C James

Ahhem!!! Both you and Graeme are authors, as evidenced by having stories posted. Or, do you really want to try telling the echidna that he's not an author? (warning.. those spines are sharp!) So... therefor, either of you (or both) could, by your own definition, be responsible for any perceived cliffies in Circumnavigation. Thank you for admitting it.

Why so skeptical Benji? Does anything ever go wrong in my stories? We're quite a few chapters from the end, so surely there can't be any challenges or troubles ahead? Thanks! Yep, there are several dynamics to consider, which they haven't. They've overlooked some immediate issues, too. Such as Jake's exit from his home. Somehow, I don't think his "father" would let him back in now he's gone. Cliffhangers? Me? Never!

Bridget thinks she's quite safe, without Trevor around to contradict her. (she thinks he's dead). She threw that in partially to cover her other digging. I hope her snide remarks about informal the wedding plans don't make Bridget seem mean... she's been under a lot of pressure lately. You were going to have to put out to sea into the teeth of a channel storm? Yipes... I know those waters. That's perilous as hell. I have to smile though... You were going to have to sail into the teeth of a storm, so you went to the pub. See? Bridget is a gracious host! The roaring 40's are also home to some of the most severe storms on earth. Even Trevor doesn't understand fully what they are like. I've been in a severe storm below 50 south, and that was in a cruise ship (south of the Falklands and east of Cape Horn), and it was still one hell of a ride. I've never seen anything like it, though a hurricane-force storm on the Irish sea (seen from a small ferry, and even the crew was scared) comes close. The sea state was different; smaller but steeper waves in the Irish sea (it's shallower) but in the furious 50's, monster swells. I've never seen such power. And yep, it's gonna get cold, very cold. One of the many perils Trevor faces is freezing to death. Trevor did find three holey old T-shirts, plus some holey socks, in that rag box with the shorts:). So, all is not lost; sure, he's heading for frigged seas, but he has holey T-shirts to match his holey shorts. And don't forget: at enormous risk, he did manage to save his galic crusher from the pirates, so he does have that. That's an excellent analysis, Red! And you pegged it he's taking a longer route, in the hope of making faster time. the Roaring 40's have the consistent winds blowing in the direction he needs. North of that, and they can be variable as to direction, constantly changing, and Atlantis can only go in the same direction as the wind (or very close). Don't worry about the wave heights; those are just averages, not during storms. Here's an interesting recount of a typical storm in the area, as experienced by a big, ocean-going trawler. If the wind isn't strong, they won't be breaking waves, just big, harmless swells. Storms are very common though, every few days usually, and during storms the waved would be well over 17 meters, not 17 feet. So, nothing to worry about.

It was a good theory! It would have been a viable option, if Algol had been in range and Trevor had a way of finding her. He's already raided her once (and saved his garlic crusher! Without that perilous naked raid, he wouldn't have it.) If Trevor did manage to raid the Algol again... there are things aboard he would find very useful indeed. EPIRBs, for one. Or just his fuel, for another. He still has engines, just no fuel. So, all he'd need would be fuel, some minor engine repairs (which he can do himself) and a means of starting them (his battery pack, or just a jumper line from the Algol). Then he'd have a range of over 1500 miles under power. Oh, BTW... do we see Algol (the pirates trawler) again in the story? Yes. :chris: This may or may not mean they are anywhere near Trevor at any point, but we do see them again. :chris:

Just a quick note before I go to bed: here's a full scale map of the area. I have to trim and scale stuff down for the chapters due to bandwidth issues, but sometimes it's nice to see the big map.

Interesting! My only quibble was there was a lot of "you would like to" where I think "You have done..." would be more telling. I just assumed that if it was something I'd done, "you would like to" fit. LoL. Thrill and adventure seeking - you score 10 out of 10 This consists of items expressing desires to engage in sports or activities involving some physical danger or risk such as mountain climbing, parachute jumping, scuba diving, speeding in a car, etc. This one fits me, as I've done all of the above. Experience seeking - you score 10 out of 10 This describes the desire to seek new experiences through the mind and senses by living in a nonconforming life style with unconventional friends, and through travel. This one surprised me a bit. Didn't think I'd be that high in it, except for the travel stuff. Disinhibition - you score 9 out of 10 This describes the need to disinhibit behaviour in the social sphere by drinking, partying and seeking variety in sexual partners. This one was a big surprise to me, except for the partying. Let's just say it's a miracle I survived my 20's. Boredom susceptibility - you score 8 out of 10 This indicates an aversion for repetitive experience of any kind, routine work, or even dull or predictable people. Other items indicate a restless reaction when things are unchanging. Thought this one would be higher. I bore super easy, and can't stand repetition or predictability. (this is a huge part of why I almost never watch TV) Your total sensation seeking score is 37 out of 40 It helps that I'm crazy.

