A physician and specialist in Medical Genetics, Noreen Rudd started scuba diving over twenty-five years ago, which opened her eyes to the wonders of the underwater world. At age fifty, she relinquished a career in medicine and research to explore new interests, including music, native cedar bark-weaving and culture, beading, food photography and, of course, cruising the Pacific Coast. Cooks Afloat! grew out of her responsibility for all aspects of meal-planning aboard her and co-author David Hoar's boat, Pacific Voyager.