Circumnavigation 42

[MikeL]

The very title of chapter 42 confirms that the previous chapter of Circumnavigation ended with a cliffhanger.

 

Enjoy reading.

[hh5]

I knew some one would steal it if the point of the story was Trevor circuminavigation

 

I do hate the theives - banshish quota?? to keep their jobs

 

sounds very organized for rip off - trevor lucky they didn't rob him of his clothes - but he would sail naked!!

The other yaughters wouldn't mind seeing eye candy

 

Hey its like 1400 miles out of the gulf of suzez add 100 extra pass that island off of somolia then its straigh down to schecklies then 3500 miles to austraila

 

Its like the same distance in the atlantic crossing.

 

so in theory he's be there in like six weeks? plus lay over so make that in two months

 

He'll be there in Nov for early for Turkey day thats if he doesn't get slowed down and just make it there in Dec and then demand the truth from his father

and will his father fly to austraila to tell him the truth in person or over the phone so gonzales can record the conversation

[MikeL]

He'll be there in Nov for early for Turkey day thats if he doesn't get slowed down and just make it there in Dec and then demand the truth from his father

and will his father fly to austraila to tell him the truth in person or over the phone so gonzales can record the conversation

I agree that Trevor will have all his questions about Ares answered in Australia, but I think it will be his mother who answers them.

[hh5]

I agree that Trevor will have all his questions about Ares answered in Australia, but I think it will be his mother who answers them.

 

I would question if she's alive

* She gave the mayday

* Someone towed the wreckage to some island

* If she survived thats a long haul to austraila by hitch hiking

* Trevor never check Visa records in austrailia or any other countries

 

If Trevor does find his mother and its december and the truth is out but between the good guys

where would Trevor live? Will he choose to grill shrimp on the barbie and run charters in austrailia?

Would he leave his two friends?

 

Would his father survive all this?

 

She be under a new name in austrialia that means a fake passport or new identity passport given by the USA

 

----

 

est 200 miles per day

 

convoy 100 per day ??

 

End of Suez to Socotra - 2300 miles est - 11.5 Days => 23 Days

Socotra to Seychelles - 1100 miles est - 5.5 Days => 11 Days

Seychelles to Austrailia - 3300 miles est - 16.5 Days

Total 6700 miles est - 32.5 Days

with Convoy 51 days

 

Sept 1 Week + 8 Weeks => 1st Week November at best

Worst => 13 Weeks => 2nd Week of December

 

- - - -

 

Gosh it would have been cool if Ghassan didn't dump the stuff and go kaaboom!!

Then there be two bodies and wreckage and life jackets "altantis"

Then there be a baksheesh backlash and investigation

 

but now we only got robbery and dumping of stuff and small delay

Trevor doesn't seem phased that he could have been blown up

 

sounds like the authorities aren't going to hold Trevor but they will eventually find the life jackets

 

Would wonder when Sanchez will try again? unless he has connections with somila?

Then it be a long convoy issue

 

Then will he give up after seychelles - thats 1/2 the voyage battle there.

 

[MikeL]

I would question if she's alive

* She gave the mayday

* Someone towed the wreckage to some island

* If she survived thats a long haul to austraila by hitch hiking

* Trevor never check Visa records in austrailia or any other countries

 

If Trevor does find his mother and its december and the truth is out but between the good guys

where would Trevor live? Will he choose to grill shrimp on the barbie and run charters in austrailia?

Would he leave his two friends?

 

Would his father survive all this?

 

She be under a new name in austrialia that means a fake passport or new identity passport given by the USA

If I remember correctly, Trevor's mother would have an Australian passport.

 

She could have issued the mayday call, then set sail for Australia on the Ares.

 

I believe Trevor's parents have committed insurance fraud and are waiting for the statute of limitations to expire in December before they reveal that his mother is still alive.

 

Trevor's mother is probably running charters in Australia on the renamed Ares. Trevor will sail on to his home and friends in Florida thereby completing his circumnavigation.

[hh5]

I believe Trevor's parents have committed insurance fraud and are waiting for the statute of limitations to expire in December before they reveal that his mother is still alive.

 

So where did all that money go?

Dirk gambling or dug debt?

