C James

I had to go away for a few days, but I'm back. One the hurricane exit... The eye is basically at closest approach (just south of Portland Head, or just a shade southwest of it) when Atlantis enters. You're right; the shore is weakening the forward quadrant enough that, combined with an eyewall replacement cycle, a boat might escape... except there's a problem: the forward speed of the hurricane. The eye is moving west. (actually a few degrees north of true west.) So, Atlantis has to maintain eighteen knots just to stay in the eye. She'd have to go much faster to run west through the weakened area, and she can't. (plus, even if she could go that fast, she couldn't do it in those seas). That's why the doorway into the eye was a one-way door. What Atlantis needs is the situationion you describe, but to the left (south on this case) of the eye's track, with the eye making a very close pass to a large area of very mountainous land just to the left of its track. Then the weakened quadrant would be the rear one, and if a fortuitous eyewall replacement cycle occurred, Atlantis might have a path out. Here's the hurricane track. On the press issue... can you imagine what a great news story Atlantis's ongoing predicament would make? Especially after what happened off Jamaica? All members of the team (Talonrider very much included!) have had input on various areas and details. It won't matter who knows of the tape's revelations if (and only if) the entire cartel (the one formerly headed by Bridget and the FAE) is destroyed. But, for the moment, only those off Jamaica, plus the C-130, and the Florida police, know... Has a boat ever survived being at sea in the eye of a hurricane? Yes. A cat 5 hurricane? No. If one ever reached it... they didn't live to tell about it. The closest to doing this that I'm aware of would be US Navy ships in 1944: On December 17 1944, due to a weather report that gave an untrue position and heading for the typhoon, Admiral Halsey unwittingly sailed Third Fleet into the heart of Typhoon Cobra in the western Pacific. Three destroyers sank, and an aircraft carrier nearly sank. Many ships took heavy damage, and nearly 800 lives were lost. However, though the ships entered the core, they did not, as near as I can tell, enter the eyewall and the eye. They experienced category 3 wind and sea conditions at most. Here's what that did to an aircraft carrier. Atlantis survived to enter they eye of a Cat4 only due to being in the lee of mountainous land, which diminished the winds and seas (especially the seas due to the short fetch of the offshore winds). Plus, the eyewall replacement cycle weakened the eyewall. The windjammer cruises Fantome, which was mentioned in the story (now we know why...) entered a Cat5, Mitch. She may have neared the eye, but there were no survivors. I remember reading, long ago, a Usenet debate on this issue... one Navy engineer claimed that an Iowa-class battleship (WWII era, though they were reactivated several timers in ensuing decades) might be big, powerful, and strong enough to reach the eye of a cat5. Maybe. However, in August of 2007 they were no longer in service (having been decommissioned years before) amd the closest one... hrmmm, probably the USS Wisconsin, at the Nautica Museum in Norfolk, VA. (I was there two years ago... awesome place to visit!). So, if it could be made seaworthy in time (doubtful, to say the least) and a crew could be found, it might be able to do it... assuming you could find a way to airlift a 45,000 to battleship, as that would be the only way to get it there in time. So, Atlantis and her crew are in a bit of a conundrum. Atlantis, blasted by the raging furies of the pink fluffy bunny..... Riding the eye is an option... At the moment, Atlantis is fast enough, barely. She's using a lot of fuel at max throttle.... but she topped up her tanks in Gitmo. She's using about 8 to 9 gph at max throttle. A helicopter couldn't make it through the eyewall, and can't fly high enough to get over. A V22 Osprey tiltroter could probably do it if Dean drops to Cat3 or less (but Dean won't). Going under is a superb idea, and with good scuba gear and a sheltered hole in a reef 80 feet or more down, that could work. Maybe. But, they'd need to stay down for many, many hours. They'd also need to decompress after being down that long. So, they'd need a lot of air tanks. Possible... except Atlantis's scuba gear was taken by the pirates, and Trevor decided to wait to return to Florida to replace it. He has yet to do so. It could be air dropped, but it's a very risky move... plus you'd need a suitable location to do the dive in. Doing it in the open sea would be bad... if a 100 foot wave passes over you, it adds 100 feet to your pressure depth. A very good diver using advanced gasses (helox) might be able to go deep enough to get away with it, assuming he had some way to take along a lot of tanks, but only Trevor might have the skills needed - and he's never used helox. Still, it's possible, maybe. But good points on Trevor and Shane being in bad shape... plus, as you say, Trevor would have at least a bit of blood loss, which would attract sharks. What happened to the hidden gift? I cringed when I read that. Why? Because what happened is author stupidity; I think I clean forgot. I don't think I showed Trevor's B-day at all (it occurred between Hawaii and Cape Horn, during a chapter break), so we didn't see what Shane or his mom got him. It's not plot relevant though... the only gift that was was the 30-06. Hrmmm... maybe I should fix that in the coming chapter? If you, or anyone, feels it should be addressed, I'll do so. I'll reply to some of the other posts above and on the prior page later tonight.

