WinStuart

CJ: I love the chapter. I'll feel rewarded from hanging on week after week-----an now for another week! The meeting in the malt shop is a classic...... (wait for it) the two guys in sun dresses! Wow! Gotta love your imagination. Despite your constantly assurances to the contrary, this chapter is a huge cliffhanger--a very good one. I very much look forward to the resolution of so many mysteries. I also very much hope for some good old justice for those so shamefully hurt along the way. Thanks for a classic chapter.

The story is leaving second gear and moving almost up to third on a five-gear transmission. The comments above are good. Nobody commented on "The murmur of the water, punctuated only by the buzz of insects and the distant, passing hum of a small Cessna, made for an idyllic scene of sun and water." While the boat is hard to see from the town, not so from the air. Blasingstoke could be in that aircraft noticing both the boat and the swimmers crossing the river. He'd have time to linger off to the side and see them leave in the jeep. It wouldn't be hard for him to land and locate the boys at the station. He could spy on them long enough to see them leave for the Kalbarri National Park. He'd then have lots of time to set up an assault on the boat. Once the trap is set, all he'd have to do is dig in nearby and wait. Glad to see Brigit and George squirming. Maybe if they get rattled enough, they'll make some mistakes. Hope so. Five fictional days to December 18th. Can't wait. Like the link from the story to the forum. Nice. Nice job all around on this chapter, CJ.

CJ: At times, I don't know who are the crazy people in this story: the characters or your devoted readers. You must have skin thicker than a politician's. Of course, I don't know where the story is going, but at least I'm not tracking the town streets turn by turn. I like the story and its characters. There are more plots than found in a ball of yarn. I am so looking forward ro the mist to disappearing and everything becoming clear. Thanks.

Wow, this string in the forum went up and down, forward and back again. But there is consensus that we the readers are staying with Circumnavigation until the very end. Like a crew sailing too long together, people go through a cranky phase and irritate the hell out of each other. But they all stay on the boat. Any weakness in Circumnavigation could be overlooked because I think the writing of Trevor's near drowning episode with the pirates is the most gripping, terrifying read I've ever encountered. I sympathize with CJ being forced into a short perspective of keeping ahead of the readers by a few weeks. I've been working on a story for over a year; have rewritten large sections several times; and yet have 60% more of the story to write. I would fall apart if I were writing for CJ's audience. So I think CJ takes a huge risk reading and responding to the forum. My hats off to you, even if I may be called a troublesome newbie. Sail on!

I debated about commenting on this latest chapter. I share MIketx8’s thoughts, “As much as I love this story, it is bogging down now. There are so manycharacters I cannot keep up with them. We know who did what now.” And echoed by Daddydavek,"……..and all the disparate elements do seem to becoming a little too much to keeptrack of. Slowly, slowly the plot thickens--concrete like!” I want some positiveresolutions. I really want the story toget to December 17 and reveal why Trevor’s father is holed up. I apologize if my comments come off toonegative.

I agree with Benji about Jim and Dirk mentioning the guest house a couple times and wondering why the kids have access to it. The light bulb (a old Edison type) should go off soon and then Henry will try to discover any bugs. While the chapter introduces us to Anna the shrink, it has a bit a quiet foreboding but nothing specific. I do think that the doctor's receptionist feels quite put out not knowing the patient's name and will find it somehow. She may prove to be a back channel leak to the reporters, or worse yet, to the bad guys. I like cloaking the boat with easily changed names and numbers. Nice of Ned to keep the paint handy. When Trevor left the pie party early to visit Atlantis one more time and he caressed the bare trusses of the boat, I wanted to whisper, "Just look under here or reach under there!" I firmly believe Ned is repairing the old Ares and Brigit's trafficking records are hidden deep in the boat's underpinnings. So close but no cigar - this time. WinStuart

Thanks for the next installment. I'm very impressed by the diligence of the custom officers and the local constabulary in protecting Trevor. Looks like Shane is getting a bit of respect from the custom officers as well. Meanwhile, back in the states, the investigation is fairly well stalled and confused. Lots of options for the story to wander in many directions. Thanks.

Does he [sanchez] do party planning as a sideline? That's a great line. Meanwhile, the contrast of Shane and Trevor gliding across the shallow water pushed by the breeze to the scramble of newsies and maritime agencies to act on the new information is pure tension - and good writing. The story kicking into high gear. It will be fun to see how the other players are now brought back into the story. Thanks for the newest chapter.

