put it to the ultimate salt water weight pushing test in the back lagoon of Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo Mexico.  Randy and Richie with 9.9 Mercury outboard motor
Moving a 60 ton plus floating island depends on heavy duty marine power and we can attest that Mercury claims of consistently offering the strongest and toughest marine power anywhere are true. After attaching the motor to the back of the island, my little 9.9 Mercury motor started on the first pull after sitting for 2 years. And after giving Richie a few lessons on how not to over rev the motor which causes cavitation, Spiral Island was moving around the lagoon.  9.9 Mercury Outboard Motor
Every once and a while some bubbles formed, but even so, we never encountered any sign of blade failure (breakage) and soon we were spinning the island from one side of the lagoon in Puerto Aventuras to the other. Of course we used guide ropes to help stablize the island, but the little motor did more than we ever expected that day. A few weeks later, the same motor was attached again to Spiral Island and this time we moved Spiral Island out into open sea so Richie could relocate the island down 1/4 of mile to a new lagoon, as requested by the Marina Authorities at Puerto Aventuras. I'm not sure if Mercury would provide any warranty on the motor after moving such a heavy object, but thanks to their motor, we were able to move the island, even though many people didn't think the little 9.9 motor would even budge the island.  Richie guides island in lagoon with 9.9 Mercury outboard
The following are some photos taken back in March 2001, when Richie and I amd his many friends moved Spiral Island from the lagoon in Puerto Aventuras to a new location 1/4 mile south. The move saw us almost wind up in Cuba when the island got caught in a huge wind. We drifter for a while, and the little 9.9 did it's best to guide us back, but soon we had to flag down a Parasail boat to otw us back to the lagoon.  Spiral Island in the Puerto Aventuras lagoon This is the ultimate Survivor Show adventure. During the move of Spiral Island with the 9.9 Mercury Outboard and guide ropes, we experienced a huge gust of wind off the ocean, and this dragged Spiral Island out to sea. There were approximately 12 people on the island when we started drifting out to sea. We did not have enough water on the island, but we did have a case of some Sol cervesas (beer) to party. The waves caused some serious damage to the island, but the little Mercury outboard did it's best to stabilize the island during gusts of winds. 
This is the Puerto Aventuras lagoon where Richie's Spiral Island was originally located before we moved the island back in March 2001.  Puerto Aventuras lagoon Later this weekend, (May 6th, and 7th, 2006) I will be posting more of the history of Spiral Island and more photos that have not been available on the web. Please come back soon, and please let your friends know about Richie Sowa, and his Island paradise. Please give out the Richie Sowa's Spiral Island website URL to as many friends as possible: http://spiralisland.westkootenayunplugged.com/index.php Happy Cinco de Maya . Have a nice weekend. RandyMac
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