MartyS

In 1997 Why did you cancel the application to increase the boat insurance?

Why didn't you deliver the cell phone as you promised?

CJ, Regarding this quote: Ares best speed according to Trevor in Chapter 69 Therefore,Ares speed 14 knots times 6 hours equals approximately 84 miles. Trevor also states he has had Atlantis moving at 15 knots, so add 6 to 84 thats 90 miles. The computations I posted said 110 miles as the crow flies. If Red_A is to be believed it is 126 miles.Even using my 110 miles, that is 20 miles and if Red_A is correct 36 miles. That is not a FEW miles. Next horsepower According to these two sites typical horsepower on both the Lagoon 55 and 57 was 96. http://www.multihull-maven.com/Boats/Lagoon_57 http://www.multihull-maven.com/Boats/Lagoon_55 From Chapter 2 the following quote Difference in horsepower approximately 34 increase horsepower 35%. Other factors effect speed such as hull design, fouling below the waterline, etc. The Ares was equiped with a LORAN navigation system and Bridget keeps her boat up to date. It is hard for me to believe the Bridget goofed, by that large a margin,(18%) on determining the location she found the flotsam. Hell, I think Trevor had a smaller margin of error on his trip to Australia using an astrolabe and a watch. This is a map of LORAN coverage for North America Rachel wanted the flotsam to be found. Why would she have given false information. It was important to prove there had been a sinking. She must have been POed when no debris was reported. Of course, she didn't know about Bridget removing it. With a calm sea and no wind to speak of, it would not have drifted far. IMHO, if Rachel sailed as the Narrator says, and the Ares and Atlantis were swapped (as I believe), Rachel must have been on some other vessel, to arrive at the reported sinking site in six hours. Rachel's Atlantis ( as opposed to Trevor's Atlantis) would have taken a lot longer with 96 HP. Based on Trevors speed trials in Chapter 69 with Kookaburra, I would give Rachel's Atlantis a max speed of 11 knots. So 110 miles divided by 11 knots, 10 hours travel time.

CJ That is correct. However,You Silver-tongued Devil Then add this about wives swapping receipes,as stated in CJ Any comment?

Chapter 79 was a very good and interesting chapter. Thank you CJ. The delay in posting Chapter 80 has given me lots of time to ponder and speculate. After reading it several times and giving serious consideration, to the telephone conversation between Trevor, Melody and Ned, a prediction of mine is looking better. Because I believe the Lagoon 55 in Ned’s boatyard once displayed the name Ares, I predicted, Ned would probably discover the hidden compartments on the vessel. Bridget mentioned them in Chapter 33. As I read and re-read the hesitant response by Melody and the way Ned mentioned removing a specific area of the vessel, my first thought, was, “Eureka, Ned found something and notified the authorities!” It all made sense. If whatever Ned found was illicit or at least indicative of wrongdoings he would do so. Let me theorize a little. Ned discovers the hidden compartment or compartments. They probably contain the bill of sale Bridget mentions discovering. This document concerns the Ares not the Atlantis. If the other documents Bridget feared were present, this would no doubt interest any law enforcement agency. What to do? Ned reports his discovery to Officers Greg Fowler and Craig Grundig. Both of them have already had experience with Trevor and concealed compartments. Trevor was clearly warned not to do anything like that again. Then they consider the other side of the coin. Why would Trevor leave something that he should have realized would be found? If the bill of sale was discovered it would be dated. That date would be prior to Trevor’s birth. IMHO they would want some answers to these questions before they started to make any accusations. The officers ask Ned to assist them in their investigation. They suggest he mention the location the hidden compartments were discovered, but say nothing about the finds. They would want to determine Trevor’s reaction to the location. They may have setup a recording of the call. (I have no knowledge of the laws in Australia concerning recording telephone conversations.) They are all set to go, EXCEPT!!!!! The biggest problem I have with jumping up saying, “I was right,” is that nefarious goat. All of my speculation regarding the telephone conversation Trevor had with Ned and Melody could be wishful thinking. CJ just loves to dangle tidbits to lead the reader down the wrong path. I draw your attention to, the Key Lime Pie and the Thanksgiving Dinner. Both of them MIGHT be indications of an American influence in Martin Blake’s life. One thing needs to be kept in mind. Any investigation by Australian Law Enforcement regarding the bill of sale, (if one is found) might effect the Statue of Limitations Dirk is waiting to conclude. Other interesting facts need to be considered. The Kookaburra sailed from Carnarvon on Wednesday, November 22nd. Trevor made this telephone call on Wednesday, November 29th, prior to eating lunch. That was a week later. This was a workday. When Trevor first met Ned, it was on Monday, another workday. There was no Mrs. Ned in the office ready to answer the telephone. Add in Shane’s conversation with Joel about Trev’s failure to check on the progress of repairs. Ned knew how concerned Trev was about his boat. Based on Trev’s, last conversation with him, Ned should have expected the Kookaburra to return in a couple of days. Greg Fowler promised to drop off Trevor’s new cell phone, but didn’t. Apparently nobody in Carnarvon attempted to contact Trevor or Shane during those seven days. Makes me wonder.

