C James

I was going to reply to this here, but the chapter title issue deserves it's own thread, so I moved my reply to '>a new thread, "Chapter Titles" which I just started. What makes you think I'd know? And trouble? What trouble? Two teens, on the run and on a boat far from home, plus alcohol... what could possibly go wrong? Sometimes, little brothers in stories (I'm not referring to any GA stories here)can be stereotyped a bit too much; the perfect accepting and supportive sidekick for a protagonist. Though, in fairness, I'm probably guilty of that myself, with Eric in "For the Love". I dare not say much, but I can say this; we find out regarding the above issues, well before the end of the story. I should mention that one reason this story had to be in third person is so that we can follow the goings-on in Florida and also on Atlantis.

Trebs raised a great issue in a chapter thread, and I wanted to expand on it a bit. The title was "Miscommunications", and you're right; it's very relevant. For chapter naming in the story, I try to be sure that the chapter title is always relevant in some way. In some cases, it will be obvious. "Charter" would be one that was obvious; it was about a charter. In other cases, it's not obvious, and in those cases it is often more significant. "Rage Sea", chapter 8, would be an example of dual meanings; it's literal in that there was indeed a rage sea, but there was also rage (between Trevor and Dirk). Chapter 10, Launch, was also dual; a shuttle launch, but also the launch of Trevor's attempt to circumnavigate the earth. Chapter 16, Ignorance is Bliss, was also a dual-meaning chapter. In other cases, such as "Setups" (Chapter 2) it was dual, in that it was an attempt at a setup (setting someone up with a date) but also it gave us a tour of Atlantis, setting things up for coming chapters. Sometimes, the chapter title is a bit of a spoiler, but sometimes, it can only be understood after seeing the chapter. When it's a bit of a spoiler, I'm putting myself if grave risk; if anyone figures it out in advance, than it is indeed a spoiler, and a certain anti-spoiler echidna will be on the warpath... If anyone has any questions, please ask! If there is a past chapter title (of any story) that you're curious about, ask here, and I'll explain.

We learn the details of what's in them in "Cruising the Med", which is chapter 15.

Being an only child myself, that part was easy for me. Lol. The passports and visas are not a problem for Trevor or Joel at the moment; nowhere they've been so far requires a visa, and they both have passports. We don't yet know the details, but it was mentioned when he found it that it was a joint filing; they both filed for divorce, so definitely uncontested. Huh?? Poor, sweet, innocent me? But everything is always sweetness and light in my stories. Devious? Me? Diving alone can indeed be dangerous. Poor, misunderstood Scar... Bingo! You're right, and that was in the narration, and the narrator cannot lie. Thanks for bringing this up, it's a great point, and it also gives me an opening to remind everyone: Characters can lie, but the narrator can't. Fingerprints wouldn't be possible after years in the ocean, though many other forms of evidence could survive. All I can say is... Everything will make sense, before the end.

Why make things overly complicated?

And I cite the fact that I wasn't nominated as proof that I never use cliffhangers!

Thanks Wyndham! I hope you enjoy it.

Perhaps I shouldn't have been quite so technical and detailed on the nuclear warhead specs in LTMP. Cut and paste the following into your browser address bar and see what I mean. (the link is the same as the text, mouse over the url to see the actual link in your info bar, or copy the link location and past it into your URL bar if you still don't believe it). http://5z8.info/IED-howto_y9w2d_how-to-build-a-bomb

Who? Me? Lol... if Trevor attempts to transit the Bering Strait, he'll have more problems than he'll know what to do with.

