C James

Thank you Trebs!!!! Yep, it's a long story... I had it plotted out before I started posting, but I massively underestimated the amount of verbiage that it would take. I was notorious for this in prior novels too. The consensus is that I cannot count, and it looks like the consensus is right! I've been working on this story for over two years... and now just a few chapters left. I never thought it would take this long, so I would like to give my sincere thanks to those who have stuck with it. The story is a team effort, and I am indeed fortunate to have a superb team! BTW, a note to anyone who hasn't started the story; the "cliffhanger" stuff is an inside joke, poking fun at the fact that I'm well known for not using cliffhangers. So, nothing to worry about, there are no cliffhangers in Circumnavigation. 0:)

Chapter 132: Tickling the Dragon’s Tail Between sun and sea, Kookaburra and Atlantis sailed south through the waters of Shark Bay, Atlantis in the lead. For Trevor, being back at the helm of his beloved Atlantis was cathartic; for the first time since the pirate attacks, he felt truly whole again. For Shane, at the helm of Kookaburra, the unease he’d expected was absent, and he found himself enjoying the voyage. He grew comfortable enough to engage the autopilot and dash to the galley to

Tickling the Dragon's Tail is up. I'm posting this a few hours early due to a big thunderstorm heading my way. The chapter should be up within 30 seconds of this post. Also, I need to mention that there are increasing "time jumps" in recent chapters and coming ones; we don't see everything, nor every day. It's the final days of March 2007 in this chapter. Also bear in mind that in Australia, that makes it Fall due to their reversed seasons.

Thanks! It's been quite a journey for me too; I never imagined that it would be as long as it is, and I have to say, I'll miss the world of Circumnavigation when it's done. And I very much love this forum; it's pure fun for me. That's what I did; leaned way out to try to keep it from going over. In smooth water, with one hull just barely touching the water, that little Hobbie would really fly (I managed that for about five seconds), but as the hull raised, wind spilled and it'd get really tricky (I was not an experienced Hobie sailor, so I made plenty of goofs, including, shall we say, ending up in a catamaran's stable-2 position. I used to race Lasers as well, and owned one, so the Hobie was a blast; what a difference!

Hey now!!! Just because I don't use cliffhangers doesn't mean I can't spot them! Ah, but remember, it's not just me who labors to keep my stories cliffhanger-free. Part of the solemn duty of our team is to alert me to anything that could be construed as a cliffhanger, thus allowing me to fix it if, indeed, it's a possibly cliffy. So, there are many layers protecting against even the hint of a cliffhanger - I have full confidence that the team would spot any such thing. CJ

Thanks!!! I do take liberties on the wording. I favored list over heel because most readers know what a list is, not so with heeling. I did check on this and there seemed to be enough gray area that I could get away with it, though I do freely admit that there's a strong argument the other way as well. The problem is I can't just use sailing terms (or any technical terms) without explanations of some sort, and those explanations distort the flow. One example would be that I dare not use a term such as "angle of loll" in passing because a non-sailor would have no clue, and the explanation is a bit lengthy. Sails flying is of course not technically accurate, but then again neither is flying a flag. However, both are useful and evocative descriptors. If there are misused words, it's due to me choosing clarity over accuracy, so please don't think that any such errors are a reflection on Red, they aren't. . Sailing sure has some odd terms. Gollywobbler... well, at least it's descriptive. As for being on a big cat that has gone mono... me neither, but I've been on a little hobie cat and gone mono. The term I used at the time wasn't list or heel, but YEEEEHAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scramjet propulsion. It's been done before, but it is very difficult, and unfortunately this test failed.

Wildone!!! In this case, your accusation doesn't pass the sniff test . Why? Because I can prove it! What I said, and you quoted, is, I added the bolding to the quote. So, here's my proof; simply name anything in any of my stories that you claim is a cliffy, and I'll be happy to explain why it isn't one, just as I said in the quote.

That can't be me!!! If you look at the backpack tumbling over the edge, it's clearly implied that that's the top of a cliff (otherwise the guy would just walk around the rock to get his backpack). And, of course, we all know I'd never go anywhere near a cliff!!