A Point to Ponder It s obvious to me and I hope to everyone else that Shane really likes Trevor. It is inconceivable to me that Shane would do anything or allow anything or anybody to harm Trevor in any way. I believe that Shane would go so far as to sacrifice himself to save Trevor. Trevor has told Shane the most important goal in his life is to find Rachel’s body and bring it home to be buried. That being said, what is the primary thing that appears to have upset Shane personally, over the course of the chapters, since they sailed away from Carnarvon aboard the Kookaburra? The answer lays, not so much, as to what Shane has said, but what he has thought and felt. The Narrator has interjected multiple times a description of Shane’s sorrow, when the subject of Trevor’s departing Australia to complete his Circumnavigation comes up. The question as to whether Shane is Gay, Bi or whatever, IMHO is meaningless. I believe the question should be; How far would Shane go to insure Trevor’s success in reaching his objective Would Shane go so far as to conceal his orientation from Trevor? Would he deny himself the bliss of a relationship? IMHO Until you discover the answers to those questions, you will never know the truth of Shane’s orientation.

What location did you finally decide to reside in, after you were declared dead in 1999? CJ, You did not state how many questions a reader could ask. Wow, we still have a whole week to go.

Yes CJ, I do have a question. What is the date of death that was inscribed onto Rachel's Memorial Tombstone in 1999?

Ahh, CJ, You Silver-tongued Devil, All readers know (or should know) that your capacity to respond here in the Forum is limited. The one thing I like about you is, YOU NEVER GIVE UP. Whether it is in the story or here. You keep trying to lead us into the Land of Smoke and Mirrors. There is no doubt in my mind the following quote from your post is true. However, this is not the case here. IMHO whoever broadcast the Mayday was not, “in the heat of the moment.” No, that transmission was part of a skillfully developed and I will say, well executed plan developed by Dirk and Rachel. That conspiricy stood the test of time for almost ten years. IHMO only five people know the Ares did not sink in May 1997. They are Dirk, Jim, Henry, Frank Tittle and of course Rachel. If she is still alive that is. In Chapter 54 Dirk informs Frank Tittle, that the attorney he had used back in 1997, was no longer alive. I wonder if he was one of the atttorneys on the May 15th Charter. Dirk has been ultra carefull not to discuss the matter with anyone that could extend the Statute of Limitations. It was not until Trevor started his quest, things were moved off the back-burner. One thing does come to mind. Rachel has been legally declared dead. If she informed anyone of the situation would that extend the S.O.L. My gut feeling is no. Whatever identity she has assumed was not part of the conspiracy, or maybe not. Interesting thought. I do not expect any comment from you on my thoughts here. I had spotted the situation regarding the time and distance a while back. I attempted to write a forum post, but was unable to present my deductions clearly in writing. One of the forum members sent me the instructions on how to post pictures, etc. Without the ability to do so, it would have been almost impossible to post my conclusion regarding the dates and this time and distance information. I am going to repost something I had posted a couple of days ago in the Circumnavigation 79 Getting Closer Forum. I am looking forward to see what, if any comments are made by other readers. We must also keep in mind another fact. Bridget has stated she went to the location from Nassau, after hearing about the Mayday. She admitted finding flotsam and a damaged Zodiac. I have no doubt that she would lie about anything if it were in her interest to do so. Go back and read Chapter 33. IMHO she was telling it like it was. So, if she found the items there, someone had to put them there, and it sure was not Dirk. I had seriously considered a while back, Rachel had dumped them while returning to Nassau to drop off her passengers. That is unlikely with the two or three days separating the two events. CJ, I do not expect you to comment on most of my posting. I would appreciate it if you could tell me, and all of us one thing. Where can someone living in Florida, go to see Rachel’s tombstone. When they do that they can post the information in the forum for me. On a serious note. I really hope that all works out regarding the fires in your home state. It is of some concern in my area, but thank God I am not in a forest location. We get a lot of grass fires here. We also have a well-trained and active volunteer fire department.

