C James

I'm having a great time writing the story about it (Circumnavigation), so much so that I'm going to be taking a short trip on that (or a similar) model of cat, within the next year. At least, I think I am, and I'm sure trying to arrange it. Thanks for letting me know the vids came though; they don't at all on this system, and I haven't had chance to check from my laptop. Totally agreed about fisheye lenses! Yeah,m I noticed that about the boat speed, and what gets me is that isn't even fast for that kind of catamaran... If it was close to 20, then i could understand. As for the song, you're welcome! Always happy to help. Good point on the little motion... I've been at sea in monohulls in the 50 foot range, and in that kind of a sea there would be lots of motion (on the one I was on there sure was!). And BTW, Red is definitely a super yachtsman in my opinion! He's also been absolutely indispensable for giving me expert advice and ideas in the Circumnavigation novel. A Lagoon 55 would be nowhere near as stable as a cruise liner (especially modern ones with active roll-damping) but she's far more stable than any monohull yacht, even one twice her size. However, you'd need sea legs, for sure! Good point. There's even a phenomenon called "land legs" that sailors get.. After a week or more at sea in rough water, it feels downright weird when you first set foot on dry land again, so much so that it can be hard to walk a stright line, and the ground (even concrete) has a "rubbery" feel to you. I've had this effect from large ships in heavy seas, so I'm pretty sure yachtsmen get it from much more moderate seas on long passages. "Land legs" are a definite strange effect, but you get over it within a few hours. Sea legs... hrmm. For me at least, they aren't quite like riding a bicycle, in that you never forget, but I've had them since an early age (I was 9 the first time I spent a few weeks on an ocean liner, an old unstabilized one, so old she was on her final voyage.) I've found that I get my sea legs back fast (within a day). However, I do have trouble on unstablizized boats, because my sea time is mainly on cruise ships (with are roll stabilized, so roll very little and slowly if at all but they do pitch.) On an unstabilized boat, where I'm dealing with natural pitch and roll, it takes me a couple of days to fully get used to the roll aspect. However, my experiences are likely not typical; I have severe inner-ear damage, so my sense of balance is not typical, and probably affects me badly in this regard. I get more of my ballence clues visually than most people do. For example, I have instant sea legs on a badly pitching deck in daylight, but I'd have a lot of trouble inside without a window in the same seas. On the plus side, I don't get motion sick or seasick.

Trevor can't make a direct run to Australia... Well, he could, but it would actually be a lot longer than his planned route. The problem is the wind direction. A direct route from the Seychelles to Austrlia would mean heading directly into the northeast trade winds for most of the way, which would mean he'd have to tack back and forth, effectively about tripling his real distance to travel. He could use his engines, but Atlantis has a max range of around 1500 miles on engines (she does not have big fuel tanks) which wouldn't get him there, and there isn't anywhere for him to stop on a direct run. So, as odd as it sounds, his shortest route is the detour south, then cut east from Rodriguez Island. A direct line from the Seychelles to Perth is about 4,300 miles, and his planned course is around 5000, but the longer course is actually far easier. He's limited to four knots or so due to the danger of big floating logs (Tsunami debris) ,especially in the central Indian ocean. So, as a rough rule of thumb, that's an average of around 100 miles a day. For part of it he'll pick up a knot or a bit more from the eastbound current, giving him an effective speed of five knots, but he's looking at a voyage of at least 45 days, non-stop, and that's without any delays due to weather. His voayage across the Atlantic was faster, because he wasn't limited to slow speeds by the debris issue. You're right, Gonzalez did notice something. And Yep, the idea of taking Atlantis back to Egypt (past pirates!) and then leaving her there, after his experiances in the canal, would not be particularly appealing to Trevor. Ummm, who needs an RV for a camping trip? All he needs is a tent and some gear. Thanks!! Good point; Trevor might fly back if Atlantis was guarded... Could Atlantis be impounded? Yes. The State Department would likely have to request it from the Seychelles government, and they might do so, for a while anyway... It wouldn't be a sure thing though, and would depend on a high degree of cooperation. Dirk did promise Trevor emancipation... but only after Trevor passed the halfway point on his voyage, which he hasn't done yet. (it's in the central Indian Ocean). I had to do a ton of research on the procedural stuff. Florida's system is a bit different procedurally (for example, they don't have District Attorneys, and the Assistant State Attorney role is similar to a Da, but also different). You raise some great points, but the most I can say at this point is we'll find out soon what's up, and in detail, including exactly what the statutes of limitations mentioned are about, and even specific crimes, right down to the statute number. That bomb changed everything, and things will be happening. They can't extradite Trevor, he's not accused of a crime. However, as a US Citizen, they can order him home to testify, but to make that a binding order they'd have to serve him with a written subpoena. But would Trevor know that??? The next chapter, 47, is called: "No good Deed goes Unpunished"