Thank you!!!! I'll get that fixed.... okay, fixed!!!! Thanks!!! It's amazing how many little errors this author makes!

Thanks!!! It's been a very long ride... I can't believe how long it has taken to get here! One more chapter... Look at it this way; they couldn't be in a safer place. The cartel can't possibly get to them. (and neither can anyone else). Trevor really didn't have any other option than to try for the eye. It was the one and only way to keep them all alive. Now though... they have a few issues. A bit of a conundrum, in fact. Edit: I just wanted to make sure everyone knows; Dean was a very real storm, and in the story Dean will adhere exactly to the historical record in every way.

It is absolutely, positively not a cliffhanger.

What if there isn't a way out to find?

What's the solution you see? You might be right, because I will say this; any hope they have will come from the crew of Atlantis... and yep, Trevor is crazy.

The last chapter and epilogue should be along in a timely manner. The horrendously long dealy for this chapter was due to a "perfect storm" of unforeseen real-life circumstances, for which I sincerely apologize.

It's not the last chapter. There is one more, plus an epilogue. What happened was I had to split the last chapter; what you just read was the first half.

There are no cliffhangers in Circumnavigation! The next chapter is the last.

Trevor had a reason to not hit Bridget... if she'd been shot and killed, she wouldn't have been alive to holler for help and lure the other cartel boats in. He wasn't sparing her... he was using her for bait.

Bridget actually had a slower death than if she'd been run over. She was in the water a while, many minutes, being battered and slowly drowned. She also got to see any hope of rescue vanishing as the boats turned away. But... not as bad as she deserved. In reality, I think that under those specific circumstances, Atlantis, after ballasting (letting sea water into the bilges) could have reached the eye. Remember, the wind on that side of the storm is from the north, so it's coming off of the mountainous coast, and they are due south of the thousand-foot-plus cliffs of Lover's Leap. They are well out to sea (almost 20 miles) but due to the wind being offshore the seas are nowhere near as severe as a cat4 on the open sea - not on that side of the storm at least. So the winds and seas are survivable for entry to the eye due to that set of circumstances - except a cat4 eyewall would likely tear Atlantis to bits. How likley is it that an eyewall replacement cycle would happen during Dean's close brush of Jamaica? I don't know, but I do know that it really happened, exactly as depicted, and I can prove it. Not only do we have the actual NHC archives for Dean, which mention the eyewall replacement cycle (a fairly commonplace occurrence for major hurricanes) I have a link to an animated pic showing it as it happens. I'll try to insert the pic, As the eye nears the southernmost point on Jamaica (Portland HEad) you can see a dark ring forming, and in the last frame the eye appears to expand. That's the start of an eyewall replacement cycle, and that temporarily reduces the storm's intensity in the inner core. I wish this sequence went about two frames further, but this shows the start of it as the eye nears Portland Head. Atlantis entered the eye when the center of the eye was just past due south of Portand Head. (a couple of frames past where the IR gif loop ends). BTW, in case the moving gif does not load right for some, here's a link. IMHO, it would have been one hell of a ride, but in very skilled hands and with a little luck, Atlantis could have reached the eye due to that combination of geography and circumstance. CJ Edit: Ah, here we go... The page that gif is from has a pic of Dean showing a concentric eyewall structure upon approach to Portland Head. A concentric eyewall structure is the first phase of an eyewall replacement cycle. So, at least as far as the eyewall replacement cycle, not only could it have happened, but it did, exactly where we saw it happen.