A thought or two While I was driving into town this morning I had an interesting thought or two. Rachel sailed at approximately 19:50 hours from Nassau. I arrived at this conclusion based on the Narrators description and my research. The Mayday was broadcast approximately six hours later. That would be roughly 01:50 hours the following day. I have no way to determine if Trevor and Dirk consider that to be the night of the 28th or the following day. I guess I need to go to Rachel’s Designated Memorial and read the tombstone erected here. I have also been wondering why the delay of a couple or three days. It is strongly probable that Rachel attempted to do it before the 28th. However, if there were other boats in the area, they might have been able too quickly respond to the scene, after the Mayday. Keep in mind; this was the Memorial Day Weekend. Lots of boats out and about.

Hi Red, Sorry you did not understand the purpose of my post. The reason I posted it the way I did, was to address the information written in the Prologue by the Narrator. My personal belief is neither the Ares or the Atlantis was sunk in May 1997. There is no boat, or pieces of either of them for Trevor to find, sitting in Davy Jones’s Locker.. My opinion is that when Dirk and Rachel entered into the conspiracy, part of the scheme was to fake the destruction of the Ares and switch the two boats. I believe that Trevor is in Australia with a Lagoon 55 that at present displays the name Atlantis. I believe the vessel in Carnarvon once bore the name Ares. In Chapter 33 Bridget states that she was in Nassau the night the Mayday was broadcast. She further explained she went to the location described and was one of the first to arrive. She went on to say she found minor debris including a damaged Zodiac. She admits removing the flotsam from the water and putting it in her vessel to conceal the accident site. I apologize for not making myself clear. Red, there was no wind that night. Any vessel would have needed an engine to move through the water expeditiously. I appreciate the information you posted. It makes me believe you are familiar with the location. Your statements are very welcome. You have assisted me. I was attempting to show that neither the Ares nor the Atlantis could have gotten to the location in six hours. The Narrator, did not say five to seven hours, he said six. Your explanation regarding shallow water makes the trip longer. Thank you. BTW. Shortly after Rachel and Dirk purchased the Ares, they had to replace the engines. With the new engines she could make close to 15 knots. There is nothing posted which indicates the engines in the Atlantis were replaced. The Kookaburra, which appears to be a Lagoon 57, is very similar to a Lagoon 55. The best speed Trevor could get out of her was eleven knots. Marty PS Trevor has stated he has driven the Lagoon 55 in Ned’s shipyard up to speeds of 15 knots. This is one of my main reasons for believing the vessel once displayed the name Ares