[Benji]

If I remember correctly, Trevor's mother would have an Australian passport.

 

She could have issued the mayday call, then set sail for Australia on the Ares.

 

I believe Trevor's parents have committed insurance fraud and are waiting for the statute of limitations to expire in December before they reveal that his mother is still alive.

 

Trevor's mother is probably running charters in Australia on the renamed Ares. Trevor will sail on to his home and friends in Florida thereby completing his circumnavigation.

 

 

 

 

.............I agree!! I'm sure Trevor's mother got it all to start a new life in Australia, just as I'm sure that she discovered Bridget's late husband hiding spot on the Ares. She must of found something that scared the hell out of her enough to fear for her families life to fake the boat accident.

 

Will Bes and Mufid attempt to kill Trevor again? Or will the place be so full of police that they make contact with the Pirates to finish the job? It won't take to long for the Egyptian police to figure out that Trevor was the intended target. I wonder if when they find the other propane tank, Ghassan left any fingerprints (hmm, can finger prints withstand the salt water). Will Bes and Mufid find out by a mole in the police department that gives up Ghassan's name to them? I don't see how they can to link Dirk to another attempt this late in the voyage! It will be an interesting conversation that Detective Gonzales has with his Egyptian counterpart, and with the feds involved, he may finally get more information for his on-going murder case. I'm afraid all Bridget accomplished was to make her look more suspicious. The cartel is not going to be very happy!

 

Great chapter CJ

Edited September 7, 2010 by Benji

[Conner]

Joel was naked in this chapter!!

 

I don't think I'll be taking a trip down the Suez canal anytime soon.

 

What with CJ's intense knowledge of explosives and all his world traveling, I'm thinking CJ must be a professional explosives expert. He travels the world blowing stuff up.....all legally of course. Cool job for a goat.

 

I'm hoping Trev's mom is alive. He deserves some kind of break in this story.

 

Super chapter, CJ!!

[TalonRider]

So where did all that money go?

Dirk gambling or dug debt?

It's not been collected yet. Since there was no body to prove she's dead, Dirk has to wait X amount years to collect it.

[jkeeling]

Great chapter was hoping the thief was gonna be the one to go boom.

[Trebs]

It's not been collected yet. Since there was no body to prove she's dead, Dirk has to wait X amount years to collect it.

 

 

No - past chapters establish that there was a delay of a year and a half between the "wreck" of the Ares and pronouncing Rachel dead - which was around Christmas time seven years before the story. The statute of limitations was tied to seven years after she was declared dead - so if there was insurance money, Dirk would have gotten it at that point.

 

I don't think that Rachel found the stash prior to the "wreck" - but she may have in the time since, or once Trevor is in Austrailia and reunited, he may try to create a similar stash place on the Ares and find that someone had beat him to it... Reason I don't think Rachel knew about the stash is that Dirk would have been much more paranoid about Bridget, and when he learned that part of the investigation was regarding Bridget and her husband, he would have agreed to meet with the police, in case not doing so might endanger Trevor.

 

DAMN - re-reading the prologue, two phrases jump out that I hadn't really paid attention to before...

 

 

Each boat

[Benji]

No - past chapters establish that there was a delay of a year and a half between the "wreck" of the Ares and pronouncing Rachel dead - which was around Christmas time seven years before the story. The statute of limitations was tied to seven years after she was declared dead - so if there was insurance money, Dirk would have gotten it at that point.

 

I don't think that Rachel found the stash prior to the "wreck" - but she may have in the time since, or once Trevor is in Austrailia and reunited, he may try to create a similar stash place on the Ares and find that someone had beat him to it... Reason I don't think Rachel knew about the stash is that Dirk would have been much more paranoid about Bridget, and when he learned that part of the investigation was regarding Bridget and her husband, he would have agreed to meet with the police, in case not doing so might endanger Trevor.

 

DAMN - re-reading the prologue, two phrases jump out that I hadn't really paid attention to before...

 

 

Each boat's roomy salon and galley, plus four passenger cabins, provided comfortable accommodations at the rate of a thousand dollars a day. It was easy money and Rachel knew she'd need it....