Yes indeed, things are far from being resolved. However, Trevor and Shane are somewhat safe for the moment - as long as Bridget doesn't find out he's found and seen the tape. Otherwise, she'll probably be happy to wait until he's more conveniently located. I guess it's a perhaps not a good thing he and Shane are moving to the Bahamas to run charters, but he's not worried. We'll definitely hear from Bridget soon, but don't worry, she's well and happy. I figured that the counter-top would be metalurgically similar to a stainless steel sink, which has a somewhat higher iron content and lower nickel content than decorative stainless (which is usually higher in nickle and chromium). To be honest, I wasn;t sure, so I used a selinium-cobalt high power magnet (much like Trevor's powerful speaker magnet that he's using for that soap dish base) ant tested it on my sinks. On both, I did get some magnetic attraction, though far less than plain steel. It'd be enough to keep a soap dish in place, but Ned's solution of routering a slight depression in the stainless is best. BTW, I'm more of a jack of all trades (though in actuality far from all), and thus master of non, than an expert in anything. As for sailing, I am not an expert. I've only been on yachts a few times. The story does show the hand of an expert when it comes to sailing, but it's not me. That's Red-A, a real expert on things nautical, including of course yachting. ACK! Slander!!! I'd never go anywhere near a cliff! the magnet has to be precisely placed, but just one. If it's dragged around, it raises the second arm, which locks the mechanism. (think of the arm as being attached to hollow centered metal square; unless the magnet is in the center, it'll attract some part of that square, raising the locker arm into place. Ned had a good idea there. I'll be honest, I never thought to test the refrigerator grade stuff, just my stainless sinks, way back when the secret compartment first introduced. I just hope Trevor's countertop is more like my sinks than like the stuff found on refrigerators, dishwasher fascias, etc. CJ And BTW, before I forget, the title of the coming (on time for once!) chapter is "Tickling the Dragon's Tail".

So write something and get it! Yep, you. Trevor is only a few weeks from turning 18, so she couldn't hold him for long, or maybe even at all. (He'd likely just head out to sea). Do we have a cliffhanger detector? Yes indeed - me! I don't use 'em, but I know 'em when I see them!!! I'm always happy to point out cliffhangers in other people's stories, and I am also very happy, and very willing, to explain why anything in my stories that might be perceived as a cliffhanger really isn't one.

Interesting! Kudos to the kids parents. It's true; repressing a kid like that and trying to force him to be "normal" is unhealthy, as seen with the "radioactive boyscout" who ended up building a reactor pile in a garden shed. It's too bad the reporter who authored the article wasn't versed in science though. Some of the incongruities jarred me. For example, the uranium in a Mk-17 nuclear warhead is all depleted uranium (so not weapons grade or even reactor grade), no more than trace radioactive. You find a lot of depleted uranium in thermonuclear warheads, because contrary to what most assume, the majority of the yeild comes from fission, not fusion. Basically, the high-energy neutrons produced by the fission (>`11MeV) cause fission in the depleted uranium, and that fission is the third stage of a three stage device (a thermonuclear, or hydrogen, bomb is almost always such a three stage device) and that fission via the fusion neutrons gives about 80% to 85% of the yeild of any given device. The "spark plug" refereed to though (essentially the ignitor for the second stage - the thermonuclear burn), that's plutonium. Also, they mentioned the bomb was nicknamed the "peacemaker". It wasn't. That's the nickname of the B-36 bomber. He also typo'd Einstein's formula, listing it as E=MC2 instead of E=MC^2, an absolutely enormous difference of many orders of magnitude. I could go on as there were many such goofs in the Popsci article, but it's just too bad he didn't get the kid to proofread it for him. As a guess, he was after Lithium deuteride at that bomb site, and that isn't very radioactive, and that type of bomb had a lot of it. Interesting idea regarding using high energy neutrons to make medical isotopes in situ. It's easy to make a neutron source (for example use the cathode array from a TV to bombard titanium foil) , but those are low energy neutrons, not the high energy neutrons he'd need for transmuting elements. For that, you pretty much need fusion, or a large accelerator. I have a hunch that we'll be hearing more about this kid in the coming years. And yeah, I think he'd make me nervous if he lived next door too.

Lol... yes, Trevor will be getting a touch hungry. The good news is, they are stopping to overnight at a cove, but until then...

Thanks!!! I enjoy adding bits of characterization for minor characters, it makes it easier to keep them sorted in my head.

But it's not a cliffie!

Nothing to worry about; he's not sailing back to America, exactly. He did speak to Jim (we don't see everything that happens, so this one we just saw the results of) and due to Shane's immigration issue, they are moving to the Bahamas. That's one of the reasons Lisa and Joel are going there; to find Trevor and Shane a place. (plus they'll be running charters out of the Bahamas). See? No worries.

Chapter 131: Anchors Aweigh “Huh?” Shane muttered, looking up from the gold to blink at Trevor in surprise. “Very funny; I didn’t know it was gold when I wanted to make an anchor out of it.” Trevor chuckled, and then pointed at the gold. “I’m serious. Let’s make an anchor out of it. We’ll put some tines and a cable on it, paint it, store it in the anchor locker, and lock it in place. I can’t think of a better way to hide it – for now anyway, until we figure out what to do with it.” Shane b

Anchors Aweigh is up. Sorry for the dealy, and hopefully, that was the last delay. (BTW, there may be a dealy of about 30 seconds between this post appearing and the chapter appearing). The voyaging begins again.