Excerpt from the Prologue; After the charter, Ares dropped the guests off at Nassau on schedule and Rachel filed a route plan to take her directly home. Rachel sailed from Nassau as the last rays of sunset glittered off the calm, azure seas. Six hours later, a fragmentary radio message was heard by the Coast Guard, “... Ares, taking on water... Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, twenty miles northeast of Bimini, Sailing Yacht Ares, taking on water–” The transmission ended abruptly and all hails went unheeded. Rachel Time and Distance Based on a simple time and distance computation whoever made the radio call received by the Coast Guard screwed up big time. According to the above excerpt from the Prologue, Rachel sailed at sunset. (In the last week of May 1997 the sunset was at approximately 19:50 hours in Nassau.) Six hours later the radio call was received. Below is a map showing Nassau and the reported Mayday location. The chart below shows the approximate distances between the two locations. The distance was approximately 110 Nautical Miles. When you divide that figure by six, the vessel would have had to average over 18 knots per hour. The narrator states the seas were calm. Below is an abridged copy of the Beaufort Scale. This is used to describe wind speed and associated sea conditions. If you examine it you will see there would have been no winds. Whatever vessel Rachel was on would have had to use her engines. Neither the Ares, nor the Atlantis could make that speed using engines only. Trevor confirms the reported sea condition in Chapter 7. See the excerpt from that chapter below Chapter 7 excerpt He climbed up, onto the cockpit awning, and sat down, basking in the sun, just looking at the sea. It was calm, the rage sea of the night before just a memory. ‘According to the Coast Guard, it was like this when the Ares went down, so why...” Trevor thought, getting no closer to the answer. My Comment I guess when Dirk and Rachel planned their little conspiracy somebody goofed. Maybe Murphy’s Law was not taken into consideration. I wonder why the Coast Guard didn’t pick-up on this.

CJ I thank you very much for your immediate past post quoted below. I was not expecting such a speedy response. Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act III, scene II. Marty

Benji, The Goat has spoken. My interpretation of the activities in the Prologue is correct. Charter Started May 15th; Charter Ended May 25th; Rachel sailed May 28th. OK!!!! Now we know there are THREE days with no explanation, posted so far, as to what occurred. Plenty of time to sail home and do whatever. .

Benji, You are correct. the narrator cannot lie. However, he does not have to tell the whole, complete Truth. He can misslead with partial statements. Like it says, Rachel sailed. But on what boat? Dirk was not going to tell them and Trevor did not know. We will find out at the end of the story. Marty

Quote From Chapter 79 Trevor took a deep breath, remembering... “I was walking home from school one day, not long before my eighth birthday. When I got near my house, there were some big black sedans there, with coast guard insignia. The insignia had the Coast Guard name and also ‘Semper Paratus ’. That scared me because I thought it meant something to do with pirates and I knew my mom was at sea. I’ve hated old pirate movies ever since. Please note the calendar. This is the calendar for May 1997. The 15th and the 25th are highlighted in Red. The 15th is the date the charter started. The 25th is the date it was scheduled to end. Trevor says, “He was on the way home from school. The 25th was a Sunday. The 26th was a Monday, and was Memorial Day, generally a school holiday. The 28th was a Wednesday. This is the date that Trevor left the wreath in the water in 2006, in Chapter 7. The one problem I have is the last day of school. In 2006, the High School ended on Tuesday, May 23rd. This was before the Memorial Day Weekend. According to this excerpt the Elementary school was still in session on the 28th 1997, the week following the Memorial Day Weekend. No matter what, it does tend to confirm the calculations in my previous post. PS Trevor’s and Lois’ birthday is in June.

Benji, Benji, READ THE PROLOGUE Charter Started on May 15th and was scheduled for 10 days. On her present job, Ares was carrying four passengers – two lawyers and their wives – on a private scuba charter that included a close look at a shuttle launch and then ten days on the reefs in the Bahamas. This is an excerpt from near the end of the Prologue. After the charter, Ares dropped the guests off at Nassau on schedule and Rachel filed a route plan to take her directly home. Rachel sailed from Nassau as the last rays of sunset glittered off the calm, azure seas. Look at this calendar. This is the calendar for the Month of May 2006. The 15th and the 25th are highlighted in Orange. Those two dates should be considered to be Reference Dates. The 15th indicates the date in 1997 the charter Rachel took out started. According to the above-copied excerpt from the Prologue this charter should have ended on May 25th. The Brown highlighting on the 23rd notes the last day of school. Now look at the Blue highlighting. The 19th thru the 21st, indicate the dates Trevor took the three females on a charter. (The one where he wears the Speedos to get a better tip) The 26th thru the 29th show the Pilgrimage trip. Go back and read again Chapter 7. On the THIRD day of this trip Trevor drops the wreath of flowers. That date is the 28th, NOT THE 25th. Previous to this Dirk confirmed the “Anniversary” would be that weekend. Either he is lying or Trevor has been lied to. The date of the radio message was not on the 25th, but on the 28th. That leaves three days between the scheduled date the charter ended and the date Trevor commemorates as the date his mother disappeared. Go back and read the second excerpt. IT DOES NOT SAY THE ARES SAILED. There is no doubt in my mind there was a switch of vessels. Rachel sailed on a vessel. Trevor is in Australia. He arrived there on a vessel he calls the Atlantis. This vessel at some time in its existence was named the Ares. I do not know what happened to the original Atlantis. I do not know where Rachel is. PERIOD.