 

[and]

 

As Rachel finished trimming the boat and balancing the sails, she took one last, lingering glance back at the receding shoreline, remembering her young son saying goodbye to her that morning, and asking her to bring him home a seashell for his birthday. Rachel wiped away a tear that had come unbidden to her eye and went forward to check on her guests.

 

[she KNEW she wouldn't be seeing Trevor for quite a while. When you are about to head home to see your son after a charter, you don't shed a tear because you are about to see him, you shed a tear because you don't know when you'll ever see him again]

 

 

 

..... I agree with you on most of this, your analogy on the story is right, but one thing that bothered me was the lack Dirk knowing anything about Bridget, other then the sale of the boat there is nothing on radar to suggest he suspects Bridget. Did Rachel not fill him in because what he doesn't know won't hurt him, or Trevor? The one thing I'm sure of, is that Rachel nor the Ares will not be found at the bottom of the sea in the Bimini. Dirk already in exasperation nearly told Trevor that when he found out he was doing 'solo' explorations for the boat.

 

Another scene can unfold here

If the cartel decides to honor the contract without any further evidence tying it to Dirk, then it will most likely be by the pirates sent to kill Trevor and sink the Atlantis, however I see the savior coming in the form of the Egyptian navy that saves the day against an evil plot (cliffhanger from the goat) With the help of the US state department and the canal investigation, they will want to talk at Trevor again.

That said, the cartel has a problem, loose ends that come to them need to be severed. Will George and Bridget make a run for it? Will Julie appear as a friend or foe in the upcoming chapters? The traps are many, the scenarios are circumstantial!

Edited September 8, 2010 by Benji

[wildone]

sHe'll be there in Nov for early for Turkey day thats if he doesn't get slowed down and just make it there in Dec and then demand the truth from his father

and will his father fly to austraila to tell him the truth in person or over the phone so gonzales can record the conversation

 

I don't believe they celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia, the pilgrims stopped at North America

 

What with CJ's intense knowledge of explosives and all his world traveling, I'm thinking CJ must be a professional explosives expert. He travels the world blowing stuff up.....all legally of course. Cool job for a goat.

 

 

I do believe the goat may be going traveling soon and may or may not be entering BC , I'd check out your life insurance policy Conner for explosion coverage

 

So, first thanks CJ for the chapter, I'm really getting into it and enjoying the reappearance of the cliffhangers that you love to insert.

 

A lot of great speculation. I foresee Trevor being hailed and stopped by some countries naval vessel (maybe a destroyer) off the coast of Somalia once the Egyptian police find a blown apart propane tank on the bottom of the lake and the floating life jackets. I imagine they will put out a arrest warrant to at least question Trevor some more. Since there is many warships off the coast of Somalia, one could pick him up.

 

I like Trebs sleuthing through the prologue. I knew their must be clues in there, but I was too thick to see them. Thumbs up to Trebs

 

The only thing is that I have a alternate ending. It is one that CJ has proposed for another story and I think he has been pinning to use it himself.

 

 

 

There will be a flying saucer that swooped down and sucked up Rachel and the Ares much like in Close Encounters of The Third Kind. After probing her and her boat, they deposited her off the coast of Australia near Perth since it is less populated.

Rachel felt so violated she couldn't return home, or confess to anyone what happened because nobody would believe her.

 

 

 

See, isn't that the most logical explanation yet

[Benji]

 

 

There will be a flying saucer that swooped down and sucked up Rachel and the Ares much like in Close Encounters of The Third Kind. After probing her and her boat, they deposited her off the coast of Australia near Perth since it is less populated.

Rachel felt so violated she couldn't return home, or confess to anyone what happened because nobody would believe her.

 

 

 

See, isn't that the most logical explanation yet

 

:lmao::lmao:............. I love it! Fits!!

[hh5]

:lmao::lmao:............. I love it! Fits!!

 

ok so there is a prequel to Circumnav ... Cocoon 3 ... Ron Howard will CJames to write this one

 

Wow that's some evidence by Trebs

 

Sure hope with the cloud of investigation will keep sanchez away ... unless he has ties to somila then the convoy is a risk

 

Now I wonder if CJames will let Trevor sail naked?