The awards voting is underway.... And I'd just like to make sure everyone has all the facts regarding the King of Cliffhangers category. First, we should all remember, and never forget, that Graeme has been indicted by the cliffhanger police over at Jeff's Fort, and a warrant was issued for his arrest! Just a friendly reminder, to make sure we all have all the facts. CJ

That route sounds very interesting! Yep, I did the Icefields parkway, including a scramble on a glacier, last time. I'd like to do it again though. Hrmm, however, I could do a loop; take your way south, then head back north again, then come down the icefilds parkway. The route from Hinton south looks very interesting, and it would join with Highway 11, which could take me back to Icefields to make a loop run. I'm probably going to camp so no worries on hotels. I'd definitely like to hear more! For camping, most of the time I will probably just sleep in my vehicle; it has a large flat area in back, which makes a good bed. I'll be more inclined to do this than pitch a tent in areas with lots of grizzlies. I'll stay in a few motels along the way though, but that can get expensive and camping is fun, plus saves a ton of $$$. As for crossing the border; yes, you Canadian border official do seem markedly prejudiced against non-humans who want to drive across. For shame! CJ

It would be one hell of a bridge. It's 50 miles across the narrowest portion of the Bering strait, via big and little Diomede Islands. I remember hearing about plans for this, but they left me scratching my head; there just isn't much use for it, and it would be enormously costly (probably an overseas causeway for most of it, because the sea is fairly shallow). The real problem IMHO is there are no roads at all on either side of the strait. On the Alaskan side, the closest roads (that connect to anywhere) are near Fairbanks, about 600 miles away. For a rail line, it's about 3000 miles, in southern British Columbia. On the Russian side, it's about 2000 miles to the nearest road or railroad. Also, the rail gauges are different. So, I can't see this happening anytime soon; the bridge cost would be astronomical, but the roads and rails to it would be even more costly, plus there's no real use for it. What I would love to see is more tourism in the Kamchatka Peninsula. It has a thermal area that rivals Yellowstone, plus awesome scenery. I've only seen it from the air (during a flight to China) but it looks spectacular. It would be an ideal cruise ship destination, but so far it's largely ignored.

ROFL!!! Yes indeed. Grizzlies, once I get to northern BC and points north. Umm, did I mention that I'll be camping a lot? This could get interesting. LoL. Lol... Well, my SUV does not do well under water. LoL. I love wilderness, so this sounds like a perfect drive for me.

Trevor is unprepared in many ways. He's winging it, and you're right, having very low body fat makes him more vulnerable. But as I like to say, what could possibly go wrong? I remember that from seeing shoe displays. I just spaced it and assumed the sizes would be in Metric. Usually, when I make a goof like this, it's because I think I know the answer but actually don't. LoL You hate clothes shopping too? I'm glad I'm not the only one. Trevor's dislike of clothes shopping is very much modeled after my own, but he doesn't dislike it as much as I do. Yep, a few times, when I've needed to. I didn't have it in mind for a story though... however, we'll see, in chapter 17, where I took a series of photos with the intention of using it in a story (the pictures are interwoven with the text). I didn't have this story specifically in mind, but knew I'd use it sometime.

Just over a year ago, I drove from Arizona to Vancouver for a cruise, and then swung north to Jasper and Banff before returning via Yellowstone. I absolutly loved the trip, and even during it, I was toying with the idea for another, a bit further north. The trip will be an end unto itself, but my planned furthest-north point on the drive is Prudhoe, Bay, Alaska, on the Arctic Ocean. (It's also called the North Slope). Basically, I'll be heading north via central Nevada and then the Oregon coast, and I'm thinking of entering BC south of Kelowana, then heading for Cache Creek, then up the Cariboo highway to Hundred Mile House, then up to Prince George, and then heading towards Prince Rupert but turning north on the Cassiar Highway, and taking it north until it joins the Alaska Highway in the Yukon Territory. From there, I hang a left and head for Fairbanks, and then from there head north again, for my most northerly destination; Prudhoe Bay, on the Arctic Ocean. After that, I'll be heading south for Anchorage, and then back via the southern route to pick up the Alaska highway near Tok, and then take it all the way south to Dawson creek, and from there, Jasper (alberta). From there, I'll head south via Kootenany towards Kalispell Montana, and then on southeast, into Wyoming via Yellowstone, then home via Colorado. Either on the way north or the way south, I'll detour off the Alaska highway to Skagway and Hains, and take the ferry between them. I've been to both places and love them, and by making that "loop" I'll cut off a good chunk of the Alaska highway that I'd otherwise drive twice. The only part of the drive known to be a bit difficult at times is the Dalton Highway, often called the Pipeline Haul Road, from Fairbanks up to Prudhoe Bay. Many might know it from the TV series "Ice Road Truckers", where the notorious Adigan Pass is often mentioned on that route. That should be a fun one in the Arctic weather in late march or early April. Any thoughts on this? Any advice on things to see for the areas I'll be passing through? I'll be in my SUV, so dirt roads and trails are no problem. My most likely time for this is early next spring, though this fall is a possibility. From what I've been able to find out about weather and daylight hours, mid-spring would be better than mid-fall. I'll be taking my time, seeing stuff along the way, so it won't all be just driving time.