I think it might, but only if the head travels East. If it is sent West it would only be a "Half Cimcumnavigation. :wacko:

Hi Benji, I am pretty sure the action taking place on board the Kookaburra, in Chapter 79, is on Wednesday November 29th, 2006

I would appreciate some assistance. Could anyone tell me how to insert a picture into one of these posts. Thank you Marty

I am having some thoughs on this. IMHO our soft hearted (or is that headed) author will probably have Sanchez kill the Dastardly Duo off, so that the Amature PIs never learn what they did. (Lisa would wind up in a rubber room.)

The Tale of Two Boats. Circumnavigation is in fact a tale of two boats. One of the classifications it listed under is “Mystery.” The story is about Trevor and his trials and tribulations. The supporting cast is mostly there to confuse you, the armchair detective. CJ has used these individuals, and their recollections and activities to misdirect his readers. The first boat disappeared leaving hardly a trace. Approximately nine years later, the second boat was supposed to, but did not. If you wish to solve the mystery, you need to disregard the distractions. Do not let the “3 Card Monte Goat,” send you down the garden path. Circumnavigation is a novel with a lot of action and suspense. (Dare I say C***H*****S) There are at least three storylines submerged in Circumnavigation. It is during the times they appear, he slips in his little clues. Let me reiterate the following conclusions I have already posted previously in the Forum: 1. Dirk and Rachel entered into a criminal conspiracy to keep her out of harms way. 2. Rachel sails on the charter. The vessel she sailed on was the Atlantis. The name displayed on the vessel was Ares. The Ares remained in Florida. Her name was changed to Atlantis. Rachel sets the planned disappearance scenario in motion. 3, The Statute of Limitations, for the criminal acts committed by Dirk, will expire in December 2006. Now let me add a few more conclusions: 4. The “harms way,” referred to in Number #1 was not death or injury. Dirk and Rachel entered into the conspiracy because she was being investigated by law enforcement agencies. This activity would likely lead to her arrest and conviction. Once she was declared dead, the investigation would be closed. No Statute of Limitations should apply. After all, how you can you arrest and try a legally dead person. 5. Dirk was trying to stop Trevor from searching at Bimini for two reasons:(a) Dirk was very worried about his physical safety. (B)He didn’t want Trevor’s search to stir up interest in the disappearance of the Ares and Rachel. 6. The divorce proceedings were stopped for the following reasons. When Rachel was declared dead; Dirk would be the surviving spouse. There would be no inheritance taxes levied. There would be no child custody issue raised. Dirk would become the de facto executor of Rachel’s estate. Rachel had to have a will if she left a vessel to Trevor. 7. Where is the Ares? Trevor sailed her to Australia. In the Prologue it is established Trevor was registered as the owner of the vessel Rachel purchased and then named Atlantis. In Chapter Eight Trevor says to his father, his mother left Atlantis to him. Unless Trevor was lied to, subsequent to May 15th, 1997, this contradicts the previous fact. At some point ownership of the Atlantis must have been transferred from Trevor to Rachel. Rachel needed to disappear under circumstances, which would lead to her being declared dead. For her to just disappear would not stop the authorities from continuing their ongoing investigation. Unless Trevor is lying to Shane in Chapter Sixty-nine, he was aboard the Ares, with his mother, when she reached speeds of fourteen knots. The speed of 15 knots for Atlantis has been noted many times throughout the story. The engines of the Ares were replaced after Dirk and Rachel purchased her. Nothing has been written about the engines of the Atlantis being replaced. The ownership papers for the Atlantis do not identify her by name, only by Registration Number. As I stated in Conclusion 2 above, Rachel went to sea on the May 