I encountered the following videos, and thought they offered a good "feel" for the Lagoon 55 (same model as Atlantis). The first one shows the layout well (though the 360 camera distorts a bit) and the second one is a Lagoon 55 at sea. Ummm, I have no idea how to embed, and I can't see vids on my home system so I can't twll if I did it right, so I'll try embedding, followed by the direct links at the bottom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bImnAIHGRPo&feature=fvw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bImnAIHGRPo&feature=fvw

Chapter 46 has been posted. Have fun!

Thanks! It was tricky... in third person it would have been easy, but planting it in a story told from Jake's POV, while keeping Jake unaware... That was hard. Thanks very much for mentioning this, because it lets me know it worked. And yep, Chas is a free thinker, in a lot of ways. She's one of my favorite characters. I had a hunch that would come as a shock. LoL. It's not exactly my usual style. Jake is a departure in a lot of ways for me. Corey indeed will hold the ultimate power here. Thanks Mike! Yep, this story is very much a departure for me, in a lot of ways. I've never before attempted a story centered on characters and their relationships. As a result, I was very nervous about it. This story has some (what I hope are) unexpected twists. I absolutely did not want it to be predictable or formulaic. LoL! thanks Conner! Yep... as you say, I'd never go anywhere near a cliff! But a threesome? That's not a cliff, so who knows?

Well, yes. But that doesn't alter the fact that you seem to be making snide remarks about the characters because they don't suspect you yet. Any good cop should be open to multiple lines of thought, and given that he knows that Dirk previously sabotaged atlantis (taking Trevor's glow plug wires) and the phone in the bomb came from Dirk's store, plus he knows that Jim did find Atlantis, coupled with Dirk and Jim's evasiveness, I honestly believe he has grounds to suspect them, certainly enough to haul them in for questioning. Or he may have a reason, such as the current possible legal mess being a far lessor danger than what he's hiding. Umm, you're looking at this backwards, I think. From what Gonzalez knows: that Dirk runs a chandlery, and also does some work on boats, and sells phones and electronics, what grounds would Gonzalez have to be sure that Dirk doesn't have the very rudimentary skills required to make an exceedingly simple circuit? You're right about modern car stereos. And yes, even getting a dashboard off is tricky (for me, anyway) on some vehicles. (On my SUV it's easy, but I had to ask Rob for advice on my other car, because it makes much greater use of clips). I wouldn't want to muck around with the advanced car sound systems, but I'd feel just fine about totally replacing a system with a new one, provided it did not have integrated controls. (In college I sometimes installed car stereos for some extra $$$) And when I was a young billy goat, back on the stone age? Ohhh, you'll pay for that! :devil: The rock makes no sense where it turned up. I can't say more until after 46 has posted. This is very possible! After all, all he needs to do is dig up your school attendance records, and see if you were in class that day... Gonzalez may well be jumping to conclusions, but as you say, he's being advised by someone who knows exactly what procedural buttons to push. Good point! He's also had very little time to go through the new data. What's on the Ares that Bridget fears? The asset list is one, but as she's said, there is another, something so much worse that they dare not let even Sanchez know. Whatever it is, it's her primary motive for doing whatever it takes to keep the Ares from being found. I've been concerned that the Cartel in the story might seem a bit far-fetched. It isn't; its modeled on real ones. At that time, two of the three big cartels in Columbia had been pretty much dismanteled. The Medallin cartel (Run by Pablo Escobar) and the Cali Cartel are the two that had largely, but not totally, been taken down. They were vicious and far-flung, with incomes measured in the billions, and operations through north and south America, Europe, and connections beyond. They were heavily involved in assassination (numbering at least in the hundreds of victims for each cartel) kidnapping and torture, arms dealing, smuggling, and terrorism. The major one still operating in 2006 (and also today) is the Norte del Valle Cartel. Interestingly, it had a lot of top brass named (or aliased) Sanchez. Yes, and so we must ask: who is in Australia? The answer is that Graeme is in Australia! So... I think we should consider him a suspect!