 

and be on the cover of I-Sail-Naked-for-Joel-or-give-me-a-swedish-meatball

[wildone]

I am curious about the rock and the phone. I wonder if Trevor talks to his dad and they actually talk civilly to each others what he may find out and the same for his Dad.

 

If Trevor mentions the rock and that it looks like one that came from outside his house or his Dad's shop outside, will that make Dirk realise that he was robbed? Then will Dirk finally meet with Officer Gonzales and then by a trickle down effect they notice that the propane tank was taken? Remember Joel, Lisa and Trevor doing the inventory not too long ago? I think that may have been a hidden clue to something in the future. A few calls from Florida to Egypt and some investigating may also reveal the police override code being used in the middle of the night at Dirks shop.

 

I have a feeling that Bridget and George are about to be under the microscope very soon.

 

Another thing mentioned earlier in the topic was that no wreckage was found. Yet Bridget said to Sanchez that she found wreckage floating after she confessed to both him and George that she had to tell the truth in this one instance. So why would we assume that the boat wasn't destroyed? Could we make an assumption that Bridget would lie about not lying?

 

[Benji]

Another thing mentioned earlier in the topic was that no wreckage was found. Yet Bridget said to Sanchez that she found wreckage floating after she confessed to both him and George that she had to tell the truth in this one instance. So why would we assume that the boat wasn't destroyed? Could we make an assumption that Bridget would lie about not lying?

 

 

 

..................Bridget said she found the zodiac and very little of the debris, but claims she recognized them as being from the Ares. She also stated that she did not lie to Sanchez, what she told him was the truth, to the best of her knowledge

 

I still think the debris field left behind was planted. Rachael was planning to leave, as Treb's pointed out, so I beleive she set sail immediately after planting the evidence, for Australia.

Edited September 9, 2010 by Benji

[wildone]

So I wonder than if she would have gone via the Panama canal? It would be shorter to get to Australia, so there would probably have been record of her passage there. Or did she do the more lengthy trip like Trevor or skipped the Med and went around South Africa. That would be dangerous as well from my understanding. I'm wondering if maybe this isn't the first cicumnavigation to be attempted by a Carlson

 

 

[hh5]

..................Bridget said she found the zodiac and very little of the debris, but claims she recognized them as being from the Ares. She also stated that she did not lie to Sanchez, what she told him was the truth, to the best of her knowledge

 

I still think the debris field left behind was planted. Rachael was planning to leave, as Treb's pointed out, so I beleive she set sail immediately after planting the evidence, for Australia.

 

So she must have discovered that the cartel and bridget was using her. She must have discovered the bomb and should have discovered the hidden compartment by now?

 

I guess she was smart enough like trev to shut her transponder off or disguise it.

 

The good question does dirk have any knowledge to all this?

 

So after christmas ... dirk going to fly to austrailia and join his wife there ... leave trevor to make his decision to live in the usa.

 

Let Joel and Lisa run the chanlery and charting company.

 

But that be too dangerous as the cartel would be after Trevor - the only thing is Trevor promising to not search for ares and be convincing to Bridget

 

But hey unless his friends like to go live in austraila with trevor and run two charters

 

so many directions this story can take

 

Maybe Rachel would not want Trev to tell his dad about his mother being alive but ask him to forgive his father.

 

Then Trevor will catch up for another 10 years with his mother but will she accept him being gay?

What if Trevor finds a cute gay guy in Austraila from governor Graeme?

[Trebs]

IIRC, Rachel "left" in late spring, so for the southern hemisphere, late fall. I'd think it would be ok to still travel around the cape (ie Argentina/Chile) and then west to Australia at that time of the year?!? Ok - looking at a globe instead of a flat map - maybe not... not sure...

[hh5]

IIRC, Rachel "left" in late spring, so for the southern hemisphere, late fall. I'd think it would be ok to still travel around the cape (ie Argentina/Chile) and then west to Australia at that time of the year?!? Ok - looking at a globe instead of a flat map - maybe not... not sure...

 

That be Cape Horn ... i remember the name from a game called "Around the Horn" sail clipper ships from east coast to SF bay.

Yes its windy down there ... watch out for iceburgs but that wasn't in the game.

 

Late Spring time sounds fine - but when seasons change so does the weather patterns ... I presume early summer is fine.