While MartyS expresses the general frustration we all feel about waiting for key chunks of the story to fall in place, I like the chapter. I'm pleased to see the boys fall in love and face their fears together. They may need that bond to get though the trials ahead. I'm glad the frustration and game playing is largely over between Shane and Trevor. Certainly now they can leave Shark's Bay and get Trevor's life under control. Thanks.

I think Shane’s dad Dirk accepted the insurance payment for the loss of Aries. For some reason, with the divorce pending, Dirk switched the legal identities of Atlantis and Aries. I don’t know why and that’s part of the 12/17 secret. Maybe Trevor’s mom was complicit with the switch, too. By accepting loss payment for Atlantis posing as Aries, Dirk is guilty of grand larceny. If he refused the payment, it would have been suspicious and the truth about the switch would have come out. Meanwhile, Brigit and George are trying to kill Trevor to keep him away from finding the Aries, raising it and discovering the hidden documents that will expose Brigit and George as a full blown drug dealers. But they don’t know about the boat switch and that the real Aries is in Australia. Dirk and Trevor don’t know about the hidden documents that were hidden on Aires posing as Atlantis and the documents are still there. Ned and his shipyard buddies are about the strip the assumed Atlantis to its very bones, including pulling the engines to rebuild them. The documents are about to be uncovered. Will they be noticed? Will Ned bring them to Trevor’s attention? Will Trevor start to put one and one together? Is any of this supposition real?

Yea, come on "Breaking Point". Often a thunder storm isn't as bad as the slow, humid tension building toward a storm. That's where I feel we readers have been since Trevor started his languid cruise on Kookaburra. Come on storm; come on breaking point! When Trevor was making the sandwiches and visibly shaking, I half expected him to have a spontaneous orgasm. He's been "almost there" forever. How much more smirking can Shane do before he just blurts out the truth an Trevor can breath again. And then this quote near the end of the chapter: “It’ll certainly be a Christmas to remember,” Jim said, trying to lighten the mood and giving Dirk a pat on the back. “It might take time, but I think Trevor will forgive you, once he knows the truth.” It's now mid-May in real life, do we have to wait to Christmas before we know what's going on with Dirk? With Trevor and Shane? With Bridgit, George and fellow scumbags? Hope not. Thanks for another great chapter.

I agree. That will be a forehead-smacking, major "Duh!" moment. Also I hope they will turn endless shades of red knowing that George and Bridget perved on their trysts. "Oh, what fools these mortals be."

Thanks for the latest installment. Sounds like Bridget and George are gong to have to come up with a real charity event. Hiding drugs in a car intended for destruction will have to be changed to a different ploy. And the carrots. What an elaborate plot. Bought several chapters ago and not mentioned since. A tale written in advance and read by camp fire light. And then nothing. No tentative kiss. No off-handed grope. No accidental touch held a second too long. Nothing. All your readers are feeling frustrated and chaste. Give us, Shane and Trevor a break, already

Yea, a new chapter. George and Bridget are true scum bags. They're drinking brandy and preparing for Thanksgiving while planning entrapment and murder. Thanksgiving for what? Their lives are far from the spirit of the holiday. I hope their plans entrap them. Meanwhile Trevor and Shane now have matching running shorts. Very cute. Shane truly knows that Trevor can't keep his eyes off Shane and walk safely at the same time. The tickling and rough housing can only lead to some serious erotic touching. Their joining forces to write the great crossing tale should bring them even closer. And so the story progresses leisurely in step with the touring pace of the two boys. But what's up with all those carrots?

Is it too much to hope that Joel and Lisa will mention the improbable sale of Trevor's car for $6K to Henry Wesson, the investigator? One can only hope. Could the intrepid news reporter skulking around in the Australian background be doing some deep investigating and learning that Trevor is in deep trouble? Would the reporter kill the story and act to help protect Trevor? Maybe Australian reporters aren't as heartless as the American version. And what about Mike Gonzalez. the police detective. Surely by now pieces of the puzzle are coming together. I can't recall if the bugging device in Bridget's make-out shed is hard-wired or wireless. It would make sense if it were wireless. A good detective would do a spectrum scan to detect various wireless transmissions in the area. If he were familiar with Joel and Lisa voices as he is, he could learn a lot. Planting mis-information for Bridget and George to act on would be very handy. And a surprise - the questionable package Shane took about the Kookaburra wasn't drugs or a GPS tracker from the bad guys. Lastly, touring with Shane and Trevor, taking in the sights, marching slowly is causing so much painful anticipation and angst. There is so much going on that we don't know about. The author is keeping us as distant and clueless as Trevor. Arg!