You've raised some great points! We'll find out a lot more in the next few chapters. It's hard to prove a murder case without a body, but it's been done. Thanks for bringing this up, I've been meaning to mention it. Here's a list of a few, and several of them involve boats. Here's a particularly horrific one.

LoL It was an embarrassing error; I've shopped for clothes in Europe, but I never noticed that. On the other hand, Trevor is fonder of clothes shopping than I am, so I generally get in and out of clothes stores with all possible speed, and avoid going unless I need something. LoL! Me and my typos. That's a good point... How about:

Congratulations, Linxie!

CORRECTION TO CHAPTER 13 I have just updated the posted chapter, after a large goof on my part was pointed out to me. Previously, the following paragraph read,

Sorry I've been offline... I've been sick, just a bad cold, but it's been making me think even less clearly than usual, and that's saying a lot. My sincere thanks to everyone who has posted in the thread. Linxe, great points on the legalities. Dirk has one heck of a hard case to fight. He can't even sue Lisa directly; she's a minor, so he has to sue her father for Lisa causing him emotional distress. As Jim said, not much of a case... but: Lisa's father is still going to have to fight it, and that means spending on a lawyer, etc. Trebs, you are correct on the dates. Good catch! Gibraltar is quite a place to see; that runway is just one of the odd things there. As for the monkey.... let's just say I know EXACTLY how Trevor felt, except I knew there were monkeys there. It's illegal, but the tour guides train the wild monkeys by giving them treats, and the monkey learn to recognize the guides, and also simple hand gestures from them. I was at the viewpoint (where Trevor had his encounter) and a tour van pulled up. The guide started telling his elderly clients (about 5 of them) about the monkeys. Then, the guide starts making conversation with me, and taps me on the shoulder in what I thought was a friendly way. Then, all of a sudden, the monkey on the wall lopes straight at me and scrambles up onto my shoulders. And then the guide tells his customers how you just have to wait for them to get bored and go away... About that time I figured it out; they often do this to get the monkeys to climb in their own guests (there are a ton of photos of this around the 'net, because the guides do it for a photo op) Here's one that pretty much sums it up. Here's another, showing one of the small white tour vans in the background. I figure he picked me because he thought his elderly guests would like to see it, but not actually have the monkey on them. The UK has actually proposed giving Gibraltar to Spain, but this has triggered referendums in Gibraltar, and the Gibraltans have repeatedly refused to even allow negotiations, by overwhelming majorities. So, the UK keeps it as a crown colony. Gibraltar has been British for longer than America has been American, so the people (over 90% in the least referendum) have no interest in becoming Spanish. They prefer being a self-governing UK colony. Okay, I can answer the question (without an spoiler) of which laws in Florida have a seven year statute of limitations. The answer is: none of them. most of the criminal laws in Florida have a 3 or 4 seven-year statute of limitations, though minor ones sometimes have less, and for certain major crimes (murder, rape, etc) there is no statute of limitations. That's just for criminal, not civil (tort) law, which has limits from 2 years to 5 years. There are, however, federal and also some state (other than Florida) laws that have a 7 year statute. One thing to bear in mind here; Dirk is not a lawyer, and thus it is possible he might have the law wrong. Or, he might be obfuscating with a little misdirection. Also, "7 years from the date of her official death" might, or might not, mean the crime or crimes (if any) occurred then; what if that date also happens to be be the required number of years from a different crime? (BTW, please note; I'm just saying what MIGHT be the case, not what is the case, it could be any, some, or none of the things mentioned. ) We'll be finding out more very soon.

