C James

This is an excellent point! Dirk mentions this himself in 99; "Frank is wrong in that regard; there was one victim in all this, and that's my son" Also, he's said several times in past chapters "When Trevor finds out, he'll hate me, and he'll have every right!" The loss of a parent would have happened no matter what (Rachel was facing prison time, not just financial loss)caused by her own actions. I tend to agree with Dirk; Trevor was the victim here.

Thanks!!!

Thanks!!! Arnold Bellevue is mentioned as dead in the narration, so he has to be dead. I had to tread very carefully regarding Rachel on that issue; the narrator could not say she was dead.

Thanks!! The plot hasn't changed in any significant way since the story began posting, but I never, ever thoguht it could end up being this many chapters! At one point, after thrice adjusting my esimated number of chapters upwards, I told Graeme, "If I go over 75 chapters, just shoot me!" Fortunatly for me, he hasn't - yet. Now, as for the undead one's siggy, it's just a coincidence, because I really am innocent!!! ../..//public/style_emoticons/default/innocent.gif Thanks for bringing up that comment! I was hoping that someone would. As Dirk himself said in 99; "Frank is wrong in that regard; there is one victim in all this, and that’s my son." And, the title of the chapter is Revelation. Kind of ties in to the biblical quote that was at the end of the last chapter; “The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds.” Revelation 20:13, New Living Translation. I'm not trying to give hints here, only pointing to stuff in posted chapters, plus mentioning that Dirk is well aware of what they did to Trevor. As he said several times throughout this story, "When he finds out, he'll hate me, and he'll have every right." I remember that movie! It was a very good one. Here's a link to it at IMDB for anyone wondering about it. I'll also mention that the only reason the Pope family could survive on the run in that movie was due to help from a network of like-minded people, which Dirk and Rachel would not have had. BTW, it's a day early, but I'll mention that the next chapter title is "Death & Taxes".

Benji, do you remember FTL, and the hero riding off into the sunset? So, hrmm, well, if Trevor calls Lisa and Joel to tell them the news, and Bridget gets wind of it (that Ares is still afloat, and is Kookoburra,) things could get... intertesting. Blood and gore? But but but... nothing bad ever happens in one of my stories. And special effects? It could be shot without them, it'd just be a bit risky. Just get a Lagoon 55 and head on out, cameras rolling, to circumnavigate. For the storm scenes in the southern ocean, just go there, you'll find one. That is a very good point; if Bridget got what she wanted off Ares, she'd no longer have a reason to want Trevor, Lisa, and Joel dead. Sanchez, on the other hand, whould be a bit different; he would lose face if the contract isn't fulfilled. There is one way I could wrap it up in one chapter... the only way I can think of, actually.... It's jump to next christmass, showing Bridget, George, and Sanchez, raising a toast to the mantlepeice, on which resides the mumified severed heads of Shane, Joel,, Lisa, and Trevor. They'd be shipped east, thus completing the circumnavigation. ../..//public/style_emoticons/default/innocent.gif I couldn't split it into book one and book 2 (and it's way too late now). So, it'll be one book. Hrmmm, Trevor isn't worried too much about being hunted; he doesn't know about Basingstoke, so he's not worried. It is indeed called Circumnavigation, so IMHO, there has to be a circumnavigation. But... it could be completed in many ways. One way is if Basingstoke takes Trevor's head and ships it back to Sanchez in the Bahamas; that'd complete the circumnavigation. True, there are. But, I also promised to keep this story under 100 chapters, and I will! The next chapter should be posting on time, BTW. Thanks!!!! And yep, the endgame is coming., And of course, no cliffhangers! There never are any in my stories.

Thanks! Hiding what Ares had become wasn't easy. I could not have done it without expert advice from RedA, who is an expert on boats. I picked the Lagoon 55 for Atlantis and Ares so that this could occur; I couldn't find any other big catamaran series where the change between models was almost entirely confined to the bows, as it is for the 55s to the 57's/. I then had to be certain that the change could be made. I chose catamarans over monohulls, because Trevor needed a catamaran's abilities and hull form to survie the Indian Ocean. You couldn't jury rig a monohull that way and make those kinds of speeds, plus he needed somewhere to hide after swimming back to Atlantis after the pirates tried to make him one with the sea. Thanks!! The next chapter should post on schedule (unless I get knocked off the internet for two days again, like I was last week due to an internet outage). Where is Kookoburra going? As Rachel said, she's not hers to sell. Will Trevor wait for Atlanits? I can't say, but I think we all know how he feels about Atlantis. Yep!! Rachel was letting Shane know that he had an option, and wasn't going to just toss him out even if he wasn't going. And Shane had indeed already commited to Trevor, but now he's also letting Rachel know that he's going with Trevor. Ah, but we don't know for sure that Trevor no longer will be searching for Ares... it's just that now his search is vastly easier, and far more localized. Thanks!!! The story does have a few more chapters left. As Trevor said a while back, he loves being in Australia, because the locals have treated him like family. Researching the law took a lot of doing. MartyS pointed out a goof I'd made which allowed me to fill one glaring hole; originally, I was unaware that when you go on the run for any offence, it stops the clock on the statute of limitations for all offences, even unrelated ones. That's why there had to be the agreement for Dirk and Jim that was signed a few weeks back. But, um, cliffhangers? What cliffhangers? There are no cliffhangers in Circumnavigation! (Low flyer told me that I don't say that often enough in the forum, a shortcoming I ain to correct!!). Thanks!!! After Circumnavigation wraps, there should be a new story by me underway. It might be a few weeks after the end of Circumnavigation (I have another novel for GA's premium section I need to get finished up first) but it won't be long after. I'll miss Circumnavigation too; it's been a huge part of my life for these last two years. And, um, cliffhangers? But but but... I never, ever use cliffhangers....