Umm, I forgot to mention the coming chapter title. It's "Forces in Motion."

Very good point: we know what’s up in some ways, but the characters often don’t. That’s reversed in a few instances, such as what’s the big secret of the Ares the Bridget fears so much more than that asset list? Bridget knows, but we don’t. And yep; Trevor is in very grave danger of being tortilla chipless for his voyage down under! (and here we were worried about Sanchez??) Yep, there’s really no way for Lisa and Joel to figure it out, unless Bridget slips up, or something happens that had to have come from them. The unraveling has just begun. There’s been a literal sea change; Trevor is now aware that someone wants him dead, and tried to blow him up. He’s no longer the unwitting victim. Good call! Lisa is very much the headstrong, bulldog type. But Bulldogs have another aspect; they are fiercely loyal and protective. Betray that loyalty, and watch out... Yep, he does indeed have a long golden mane by now, even though he actually had it a bit on the longish side in Florida. And, um, he’s going to need a trim at some point! Trevor got laid once in the story, in Italy, so I’m sure he’ll be just fine for his months and months alone at sea... or will Joel be right, and Trevor explodes? You raise a very good, and in fact essential, point: Trevor ‘s phone rock was delivered to the south end of the canal. It might have been mailed to placate Joel’s father and Lisa, but Dirk could not know where it would be sent. In fact, no one, even Trevor, realized that yacht club was at the south end. So therefore, why would Dirk mail Trevor a rock? Why not simply send nothing if he was the bomber? Or a real phone? I’m shocked, shocked.. that you don’t trust Bridget! Yep! Bridget doesn’t get to hear all their calls. But, she does when they are on her landline, or on their cells in the guesthouse (in the latter case, she only hears the half of the conversation that’s in the guesthouse). Or, if they happen to mention things while talking in the guesthouse, which they have come to view as their safe haven – exactly as Bridget intended. Isn’t Bridget sweet and thoughtful? You’re right, and that brings up something I need to mention; We don’t get to see every conversation, or in some cases all of a conversation. I had to do it this way, otherwise we’d be forever reading repetition, as one character told another, and they told another, etc. I do try to cover everything important, though. But, it’s good that they used the landline for all of Trevor’s travel details; it would be horrible if they’d had to cope with static. Ah, but do remember, we know far more than they do in most cases. Also, what’s the number one real-life way criminals get caught? Ask any cop; it’s because they get overconfident, egotistical, and talk too much. Hey wait a minute.. that’s EXACTLY what you’re doing! You’re deriding the characters because they don’t suspect you yet!!!! Is this an admission of guilt!??!? Ummm, I’m right on the edge of what we can say here, but I can mention that we don’t know what Gonzalez thinks. Is the setup suspicious? Yep! Sure is... But Jim and Dirk have managed to make it look more damning by their own behavior. Dirk is obviously hiding something, which isn’t helping his case. The rock in the box... that’s a conundrum, and does not fit at all in a “Dirk did it” theory. Neither does the Egyptian cellular account. I’ll strongly disagree with you on only one particular; building the bomb being beyond Dirk. Dirk or Jim could have done that with total ease! It’s super simple, even if you don’t know much about electronics. Dirk runs a marine chandlery, so he’d need at least a smattering of knowledge on the rudiments of electronics. So, how to build the bomb if you don’t know what you’re doing? Here’s what makes it super easy: some models of Iridium (like many cellular phones) have a “privacy code” or similar feature, where only someone who knows the code can make the phone ring. Otherwise it stays in voicemail. So, all we have to do is use a multimeter to see what circuits are active when the phone rings. (the ringer would be an easy guess). Then, you hook that circuit up to the switch pole of a relay. The phone ringer signal closes the relay, sending current from a battery to the detonator cap. That, BTW, is one of the most common methods for making cellular IED’s. There are other ways, which vary, but mainly revolve around a similar setup; identifying a circuit that carries a charge when you want the bomb to go off, and adding a relay (though in some circuitry, you’ll need a diode too.) Now, the dynamite. How do you add a detonator cap to dynamite? No skill needed! You just stick a pocket knife blade in either end of the stick (the consistency is much akin to modeling clay, even on more modern formulations) and stick the detonator in the slit you just made. It’s a little disconcerting the first time you do it, but you get used to it quick. IMHO, the tech skill required (Assuming one has the explosives) is akin to that needed to install a car stereo. I’m sure you could do it easily... in fact, I KNOW you could, so why would you claim Dirk couldn’t? There’s only one reason... you built the bomb that sank Ares!