"So glad you all think that CJ does not write cliff hangers must revise my definition a bit it does not seem to match????????" It's absolutely, positively not a cliffhanger. As is often said here in this forum, I never, ever use or write cliffhangers. Just think of Dean as a new character, one that's, as you down under might say, a bit windy. Dean's track... hrmmm!! Let me see what I can do.... BTW, the 175mph winds are the maximum sustained winds. Dean had gusts well over 200mph at landfall, due to vortexes in the eyewall (common for cat 4 or cat 5). It was a rare combination of events and geography (such as the towering cliffs of Lover's Leap to windward) that allowed Atlantis the chance to reach the eye. Now, if a similar set of circumstances (a mountainous running parallel and close to the eye's track) occurred, but to the left of the track, that might well make a break from the eye survivable. Maybe. However, drat the luck, there isn't one on Dean's path. For anyone wondering what a Cat 5 landfall looks like, here's a pic from part of Florida hit by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 (the last cat 5 landfall in the USA - for comparison, Katrina was cat3), though Andrew was small and weak (barely cat5, and only in a small area) compared to what Dean will be at landfall. The cars, BTW, were tossed around by the vortexes in the eyewall - basically tornadoes. Sorry, but the narration says no subs within range (it doesn't limit the statement to US subs). That wasn't a character's opinion, that was narration, so it has to be true. Therefor, they cannot be rescued by a sub.

I happen to agree that Bridget's demise was not as bad as she deserved... especially not after what she did to one of my all-time favorite characters, Henry Wesson (eaten alive). However... had she not died as she did, Trevor would not have the opportunity he now has to utterly destroy the entire cartel. The cartel is far more than the force off Jamaica; there's Bridget's operation in the Bahamas, the cartel's heart in Colombia, etc. If the cartel survives, Trevor and Shane do not. Good idea on Frank Tittle and a sub from a cartel, except it can't work. The narration says there are no subs within range, and also, the smuggling subs tend to be very basic affairs and can't dive past 60 or 70 feet. To survive a passage to the eye of a major hurricane, you'd need to be at 200 or deeper. Plus, the cartel subs are very basic diesel, and run via snorkeling. They can't dive deep. There is also the speed issue; even the most advanced diesel electric subs can't move fast while below snorkeling depth, so the only way to reach the eye (assuming they could dive deep enough) would be to position itself ahead of the hurricane track and then dive to await the eye. But, that pesky line of narration rules it out; there are no subs within range. Trevor and Shane are wounded, so wouldn't be able to move fast on land, and they wouldn't have long once beached before the eye moved off the beach (and Dean will landfall as a high Cat5, a true monster). They also have no idea exactly where the eye will make landfall. We can know that, but they can't... not until they get there; the forecast track has variances in it. What Dean is... is a bit of a conundrum. However... it's not a tense ending, because they are totally safe in the eye; nothing and no one can get to them.

Thanks!!!! I will endeavor to finish up the final chapter promptly; no more long waits. I really do feel bad about the length of time it took for this chapter. I had it drafted out as of three years ago, but it took a lot of reworking - far more than I'd thought. The plot was basically unchanged, but in this case, the detail work took me forever. Thanks!!! Yep, Bridget is dead... Trevor and Atlantis got her; the damage he did with that rifle was fatal to Sea Witch, and thus Bridget. It just took a bit longer than he thought. Thank you!!!! And absolutely cliffhanger-free. And tension-free at the end as well; I did promise that the chapter ending would not be tense in any way, and it isn't. Absolutely cliffhanger-free! I'm delighted to see that we all agree there! Their situation is a little bit of a conundrum, isn't it? Precipice? Sorry, but that I could never do... I could never go near the edge of a precipice... that's the edge of a cliff! @Benji, I see your post but it appeared after I began mine, so me reply to yours will be along in a few minutes.

Heh.... It took longer to prep and upload than I thought. Also, my internet connection failed moments after I hit the post button and I just now got back online, so for a while I was stuck wondering if it had posted or not.