Compared to Trevor it was Summer and he decides to go the other way.

 

--

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Cape_Horn

 

Cape Horn is the most southerly point of South America South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...

, and marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage Drake PassageThe Drake Passage or Mar de Hoces -Sea of "de Hoces"- is the body of water between the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn, Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica...

; for many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route Clipper routeIn sailing, the clipper route was the traditional route sailed by clipper ships between Europe and the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. The route ran from west to east through the Southern Ocean, in order to make use of the strong westerly winds of the Roaring Forties...

, by which sailing ship Sailing shipSailing ship is now used to refer to any large wind-powered vessel. In technical terms, a ship was a sailing vessel with a specific rig of at least three masts, square rigged on all of them, making the sailing adjective redundant. In popular usage "ship" became associated with all large sailing...

s carried trade around the world. However, the waters around the Cape are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds, large waves, strong currents and iceberg IcebergAn iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...

s; these dangers have made it notorious as a sailors' graveyard.

 

The need for ships to round the Cape Horn was greatly reduced by the opening of the Panama Canal Panama CanalThe Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade...

in 1914.

[rknapp]

A few details that stuck in my mind, and have not been mentioned in this thread thus far (I'm assuming they've not been considered):

 

Dirk said to Jim some time ago, when he intended to take Atlantis away, "Put it with the other one." What other one? Ares, perhaps? Could be a whole Ares, or an Ares with a hole. Remember, Catamarans can still float, even if the hulls are punctured, on the saloon (salon). Bridget said (and the narration implies that she isn't lieing) that she was the first on the scene of the "accident", even before the authorities. Currents might strong around Bimini (not really, I've swam in those waters before, untethered from our boat), but I refuse to believe that Ares would have drifted out of sight (miles, BTW) in the time it took for Bridget to get there and find what little wreckage there was.

 

Dirk also asked Trevor to transit Suez. Once dirk had confirmation of this transit, he would spill the beans. I get the feeling his confirmation would be Trevor calling from the satphone. Since pink rocks don't get very good service in the Arab world, we might have to wait for the next port-of-call.

 

 

 

I also believe that the wreck of Ares was a hoax, and that Rachel is still alive. Where? Dunno. Why? Dunno. I think we'll find out once Dirk has "the talk" with Trevor.

 

BTW I also don't think Bridget had anything to do whatsoever with Ares and Rachel disappearing. She said once before (narration confirms) that she held no ill contempt against Rachel. Rachel even sailed some of her drug runs for her (under the false pretense that she was moving boats for her cover business).

[wildone]

Question Robbie, since you have swam in the area. I picture the waters around the island to be clear and be able to see to the bottom clearly on a sunny day. Am I correct to make this assumption? Like could you see a larger area of the sea bottom from a high resolution camera mounted on a plane? Just curious

[C James]

Trevor has a long way to go... His intended route is down the Red Sea (just the red sea, not counting the Gulf of Aden, is 1300 miles) then once well out in the Arabian Sea past Socotra (to be well clear of Somalia) south, to the Sechelles, then south by southwest to Rodreguez, anf then straight across (nearly 4k miles!) of open ocean to Australia. Total? Planned route from Suez to Oz is about 8000 miles.

 

If I remember correctly, Trevor's mother would have an Australian passport.

You do remember correctly.

 

Joel was naked in this chapter!!

 

I don't think I'll be taking a trip down the Suez canal anytime soon.

 

What with CJ's intense knowledge of explosives and all his world traveling, I'm thinking CJ must be a professional explosives expert. He travels the world blowing stuff up.....all legally of course. Cool job for a goat.

 

I'm hoping Trev's mom is alive. He deserves some kind of break in this story.

 

Super chapter, CJ!!

The Suez is quite an experience... I've done it in a cruise ship (sparing me much of the Baksheesh, lol!) and it's worth it. However, I find the Panama canal (I've been through it a few times) far better, for scenery and interest (For one thing, Panama has locks, Suez does not). I haven't been through either one in years (Most recently was 2006, for Panama) but they're both good in their way.

 

Who, sweet innocent me? An explosives expert?

 

Great chapter was hoping the thief was gonna be the one to go boom.