"Revelation" is up. I hope it answers all the questions regarding the true backstory of what really happened when Ares vanished. This is what I've been aiming for ever since the prologue, and the prologue had to be the map to the backplot without giving it away. It's been a long road (far longer than I'd ever imagined) to get to this point. CJ

Chapter 99: Revelation Gonzalez looked again at the name glaring at him from the witness list, staring at it in profound disbelief. Frank chuckled. “I think having her as a witness for the defense might just put a wee bit of a hole in the prosecution’s murder case.” And that, Frank thought wryly, was likely the biggest understatement in legal history. “But Rachel Carlson is dead – isn’t she?” Gonzalez mumbled, staring at Rachel’s name on the paper in his hand. Gonzalez recovered quickly fr

The next chapter, Revelations, has even more surprises.

That trip to Australia was supposed to be at Christmas, which it almost is.

The explanation began in the prologue, when the story started. The actual explanation, though, has been foreshadowed all along, and will be made explicit in the next chapter.

The next chapter, "Revelations", should answer a great deal indeed.

A lightning strike on a mast is bad news, even with grounding. It can, and often does, fry all sorts of electronice on a boat, and it can even blast a hole in the hull, break the stays (thus bringing gthe mast down) and raise all sorts of trouble. So, yes, a lightning strike on the mast could very well fry the tracker. What? Me? A twist? Would I do that?

Thanks Red!!!! This chapter has been in the works ever since the prologue. Well, not actually being worked on, but it's what I've been aiming for. The story prologue was very much both a key to, and a roadmap for, the plot. One of my favorite lines in the prologue is, 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. Ah, that name on the paper... We find that, and all else, in "Revelations", the next chapter. We do know it's not Bridget though... and it's just one name, one Gonzalez finds utterly impossible. Basingstoke isn't a worry; Trevor and Shane don't know about him, so they aren't worried at all. Also, Basingstoke has specific orders to get Trevor's head and send it to Sanchez. That makes this harder, especially with Trevor now being famous. One thing hitmen hate is publicity, and just taking Trevor's head would create a media firestorm. Basingstoke is a real pro, and prefers a more... thoughtful approach. So, as part of that, he gave himself a way to find Kookaburra at any time. And cliffhanger? There is no cliffhanger! As is often said, one hitman does not a cliffhanger make. (And that doesn't just appear in my posts.. it's in one of Zombie's, too.) She knows him, and he knows her; her voice is familiar to him, "Across five yards and twice as many years". Ten years. And she calls him "Trev", good eye! That's not the first time I've used the Trev/Trevor issue in the story, for a character to out of the blue call him "Trev", with no ostensible grounds for knowing his nickname like that. Hello, and welcome!!!! I can't answer those questions without giving a spoiler... but at least three are answered by the next chapter. What? Me, cause suffering? Would I ever do such a thing as that? Trevor and Shane aren' suffering... they are young, in love, and tooling around on a beutiful yacht. How could that possibly be a bad thing? I think there are several answers in the chapter, but, the rest of the answers come out in a chapter named "Revelations" which is the next one to post.

And the Sea shall give up its Dead is up. For some time now, I've been promising that, when the story reaches Dec 17th, 2006, we will have answers. Well, this is the chapter where that date is reached, and covers a great deal. I'll also mention here that the title of the next chapter is "Revelation", which covers the rest. Enjoy, and for those going out tonight, be safe.