One minor correction to the above: NOBODY is worse at spelling then me! I am the King of the Typo! :king: And if you don't believe me, look two lines above and you'll see that I typed "then" when I mean "than".

Thanks Steve Talonrider has it pretty much right; I've never been on a catamaran like Atlantis, but I have been on seagoing yachts occasionally, and I do know how to sail (I used to race, 14 foot Lasers, when I was a teen). Also, and more importantly, RedA is an expert, and he gives me ideas, and also lets me bounce scenarios off him. I also sometimes bug friends, like you, who have a specific area of knowledge that I need (Such as Scuba diving) and ask for advice. I'm lucky also in that I have a fairly good range of knowledge about some of the systems involved (a some of the gear is similar to what I used as a pilot) plus I've done loads of online research (my bookmarks category for Circumnavigation is well over a hundred sites and grows steadily). CJ

The formula is very complicated (based on volume, not tonnage, and is calculated with an under-the-keels measurement, plus length and beam) and to make it even more complicated, the toll is only part of it; there are a huge number of "extras" like quarantine fees, pilot fee (Yachts require a pilot aboard for transit) ministry fees, etc, etc. Making it even harder to figure, it does not appear to be overly consistent. I've seen reports ranging from $4700 for a 70' catamaran to $450 for a 30' monohull. Also $1600 for a 48' catamaran. That should give you an idea of the high and low ends possible. As for Trevor, we, and he, cannot know until he gets there. (if he does indeed get there; I'm not stating it as a fact that he will, only that he intends to.) As things stand, he's already short on funds for a circumnavigation. If there's one common denominator about things on yachts, it's this; when they break they are expensive. <Cough> Hey now! Flying is safer than driving! You can't very well call everything a cliffhanger, oh writer of that rarest genre: cliffhanging limericks! These are great questions, and ones I can absolutely answer! I can answer any kind of tech question or geography or sailing question, as that's not a spoiler, and thus I'm safe from Graeme. The information, to my chagrin, isn't on Atlantis's page. I need to correct that. OOps. Here's what's there for the navigation system; # Nav desk is amidships port hull # Robertson AP20 primary autopilot # Robertson AP200 backup autopilot # Trimble Navtrak GPS plotter # Garmin GPSMap 220 chart plotter # 3 B&G wind, speed & depth helm # 1 B&G network disp (nav station) # Furuno radar display & radome # Icom M700 150 watt SSB radio # Icom automatic antenna tuner # Icom 25 watt marine VHF radio # Icom M59 25 watt marine VHF # Icom M55 5 watt HH VHF radio # Ship's intercom sys The chart plotter has the ability, via the Icom antenna, to access weather services such as Clearpoint, which give access to weather maps and forecasts. The transmission is via satellite, but it's a one-way link: download only. For electronic charts, the same chart plotter is used, and the charts come (for that model) on cartridges. Trevor would have needed US charts and also Bahamas and Turks and Caicos at a minimum. One problem in doing research for this; the electronics have changed drastically in the four years since 2006 (when the story is set). The map cartridges for the GPS220 are no longer available today, and thus I can't see the specific covered regions for each cartridge set, but I believe it to be the same regions system as the later version. (which come on SD cards, not cartridges). The more recent models of the GPS system he has are very similar, and here's an example of the map software and what it can do. Those mapsets are laid (there's an interactive system at the top of the page) out in a similar way (for example the map regions for land-based GPS units haven't changes much); he'd need the ones for the US and also the Caribbean, and then there is another for all of Europe. I do know that for some current systems, you get to pick three or four mapsets as a bundled package (I did for my land-based one, too). Basically, I'm operating on the assumption that, until he passes Suez (assuming he does) he's fine for electronic maps and charts (actually, the Europe charts run about 30 miles past Suez, plus coveres the entire Mediterranean), due to having a set of three: Caribbean, US, and Europe, because they came with his system or he later expanded his set. (That's a bit of a strech, I know, but I was trying to minimize the tech detail). The Europe one would give him the mid-atlantic islands, such as the Azores, Ascencion, Canarys, etc, that he might have interest in as a possible long-range charter or emergency destination (such as if running to get out of the way of a hurricane) so he'd have at least a small motive to have it. You're right on the Wi-Fi: he can use that, but only if within a few hundred feet (up to a couple of thousand, depending on conditions) of the antenna, which rules out using it at sea. In 2006 there were things like Sailmail, which is satellite-based e-mail for boats, but, it was expensive and he wouldn't much need it in the Bahamas. So, he has no internet access while at sea. (he does have a couple of laptops though). Many yacht clubs, even then, had WiFi or similar. As for getting a laptop connection at sea; to be specific, he can't send, but he can receive, sort of. The clearpoint weather data can be transferred to his laptop from the nav system, so he can run advanced route-panning software, etc. However, it's one-way only; he can't send via satalite. When at sea, he has the VHF SSB (single Side Band) radio, and the latter utilizes reflection off the ionosphere to give it over-the-horizon range of over a thousand miles *IF* conditions are right. VHF is pretty much line-of-sight. The EPIRBs can transmit via satellite. They are, however, distress becoons; at most, he'd have a pre-registered "I'm ok" message he could send in liue of a distress call (not all models have this). That message would go to a pre-set (with the issuing company; all EPIRBS are registered upon purchase for the owner) e-mail or phone: Dirk's, in this case. The emergency beacon mode would be an automated via satellite distress call, including GPS-derived coordinates. And a trivia item of the day (If I haven't given everyone a tech headache already) Atlantis has three nav displays: one at each helm, and one in the Nav desk on the port side of the salon. This also means Atlantis can be controlled from the Salon, via the autopilot controls. That's only for directional control though, or for operating on engines. The sheets (ropes) and winches that control the sails are in the cockpit, so all alterations of the sails have to be done from there. BTW, the next chapter title is "Monkey Business".