 

Ghassan might not be out of the woods yet... ;-)

 

And don't forget, Bes (the Bringer of Joy) and Mufid are on their way to the canal, too.

 

No - past chapters establish that there was a delay of a year and a half between the "wreck" of the Ares and pronouncing Rachel dead - which was around Christmas time seven years before the story. The statute of limitations was tied to seven years after she was declared dead - so if there was insurance money, Dirk would have gotten it at that point.

 

You're right. The legal term is "Death in Absentia" and it varies from state to state, but also by circumstance. If the person just goes missing, it's usually around seven years. However, if they are deemed to be in "imminent peril" when last seen, it's a lot faster. In the case of many 9-11 victims, it was just weeks. For the adventurer Steve Fosset, who disspeared in a small plane, it was just a few months.

 

BTW, you're right on the timing of the loss of Ares, too. It was in May, just a couple of months before the Southern Hemisphere's winter. Unless one went by the tropical route (Suez, or Panama) going through the southern Indian Ocean in winter would be nuts: it's one of the roughest seas on earth, and the far south Pacific would be impossible (Almost as stormy, and the winds are eastbound).

 

I don't believe they celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia, the pilgrims stopped at North America

 

So, first thanks CJ for the chapter, I'm really getting into it and enjoying the reappearance of the cliffhangers that you love to insert.

 

Thanksgiving only in North America? Funnily enough, I remember going into a restaurant that had a great big "Thanksgiving dinners!" sign (in English) on Thanksgiving day a few years ago. That was in Paris. Okay, it was in a tourist area so they were catering to tourists, but I still chuckled when I saw it.

 

And cliffhangers?? What cliffhangers!?!!

 

That be Cape Horn ... i remember the name from a game called "Around the Horn" sail clipper ships from east coast to SF bay.

Yes its windy down there ... watch out for iceburgs but that wasn't in the game.

 

Late Spring time sounds fine - but when seasons change so does the weather patterns ... I presume early summer is fine.

Compared to Trevor it was Summer and he decides to go the other way.

 

--

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Cape_Horn

 

Cape Horn is the most southerly point of South America South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...

, and marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage Drake PassageThe Drake Passage or Mar de Hoces -Sea of "de Hoces"- is the body of water between the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn, Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica...

; for many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route Clipper routeIn sailing, the clipper route was the traditional route sailed by clipper ships between Europe and the Far East, Australia and New Zealand. The route ran from west to east through the Southern Ocean, in order to make use of the strong westerly winds of the Roaring Forties...

, by which sailing ship Sailing shipSailing ship is now used to refer to any large wind-powered vessel. In technical terms, a ship was a sailing vessel with a specific rig of at least three masts, square rigged on all of them, making the sailing adjective redundant. In popular usage "ship" became associated with all large sailing...

s carried trade around the world. However, the waters around the Cape are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds, large waves, strong currents and iceberg IcebergAn iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...

s; these dangers have made it notorious as a sailors' graveyard.

 

The need for ships to round the Cape Horn was greatly reduced by the opening of the Panama Canal Panama CanalThe Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade...

in 1914.

 

You're right, Cape Horn is a hazardous area. I've been to it twice. The "cape" itself is just a jagged rocky promontory of a small island, and I was within sight of them. Here's what it looked like the first time (not my pic, but the weather and view was the same)

 

We didn't round it, exactly. It was a cruise from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Ares, and it transited the the cape via the Drake Passage after a stop in Punta Arenas. It stopped in Ushuia, then sailed back west to the cape, rounding it by about a mile, then turning around and proceeding east (next stop was the Falkland Islands). This was in December (summer) as like in the pic, the sea was pretty calm. The next time I saw the cape is was like a millpond! Of course, it's usually not like that.

 

The fastest way to get from Florida to Australia would be via the Panama Canal, as you say. But, Cape horn would be a horrible alternative. The reason it's so notorious is the Roaring 40's, a band of eastbound winds that circle the globe. In sailing days, that meant a westbound ship had to tack into heavy winds and seas to get around the cape; very difficult. So, to get from the cape all the way West to Australia would mean heading into the wind for thousands of miles. It's much faster to round Africa and travel with the wind.