Interesting. Definitly an underwater volcano, and not one at great depth. So, a seamount, and there are several in the Kermadec chain. As for New Zealand... They have two volcanos currently erupting; Tongariro (sp?) and White Island. What's especiually interesting is that these volcanos boarder, to the north and south, a far larger one, Taupo. Taupo is what is oft refered to as a "supervolcano", a massive system prone to enormous erputions. The largest eruption on earth for the last 70,000 years occured there. It has produced more recent smaller blasts (it's been dormant for about a thousand years) and some of them were sizable. Lake Taupo, the enormous lake in the center of NZ's north Island, is part of its crater. Do eruptions of closely neighboring volcanos sometimes trigger eruptions? That's controversial, but there are strong statistical cases that this occurs in a few volcanos, such as Katla in Icelend. So, could the current activity mean Taupo is waking up? My guess is that it's highly unlikly, but bears keeping an eye on.

Indeed it was a CLIFFHANGER, because Talonrider's attachment of the wrong file left me HANGING for almost an hour! Therefor, I would like to hereby nominate Tolonrider for 2012 King of Cliffhangers. Of course I worry about cliffhangers.. I ardently strive to avoid even the hint of one!!! As you know, I'd never, ever use one! I just worry that certain miscreants (including a particuarly notorious one from the far north) might possibly seize upon any excuse to accuse me of a cliffy, however unjustly.

Now, now, this isn't a cliffy!! We all know I'd never, ever do those!!! All being well, this is the last skipped week. @ Rknapp, it's not my fault the story is so long... if you hadn't helped Bridget escape, we wouldn't be in this mess! (Remember, it was you who added, at Rob's Marine, the extra fuel tanks to Sea Witch that let her escape...) @ Benji I do know how it all ends. That was planned and partially written before the first chapter posted (for example, Arnold Bellevue's role was set up in the prologe). It has however taken far, far longer to get to the end than I thoguht. I am, however, doing all I can to keep this story under 100 chapters, as promised. So, chapter L7 will post Monday. (we stopped using Aussie maths for chapter numbering at chapter AUD97, which became L6, so the coming chapter is L7.) And Congratulations on the coming-out!!!

The next chapter, "Anchors Aweigh", will be delayed by seven days. I'm truly sorry. I will do all I can to make this the last delay for this story. I've been busier than hell lately, plus I absolutely have to make sure everything fits; we're nearing the end of a story that's taken me two years to write, so I don't want to screw up. What that means is I have to write bits ahead of where we're at, to make sure everything works. Many thanks to Winstuart for the title "Anchors Aweigh." It's a good fit, I think. A better fit than what I had, which makes his suggestion more amazing; he came up with it and he hasn't seen the chapter. And, in other chapter news, in light of events in the coming chapter, plus to help Talonrider (who helped come up with the new system), we'll be changing our chapter-numbering system. We'll be ceasing the use of Aussie maths and flipping everthing back over right side up, so chapter AUD 97 becomes chapter L6, and thus Anchors Aweigh will be chapter L7... though in light of my tardyness, L8 might be more appropriate. Anchors Aweigh is also a larger than normal chapter, because I wanted to wrap up a lot of things. CJ

Well done on the gold!! The copies of Bridget's asset list? Could he have? I suppose it's theoretically possible, but the asset list is ten pages. Trevor asked for two copies, and the copier churned out thirty pages. So, if two times ten is thirty, there's absolutely nothing to worry about. And yeah, Trevor and Shane would be very wise to hold onto that gold.

Hrmmm!!!! I'll tell ya what... I'll see if I can make "Anchors Aweigh" fit, and use it...

Yep, much went up with that house... very convenient, for Bridget... They think the tape is strictly old news, no use to anyone, so they're keeping it secret for now. What could the press leak to Bridget? Let's see... hrmmm... Bridget does know that the asset list was hidden with the tape. But, unless the press gets a copy of that somehow, there's probably nothing to worry about. Confusing? Would I confuse? We've now seen the tape, the thing that really launched it all (that tape is the reason Bridget has been after Trevor). We now know exactly what the cartel so fears... and also why it can't be used against them - it's not enough to destroy them, just hurt them, so all involved would end up marked for death. And, we finally got to see Arnold Bellevue. He's the guy in the prologue, who sold Ares to Rachel. Personally, I think he and Bridget made a good couple; they were both kind of conniving. He was angling for immunity from prosecution as well as revenge, an eclectic mix. So, all's well in the story, no tension.