Chapter 98: And the Sea shall give up its Dead On a bright and promising Sunday morning, the 17th of December, 2006, Lisa picked up Joel and they drove towards downtown Ft. Pierce, both uneasy and nervous. “I feel like we’re about to have an audience with Satan,” Lisa mumbled. “Your whole swim team, plus a few guys from the football team, were scared to death to go into the chandlery when they were supposed to pick up the satellite phone.” “Yeah, and you were getting ready to go in alone if

Just a quick note to mention the title of the coming chapter: "And the Sea shall give up its Dead"

Zombie!! What on earth makes you say that? WHAT cruelty? Nothing bad ever happens in my stories!!!! And what possible scenarios in Circumnavigation could lead to violence??? I can't see any. Could Basingstoke turn a huntsman spider loose aboard Kookoburra to kill Trevor and Shane? If they saw it, the natural reaction would be to jump overboard, which could be fatal at sea.... I did consider making Circumnavigation two novels, when I first realized that it'd take a lot more chapters than I thought. But, I decided against it, because it's too interrealted. I guess I could have, and probably should have, but we're too close to the end now for it to be an option. My theory is that Trevor has three birth monthers.

Great eye!!! And, as for loving.. one of the categories this story is listed under is "relationship", so fear not.

Thanks! I was trying to show Lisa's turmoil over that issue. It's gotta hurt. And yep, a Cessna is nothing to worry about. But, now you've read 97, you know the significance.

Suspense? What suspense?? I think you'll find the next chapter to be the one you've been waiting for.

Zombie! Come on, all Basingstoke did was smile, and then whistle "Waltzing Matilda". How can that be bad??? Well, okay, maybe he's off-key and wouldn't be fun to listen to, but surely that's not terrifying? Trevor has been quite lucky a few times. That bomb getting stolen in the Suez was exceedingly fortunate. But, yeah... luck can be such a fickle, fickle thing... Yes, it will. I didn't know that, but how very appropriate! Err, DaddyDaveK, I think I guaranteed you that "the big reveal" would happen before Halloween. I knew it would be in 98 and 99, and it will, but... um, once again I prove that I cannot count. So, I'll post a few hours early, Monday afternoon, so it's not quite Halloween night. Oh come on... how can a smile be chilling? It's just an innocent smile, and some happy whistling. As for Trevor and Shane, they don't know abotu Basingstoke. They do, however, need to be heading south; they want to spend a few days down near Perth, to go to Northam and search for Trevor's family before Joel's arrival. As far as Basingstokes' call, the contacts are in Melbourne, he was seeking info on Carnarvon bay, Tasmania, but the contacts are in Melbourne. Melbourne is famous for, amongst other things, superb Chinese take-away food. Perhaps Basingstoke was just ordering dinner? CJ

Leave my tail out of this! And I'd never, ever use a cliffhanger, so no worries there. I have that problem, from time to time. Zombie... how could that be? You know that nothing bad ever happens in my stories, right? Maybe Bridget was just thinking of taking Lisa and Joel out for a fun-filled day at a local farm, out of the goodness of her heart, thinking they'd enjoy it? One thing I love abotu Florida is the gators. They are everywhere! Even in downtown Orlando, I had alligators in the pond behind the hotel, just a few feet from the breakfast patio. One time at Everglades national park I had a great laugh. A group of tourists was right outside the visitor center door (maybe six feet from it, on the pavement) quite taken with the very lifelike "model" of a large alligator. Right up until it opened its eyes, and they understood that it wasn't a model at all. It was just a big gator, happy in a sunny spot. There are million of them in Florida, and they don't kill many people each year, so they aren't as dangerous as most people think. Some common sense helps though. Here's a news story about a car burglar, who tried to evade police by jumping into a pond and swimming across. I find it interesting that the news site put it in the problem-solvers category. There are an above-average number of missing-persons cases in Florida, where the person was last seen near on of the countless canals, ponds, waterways, etc, all over Florida. I also remember another use for gators. I've seen them used as guard dogs! A scrapyard there was near a pond, and every night they'd leave a trail of meat to lure some of the gators into the yard itself, then lock up for the night. In the morning, they'd lure them out the same way. They said they hadn't had any problem with break-ins since. CJ

Chapter 97, Means to an End, is up. I'm adding a link to an interactive map of the area, centered to show the relevant spots, including Kookaburra's anchorage and Murchison house. I suggest taking a look. Here's the link. For those new to the forums, welcome, and make yourself at home. BTW, my normal chapter-posting day is Tuesdays, but that got moved up to midnight Mondays somehow, and now it's Monday evenings. I'll try to maintain that, but please be aware that for the next three chapters we might be looking (and likely will be, for chapter 99) at Tuesday evening posts, due to my work and travel schedule making Monday internet access problematic for the next three weeks. Sorry for any confusion. CJ

Chapter 97: Means to an End In Carnarvon, a tired and dirty Basingstoke walked into Ned’s office. “Just about done; everything’s installed on the hardware side, now all we have to do is set up the software and run a systems check.” “Thanks Archie,” Ned replied, pointing at the laptops and the desktop computer. Basingstoke put in a CD that contained the specially-written software, and began the install on the first laptop. As part of the installation, a window popped up, and Basingstoke exp