Okay, I'm back. Internet connection is behaving again.... Great points here, and Welcome, Flipper! Yep, the pirates gave up, and headed west, while the convoy was going east. That's a fairly typical encounter BTW: the pirates often scout like that. However they don't always choose their targets wisely. In at least two cases, they've cleverly attacked warships at night, and gotten a very "warm" reception! Hrmmm, the coke as part of a going-away present for Lisa and Joel! Well, they would be going away in that case... Bridget and George are indeed thoughtful... they did try to make Trevor's suez transit a once-in-a-lifetime experience be sending him a going-away present... And LoL, Bridget as Blowfield! I love it! The Egyptians would take a threat to the canal very seriously indeed. Investigations like that take time, but would be very thorough. And yep, Bridget thinks there's something far more deadly to her (and Geroge too) on Ares, something worse then the asset list. Now we know why she's willing to go to such lengths to keep Ares from being found. Sanchez? Nah, I'm sure he's forgotten about the whole thing by now.

I've been having severe internet problems, and haven't been able to get into GA in days. I'll reply to the posts in this thread soon, internet connections permitting. I miss you guys! BTW, Steve, great idea on the chapter title! HAd I seen that a few hours ago, I'd have probably used it; the current one is a bit more generic and geographical. I won't mention it though. Okay, I may not be able to post a chapter announcement (assuming my connection holds even long enough t post this) but I did manage to get chapter 45 uploaded a few minutes ago. HOWEVER, I haven't been able to get it to display (my ISP can't seem to see my site at the moment) so I haven't been able to check it for display glitches... apologies if there are display issues (I hope not, and it will be a map that's the issue if there is one, probably). I'll be back as soon as I can.

Thanks Connor! Yep, Jake's parents are not exactly stellar examples of parenting. His mother gave him that name, rubbing her husband's nose in the fact of the affair every time he hears it. Not a recipe for a happy home.. and Jake's bad home life is a huge part of what made him who he is. As for where the story is going, that will be crystal clear in the next chapter.

So how did you like second person? I've tried it all of once (also in an anthology, a short story called "Requiem".) I went for a formal, archaic style, and I had very mixed reviews; some loved it, some hated it. I liked your use of 2nd; very well done IMHO. BTW, the bridge was the closest to the description I could find in Kansas, but it is from Kansas.

This had a unique approach, and was very well executed. I'm usually no fan of ambiguous endings, but this one fit perfectly. Great job! I loved it!

Poetry does have a place on GA: we have a poetry forum, just like we have an efic forum. We also have a poetry announcements forum. It was designed this way so that, for people who like poetry, they have a place for it. It's also separate, so it shouldn't bother people who don't like poetry. It was the best means we could come up with to keep everyone, verse and prose alike, happy.

Ahhh, but now does not matter! We're talking 2006 here, and I do see that your profile says "Location:All over Jersey." You're also known to have been in the Bimini area when Ares was lost, too! Coincidence? I think not!

Great call, Benji! Yep, Fifteen to Twenty is the prison time. The explosive can be traced to type, but all that will get them is the knowledge it was dynamite. Rough seas for Trevor? But... It's all just smooth sailing! Yachters are usually a pretty friendly bunch. It's good that Trevor joined up with some. Bridget invests some of the money in businesses, as a silent partner, such as she was mentioned doing for the air conditioner company Lisa's father used to work for. In many cases, she hides her involvement. That's why the asset list was a concern. Sea Witch has several names, and registration numbers, and she's often kept elsewhere, but yes, it is a little sloppy to have her at their residences at all. Bridget has been running her operation for at least a decade (that we know of) and it could be a case of familiarity breeds contempt. The asset list could still cause Bridget grief; all they'd need to do was find evidence she'd once owned some of them. It would add motive for murder, and also probably spark further investigations. Her argument to Sanchez was basically that it was a danger to her (it is, to a degree) but the police investigation of the murder inquiry is a bigger risk (due to the drug trafficking) and murdering Trevor in a way that frames Dirk solves both issues. However... is the asset list Bridget's only reason? Here's a paragraph from 33 that touches that issue.