Chapter 55, Hellbound, is up! Trevor is heading... somewhere! We do find out what he's up to, and what he's trying to do.

Can't we all just... blame Wildone?

Welcome to the forum! The next chapter should post in an hour or so. Here we see another example of why Wildone is known as EvilSteve! In this case I can prove Benji isn't me (or visa versa)... Benji has oft accused me a cliffhangers.

I can say that the statutes have a lot to do with the story, and are not a red herring. The second one is a bit confusing... It mainly applies to bank employees, BUT, there's a section that isn't so limited. Here's one legal explanation;

Some great ideas above! I dare not say much... I can say that the next chapter is called "Hellbound". Trevor does have problems... basically, he missed Reunion and can't go back, so he's had what I call a minor navigational inconvenience. The chart of shipping lanes above is great! It illustrates his problem; he's leaving them behind, and there is nothing ahead of him. BTW, the wind patterns mentioned above are a good point. I illustrate the historical ones (for that day and date in 2006) in the coming chapter... but, I can show today's weather in the region. if that link works, you're seeing today's weather map from passageweather.com Those are the winds, and their force, today (And that map will probably autoupdate every day, so it's live for the day you're viewing it). One thing to mention about the map.. the little wind arrows all over it. The bare end of the lines point in the direction the wind is blowing, and the "feathers" on the other end indicate the force. :chris:

Graeme sent me the link for that (Thanks Graeme!) and wow, they are VERY fortunate. They'd already held the memorial services for them...

But but but... me must always remember, and never forget, one of the reasons why Trevor picked the wrong star pattern... it's because Australia uses the Southern Cross on its flag! And yet, they do this with what is the smallest of all the constellations. Surely, in that case, it should be bigger? Yet, they have done nothing to enlarge it! And hrmmm, Trebs, you bring up an excellent point... Graeme hasn't posted any serial chapters this year... and doesn't that, in itself, count as a cliffhanger? We are, after all, left hanging...

Hey now! We can't let Wildone off the hook for this so easily! Just look here at what this wandering north magnetic pole is doing over time... See? It's rendering charts of magnetic deviation obsolete, and putting navigators in peril!!

Hey now... Rob's pic must be photoshopped! A goat would never, ever go anywhere near a cliff! I have absolutely no idea how that one goat got hung up in the powerlines... yipes!! The skateboarder is cute!! :2thumbs:

I thought we could have a second chapter 54 thread for this particular question: Where is Trevor going? At the end of chapter 54, we see this.

Ah, but but but... Y'all have been saying that you want to know what Dirk did, and here it is, right down to the actual stature numbers! :2thumbs: Cool!!! I have a new addition for my sig!! Thanks!! I try hard on the wording. And if course, I try to avoid all cliffs and cliffhangers, too. Henry had a heads up from Frank Tittle, so he had the advantage of time to prepare. That's a common tactic in that trade (in the real world); showing up for the first meeting having already done some background work, and impress the hell out of the client. Trevor can survive for weeks if starving, but he'd soon be too weak to do the heavy work required to keep Atlantis pumped out. She's leaking a lot and will get worse. She can't sink, but she can take on many tons of water, which would render her almost imovable.. he couldn't go anywhere. Dirk did mention Trevor's freedom; the emancipation, that Dirk says he'll have Jim draw up, for Dec 17th. In other words, Trevor will soon be an emancipated minor (assuming he lives that long). Interesting thoughts on the fire! Yes, he does have a means to start one... and it's something mentioned often. Can anyone guess what and how? Good catch... Yep, Henry has his own contacts. Yep, Trevor came oh so close... Just a few miles east and he'd have seen the skyglow in time to steer for it... Without the False Cross and the magnetic deviation, he'd probably be in a hotel in Reunion by now... What is he planning to do? Oh, hell is a part of it, all right. The final line of the chapter was not hyperbole. I might start a new thread just for that... in fact, count on it. HOWEVER, tense? Well, maybe ever-so-slightly tense. I wish I could post more often, but that's as fast as i can write. Thanks for joining in. We have a lot of fun here in the forum; it helps cover the time between chapters. Someone who knows geography! Yep, that's one possibility...