CJ: Thanks for another chapter. Saw that it was posted before I had to leave my home office for several meetings. It sat in the back of my mind as something to get home for and to enjoy. Who-ho, the boys are finally touching, skin to skin. Bout time. About the mystery package, my first thought was that it was not food but drugs. That would change everything about Shane and the boast owner. Can't be true. Then I changed the guess to floater pie. Well at least the chicken pot pie as the "floatee". Now I'm guessing its a hot dog casserole! Looking forward to the boys playing together in the dolphins and the para-sailing. Sounds like a super part of the world. Sure would like to be there with them. Reluctantly I hope the next chapter tells us what's going on at home and at the cartel in Mexico. You know things won't be good, but I want to get on with finding out. WinStuart

CJ: Thanks for adding to our collective understanding of things Australian. One of my Minnesota neighbors is an Australian married to a Russian. Getting quirky phrases and food types helps summer time evening conversations. A pie floater is certainly a gem to remember and possibly to serve ---- unannounced. Thanks. One of the other readers mentioned racing though the story from suspense point to suspense point only to crash abruptly into the "in progress" notice. Reading the story chapter release by chapter release is the ultimate in suspense. It leaves a lot of time to conger up all sorts of possibilities. Not surprisingly, my imagination rarely matches up with the next chapter. Never would I have thought that Trevor would consider "borrowing" another trimaran to haul sonar gear in the Caribbean and then return to pick up his own boat with 12,000 miles back and forth. Anyway, I hope the next chapter advances the Australian portion but also the one in North America. Thanks for the chapter.

While waiting for the next chapter of Circumnavigation, I read and thoroughly enjoyed For The Love. It's written in the shadow of the Hardy Boys series, Frank and Joe. The brothers' father, Fenton, was a detective with inside police connections and at times, experienced embarrassments due to the rash moves of his sons. The boys' best friend Chet Morton was a geek making all kinds of gismo, some of which often worked. The secret tunnel connecting the bookshop to the fundy church was pure Hardy Boys stuff. Great. It also seemed to be influenced by The Dukes of Hazzard with the 1969 Dodge Charger. I could almost smell the unburnt gasoline in the air as Steve pulled past 100 mph on the desert highway. I enjoyed reading the story from Chris' perspective. He was the outsider. He was the doubter of his relationships and his self-worth. It was fun to relax with him once he was accepted by his new family and then to tense up as Eric made his life hell again. As an author, CJames really knows how to show how evil people can be. Well written. A great love story. A real suspense thriller.

I'm hoping that George and Bridget, in their aloof smugness, will trip themselves up. They've held the cards too long and seem very over confident. Sanchez may just find out what's been left behind on the Aires and serve Bridget and Geoeg's heads on their respective platters. Having the new chapters arrive a few weeks apart is exquisite pain-pleasure. I check everyday. When a new one appears, it's like getting a long expected package in the mail. At times it interferes with my getting work done, but well worth the sacrifice. Thanks.

This story has so many twists and posibilities, it makes my head ache - in a good way! Reading all the comments and what-if's is fun and almost as good as the chapter. Here we all can see all the parts of the story and we're still stumped as to what's next. Can't wait ( as usual) for the next chapter. Thanks.

Looks like those scumbags Bridget Bellevue and George Alfred are finally getting some police attention. Unfortunately the cartel is still at work in Australia. It also looks like Trevor and Shane may end up being good friends, boyfriends. The sudden tree stop will not go without notice. Also I approve of the speedo selection. Thanks for publishing another chapter.

This has just been a super story to read. I was excited to see the next chapter posted this morning. I've sailed the Great Lakes and the Atlantic shoreline, but reading about this tale is more like being actually there. The satellite views and photos are a really plus. There are so many sub plots going on, it's hard to relax and enjoy Western Australia. I'm looking forward to the druggies slipping up and getting their comeuppance. Thanks for a great tale.