Hrrrrmmm!! That it does, that it does! Perhaps he was in cahoots with Bridget? We already know that Sanchez has a contact in New Jersey (!!!) we we think could be Rknapp, so... maybe he met him via Bridget? Hrmmm... I never thought of that, but maybe you're right!

Yipes!!!!!!! For Bridget to approach Miami by heading northeast, one of the little issues would be she'd have to take her boat overland... Ummm, oops!!! Chapter 43 has now been changed, and reads "northwest." Thanks, Rob, for bringing this up, which has allowed me to fix it. We already knew that goats cannot count... I guess we also need to include compass-reading (along with cliffhangers) in the things that goats cannot do...

Chapter 43, Fifteen to Twenty, is up. This chapter contains a few shots of undersa life in the Red Sea, courtesy of Yap. As I said in the chapter credits; That's no understatement; Yap's pictures (in the original form) are magnificent!

Indeed he does! Ah, but I am ineligible for the voting in 2010.

I never knew you were from Texas... but oh, wait, that's right, when you appeared on the charter in Greece a few chapters back, you did say you were originally from Texas... So this all fits! You're a cliff-dwelling frog! Hrmmm!!! And a cliff-dwelling frog is, surely, the King of Cliffhangers, because he spends most of his time hanging on cliffs! And I do note that MikeL *IS* eligible for King of Cliffhangers, because he is an author! A poet, to be exact... and some of those poems end in cliffhangers! MikeL for 2010 King of Cliffhangers! Vote Early and Vote Often! Hrmmm, then how come there's no such thing as a cliff goat, but there is a cliff frog? 1-800-dial-a-bomb? Rough translation: "Hello, the bomb is unable to come to the phone right now, but if you';; please leave your name, number, and detonation code, the bomb will return you explosion... :nuke:

Ahh! But I never run for that particular vertical office, and in any case, I am not eligible for the 2009 King of Cliffhangers awards, so I cannot be nominated or voted for. Hrmmm... I think what we have here, undeniably, is a frog in denial! His froggishness said, and I quote, "The very title of chapter 42 confirms that the previous chapter of Circumnavigation ended with a cliffhanger." (Emphasis mine) Now, to help the frog (who seems to be having difficulty with the word), I'll post the dictionary definition of "ended" 1. To bring to a conclusion. 2. To form the last or concluding part of: the song that ended the performance. So, can anyone say I am not therefor absolutely correct, per our frog's very own words, in citing the last paragraph of the chapter he refers to? Or, to be fair, the last few paragraphs... or even the last half of the chapter?

A challenge, overcome. Well done, and thank you!

Artfully done, with a deft and subtle touch. I liked the way you left some things unsaid, and let the reader's mind fill in the details. Thanks Cia!

I very much enjoyed this! Thank you Graeme! One of the aspects i was delighted to see was an asexual character. Asexuality is rare, but very real. I liked the human interactions, and the character development. I also found the mission concept intriguing. I can't resist commenting on this, not to be picky, but because I've long found that particular issue (crew dynamics on long duration missions)interesting. NASA has studied this quite a bit, and their determination was (this was in the early 60's) that the most unstable crew composition was three people, because (absent a strict command structure) the interpersonal relationships, especially under stress, had a tendency to devolve into continually shifting alliances (to form two against one). This issue has been demonstrated all too well when NASA astronauts were sent to Mir. That's why, when ISS was running three-person crews, (one Russain and two Americans, or visa-versa) they arranged the crewing so that the odd-one-out was the commander. What would be a stable dynamic for a small group for a mission duration of a lifetime? That's an intriguing issue. I can see valid arguments both for and against the couples model that Graeme used. I think it could work (at last as well as any other option) but that's only a guess. Its an interesting concept!