Chapter 155: The Belly of the Beast (Here's a link to google maps, centered on the areas in the chapter, which can be zoomed and moved around, because I know some of you are like me and love to follow along and see the areas on the story.) Atlantis, crippled and adrift, her mast, boom, sails, and rig hanging over the side, banging against her hull as the surrounding maelstrom blasted her with fury untold. It could only get worse. Dean could not be avoided. No chance o

Posted 141st December 2012 - 04:20 PM The Belly of the Beast is up! (it might take a minute after this post to appear). Okay, we've got a chapter up at long last. I sincerely apologize for the delay. This chapter was originally called "Hellbound", until I was made aware (thanks!!!) than I'd used that one before. Sorry for the confusion. I'm now positive; after this chapter, we have ONE more (and an epilogue) remaining. This is the next-to-last chapter. Posted 141st December 2012 - 04:20 PM

Approx. ten minutes to post... working on the upload now.

Just a note to anyone watching this thread who might have missed the other thread... the chapter will be appearing within 2 hours - and sooner if I can.

I expect to have the chapter up in aprox. 2 hours. The title will NOT be Hellbound, as I hadn't realized I'd used that before. Thanks Xzior, for saving me from that goof!! I'll come up with a new title.

I now have the edited chapter, as of five minutes ago.. Emoe, though extremely busy, made a special effort and the chapter appeared in my box. (thanks Emoe!!) I apologize for the delay. The chapter, "Hellbound", will post today (Saturday). I don't know when yet, it might be this evening (I still need to prep it) but it will be today. (meaning before midnight, Arizona time). I hope to have it online much sooner, but worst case by tonight. I'll post more later, but at the moment, I suspect y'all want me working on the chapter, so that's what I'll do first. My aim is to get this online within a few hours.

But but but... Emoe was the last on the team to be sent the chapter, BUT, do bear in mind that Graeme was sent the chapter too, and he is in Australia and thus both using an inverted calandar and on the opposite side of the dateline, so he actually receives the chapter a day before it is sent to him. And this time, he sent it back quickly, and we back-and-forthed a few times on various aspects of it, and in each case it meant the chapter recrossing the dateline, so at the end of it all we had the chapter nearly a week before I'd even finished it, and thus Emoe, though being sent it last, might have got it first, in time to add that final line well before any of you who saw it before he did got it, and well before he received it himself. Exactly! Who, me? They aren't the only ones who get to see the chapter first. Actually, I get to see it before anyone else - except for Graeme, who due to being on the opposite side of the dateline sometimes gets to read it before it's written. Uhoh... I always start to worry when people start posting goat recopies.... But but but.... what it all boils down to is this; some folks here, for whatever erroneous reason, did perceive the chapter ending as, well, a tad tense... and some even said it was a cliffy, and if was a cliffy, that means I'd be incapable of writing it, so therefor it has to be someone else. Same here. Except I'm more constrained than anyone, because I know the full plot. It does change. I go through a chapter after each team member sends it back. I don't just address their comments, I also see things that need changing or fixing and do that as well; changing wording, etc. For example, in the chapter next to post, I bungled the time of day for some of it and had to fix it. I also worked on the wording in a great number of places. CJ

Hell? Sweet, innocent me? But I'm not even Canadian! I truly am sorry for the delay. Now would I do such a thing as that? ******************************************************* BTW, just to make sure no one misunderstands; Emoe received the chapter AFTER everyone else on the team, so he hasn't had it very long. Had I not been so slow in getting it done and sending it to the team (a chapter often works its what through the team one after the other) he'd have gotten it before things got hectic for him. (He's an enforcer for the mafia, and I think he's working through a heavy backlog of kneecaps). Now... as for any perceived tension at the end of Doomsday that "three beating hearts" caused... that we can blame Emoe for.

For what it's worth, I don't blame anyone for being impatient. All I ask is blame me, not anyone else on the team. For being late anyway... though for any perceived cliffhangers, that can't be me.

I apologize for the delay. The chapter isn't back from editing yet, but I promise to post it within a few hours (at most) of getting it. It could come at any time. I wish I could give a better estimate, but I can't, I don't know. I'm also dealing with an unexpected family situation (nothing bad, just absolutely exhausting... a large number of visitors) but that's not delaying this chapter, it's just keeping me offline a lot, though things should settle down in a few days. Also, the coming chapter, Hellbound, is large... larger than two normal ones. BTW... to those who found the chapter ending of Doomsday a bit... tense, perhaps it would help if I mentioned that Emoe added the "three beating hearts" line?