15th charter aboard the Atlantis. The Ares remained behind and displayed the name Atlantis. What became of the vessel Rachel sailed on is unknown to me. I will stand on those seven conclusions for now. I may add to that number in the future, as more information becomes available. However, there are some other items I would like to address at this time. Where is Rachel? I said it before and I will repeat it now. I DO NOT KNOW! Rachel may be dead. But, not as a result of whatever occurred between May 15th, and May 25th, 1997. How to prove that is simple. Right now, some of the individuals in the story, and the readers are focused on December 16, 2006. What are they waiting for? The Statute of Limitations to expire. Dirk would not be worried about waiting for them to expire if he had killed Rachel. Murder does not have a Statute of Limitations. IMHO, CJ, in his persona as an author is not to be trusted. He keeps inserting little tidbits in various ways. I.e. the Key Lime Pie and of course, Trevor’s Thanksgiving Dinner. Every time he does this, I feel he is putting out a decoy, like a duck hunter does, to suck me in. Next take a good look at the statements made by Frank Tittle when he is discussing them with Dirk. Frank summarizes his remarks regarding any State Felonies Dirk may have committed. He states they have already passed their expiration date. Frank also addresses any Federal offenses Dirk could be charged with. You need to keep in mind the date this discussion is taking place. How can you do that? CJ is very generalized in his description of the passage of time. However in Chapter Forty-eight Trevor make a Log Entry dated October 1st. In Chapter Fifty-four Trevor makes another entry, dated October 12th, 2006. It is earlier in this chapter the discussion concerning the Statute of Limitations takes place. Based on the content of the meeting it has to be prior to November 23rd. Frank Tittle informs Dirk, in his opinion, there are three charges on which the Statute of Limitations has not expired. All of them are Federal. Frank identifies each of the offenses either by Title or generalized description. He does not elaborate as to the details. Frank establishes a date upon which all three will be forever gone as a threat to Dirk. You will need to do a little research to determine when each offense was complete. Only one of them was completed prior to May 15th, 1997. Once you have determined the dates of the completion of the offenses, compare them to a 2006 calendar. At least one offense expires prior to the December 16th date established by Frank Tittle. 18 U.S.C. 1031 - 7 years 18 U.S.C. 1005 - 10 years. IRS Tax Code - 6 years. That is all for now. Enjoy your research. Marty TBC

Dum D Dum Dum Yes this is the Forum It is Sunday,My name is Friday. This is my partner Saturday. We work the weekends. Only The names have been changed, to protect the guilty!!!! We are looking for a goat named Cabra Borracha, AKA CJ We need to tell him, someone stole Chapter 76 and posted part of it four days early

Methinks, the natives and shades grow restless. For every loyal (?) reader who has posted their annoyance, in the Forum, there are many more, who bide their time. No longer will be heard the cheers of, “AUTHOR, AUTHOR!!!” Loudly the jeers of “KEELHAUL, KEELHAUL,” will echo through these hallowed halls. In my sleep as I lay dreaming, The Oracle did so speak. He said unto me, “Arise and go to thine keyboard.” “Address this caution to the Clown Prince of Cliffhangers.” Warn him he must before modify his next chapter before the “Ides of May,” arrives. Counsel him the majority grows weary of his procrastination with the comely crew of the Kookaburra. This will permit him to quickly dispatch his writings to his loyal Team, for editing, beta and zeta reading. Thus he may publish Chapter Seventy-six in a timely manner. Thus spake, The Oracle.

One scene I am looking forward to is when the two amateur private defectives learn about the Dastardly Duo. When they both realize how their chit chatting in bed, has been responsible for many of Trevor’s problems. Yep, that will definitely make fun reading.