Another candidate for King of Cliffhangers for your consideration: Wildone! For readers of Circumnavigation, consider this... would Trevor have missed Reunion without the magnetic deviation affecting his compass? Now, before going further, ask yourself this; what is one of the causes for the tangled state of the world's magnetic deviation lines? Now, look at the upper left, ant that confluence... that's the north magnetic pole. And, instead of being fixed, did you know that it wanders around? It's currently on the move, to the tune of 40 miles a year! Yep, it's true.. the Canadians aren't doing anything about it, they are just letting it wander about, cold and lonely in the arctic wastes... Therefor, we must Blame Canada! And Wildone is Canadian, and seems to discuss cliffhangers very often, so therefor, we should consider Wildeone a candidate for King of Cliffhangers!

It is that time of year again... time to begin picking candidates for the 2010 King of Cliffhangers awards! I think we need to discuss Graeme, our well known fugitive from the cliffhanger police. For readers of Circumnavigation, there is a more recent example of his nefarious handiwork. Chapter 54, The False Cross. Graeme, as we know, is Australian. It was Graeme who mentioned the False Cross in the southern skies, the one that has led Trevor into dire peril. Therefor, does it not logically follow that Graeme would be an ideal candidate for King of Cliffhangers?

"The False Cross" is up. For a long time, we've been wondering what, exactly, Dirk has done in the past. Now we find out, right down to the legal statutes. CJ

It went up about two minutes ago.

I take it the silence means that y'all like the pet idea?? Okay, just remember, it was your idea! Trevor needs a hug.

I love it! Paper airplanes from the edge of space...

That's an excellent site you linked to!!! You find true south by finding the celestial south pole in the sky, and then looking down to the horizon. So, if we look at this pic from the site; and look down from the two crosses (roughly four and a half times the top to bottom distance) to find the celestial pole, and then look down, we get different points. The one from the flase cross is to the right, so Trevor has altered course to the right (pushing his course track a bit wast of what it would have been, in this case). He's seeing south as being to the right of where it actually is. One small problem with him trying to head straight for Australia; Atlantis is badly damaged and crippled. She can only run basically before the wind. So, if he tries to head due east, he heads into an area of variable winds, all the way. (assuming he can even go due east from where he is; he can't: the wind is wrong) it's feasable (he can lower the sail when winds are unfavorable)but he has limited food, his netting sail is already weakening, and Atlantis is taking on more and more water each day; sooner or later, he won';t be able to pump enough to keep up with it. (and when that happens, Atlantis takes on many tons of water, and slows to a crawl) Crossing via the direct route would take several months at best, which is longer than he could last. So, if Trevor misses Reunion, he has a small problem. Penguins are definitely a possibility, if he makes a landfall. Their eggs are an even better one; they'd keep for quite some time, and are edible, if very strange. When cooked, the white are clear, like a gelatin. Seals are another; he does have a gun. That's a very good point. He's trying to hit it dead on because he can't do much crosswind. The channel between Mauritious and Reunion is nearly 120 miles wide, more than wide enough for him to miss both, and he knows he can't get far enough left to hit Mauritious. Your point is a very good one though... he'd be far more likely to encounter boats between the two islands. *************************** OK, I've been thinking... Should Trevor have a pet aboard Atlantis? Maybe he encounters some nice, cuddly creature and it adopts him? I was thinking this one might be a cute companion for Trevor, especially when he needs a hug.

Frank Tittle is definitely a character, in many ways. We'll be seeing him quite often, messy car and all. Yep... Trevr's navigation by the sun is accurate to within around 100 miles, mostly. And he's approaching Reunion from the northwest. So, steering a little to the west (not to the west) means a little to the right in his case. in other words, altering his course by about 15 degrees to the right. Appropriate, *IF* he's on course and needs to make the adjustment to stay on course. At night he's steering by the stars to keep on course. The stars he's steering by? Well, if it's the real Southern Cross, he's kept on course. If it's the False Cross, he's steering too far west, so he'd likely pass west of Reunion. See my post upthread for more on that. Thanks!!! I did test the nav methods (admittedly, on dry land). I did however have expert help, from Red in particular, and also from a friend by the name of Orion. I've had a blast writing the story. :worship: You got it! Yes, a common mistake amongst days-of-sail mariners unfamiliar with the Southern skies. Crux (the Southern Cross) is indeed the smaller of the two, and Trevor picked the larger one. Will this error be enough to make him miss Reunion?!?! It won't help, that's for sure, and hitting a mid-ocean island with improvised navigation is not easy to begin with. And if he misses Reunion... And now you've solved the riddle in the stars, I can release the title of the next chapter: the False Cross.