 

A few details that stuck in my mind, and have not been mentioned in this thread thus far (I'm assuming they've not been considered):

 

Dirk said to Jim some time ago, when he intended to take Atlantis away, "Put it with the other one." What other one? Ares, perhaps? Could be a whole Ares, or an Ares with a hole. Remember, Catamarans can still float, even if the hulls are punctured, on the saloon (salon). Bridget said (and the narration implies that she isn't lieing) that she was the first on the scene of the "accident", even before the authorities. Currents might strong around Bimini (not really, I've swam in those waters before, untethered from our boat), but I refuse to believe that Ares would have drifted out of sight (miles, BTW) in the time it took for Bridget to get there and find what little wreckage there was.

 

Dirk also asked Trevor to transit Suez. Once dirk had confirmation of this transit, he would spill the beans. I get the feeling his confirmation would be Trevor calling from the satphone. Since pink rocks don't get very good service in the Arab world, we might have to wait for the next port-of-call.

 

I also believe that the wreck of Ares was a hoax, and that Rachel is still alive. Where? Dunno. Why? Dunno. I think we'll find out once Dirk has "the talk" with Trevor.

 

BTW I also don't think Bridget had anything to do whatsoever with Ares and Rachel disappearing. She said once before (narration confirms) that she held no ill contempt against Rachel. Rachel even sailed some of her drug runs for her (under the false pretense that she was moving boats for her cover business).

 

Here's the bit where Dirk was talking to Jim, telling him about taking the boat.

 

Dirk hopped down onto the dock. There, after glancing around for privacy, he flipped open his phone and dialed a number he knew by heart. When the call picked up, he said, “Jim, I need your help. Trev and I had a big fight and I’ve had to take the Atlantis off him. He went out to the disappearance site alone, for three days in bad seas, trying to find Ares. This damn boat has become an obsession with him; it takes up all his time and now he’s risking his neck, not to mention mine. I’ve told him I’m selling Atlantis and I’m going to let him think that I did. I need you to find a place to berth her and then sail her up there. It’ll need to be long-term; the way things are going, I won't give her back to him until after Christmas at the earliest... I’d like her out of here before the weekend... Okay, I’ll call you later. Thanks.”

 

There's no "other one" mentioned at all, though that does not preclude your theory.

 

You're right; the narration confirms (and so it has to be true) that Bridget wasn't lieing about Ares. Bridget was first on the scene (not surprising, given her very frequent runs in high speed boats in the area) Bridget got there long before the debris could have drifted out of sight of a floating wreck. Could Ares have been sunk? Sure; a bomb would do it, by rupturing her buoyancy champers. (It's mentioned very early on that one of Trevor's improvements to Atlantis was filling her buoyancy chambers with foam, so we can assume that Ares didn't have that.). So, we can deduce that, when Bridget arrived, Ares was either on the sea floor by some means, or elsewhere by some means. It's also confirmed in the narration that Bridget thinks Ares is on the bottom in that area off Bimini.

 

I'll also (I hope I'm not giving a spoiler here) confirm that the rock will not get good cellular reception.

 

However, I just noticed something very interesting: You said you've been swimming in those waters?!!?!? So, what about a bomb, planted on Ares' hull, by a swimmer? Hrmmm! Is this mention of being there an admission on your part?

[C James]

 

Will Bes and Mufid attempt to kill Trevor again? Or will the place be so full of police that they make contact with the Pirates to finish the job? It won't take to long for the Egyptian police to figure out that Trevor was the intended target. I wonder if when they find the other propane tank, Ghassan left any fingerprints (hmm, can finger prints withstand the salt water). Will Bes and Mufid find out by a mole in the police department that gives up Ghassan's name to them? I don't see how they can to link Dirk to another attempt this late in the voyage! It will be an interesting conversation that Detective Gonzales has with his Egyptian counterpart, and with the feds involved, he may finally get more information for his on-going murder case. I'm afraid all Bridget accomplished was to make her look more suspicious. The cartel is not going to be very happy!

 

Benji, you pegged it in the last thread, when you said the bomb would be stolen.

 

Bes (the Bringer of Joy) and Mufid were last seen on their way to the canal.

 

And yep, the Egyptians will investigate thoroughly.