I love your new avatar: a skiing frog!!! Yes, Trevor did have a very close call. I'd also like to mention this: If I had cut the chapter just after he hit the water, it would be a cliffie, wouldn't it? But, I didn't! So, can we get an Amphibious Certification of Cliffhanger-Free for this chapter? Wow, GREAT post!!! I trimmed it a bit to quote, because I dare not comment on much of it, but I can say that Dirk is not out of the story. I also very much like your point about school. When I was 11, my family had a chance to spend eight months going around the world. It was then or never, because we weren't the ones paying for it. My teachers were adamantly against it "Oh, he'd miss almost a year of school". Fortunately, my parents were wiser than my teachers, and we went. I learned a heck of a lot more in that eight months than I ever would have in school! It was also the birth of my travel addiction. I didn't even get held back a year; all I had to do was take a series of tests, and although I'd missed most of the school year, it was no problem. Yep, Trevor is now (per the text, so I can finally say it) attempting to circumnavigate the world. And yes, let's just say it's been handy having first-hand knowledge of many places. It's not always the case though... For example, I've been to Lisbon, and to the Azores, but not to the same island Trevor went to in the Azores. Trevor does indeed intend... err, let me be careful here, in case the Echidna is watching:

Wildone! I'm shocked that you are blaming me for this! Joel said it, not me! This would be like you being blamed for something I said! And such threats! Shame on you! How can you forbid poor Joel from speedo-wearing? He looks so good in them! But, but, but! Joel said it, not me, therefor I'm blameless! Mad goat disease? Well, I've never claimed to be sane. I very much liked "Blame Canada" so I'm not ignoring you! There is very little I can say without giving spoilers, but... I can say (because it was in the narration) that it was Rachel who made the mayday call from Ares. This does not preclude your theory, though it may require a small adjustment. BTW, this brings up something I've been meaning to mention: the characters can lie, but the narrator cannot. It was Joel, not me, who mentioned Canadians, so therefor I am blameless. In a similar vein, it was Lisa, not me, who said, "There is no Hell. There is only France." She didn't even say it first... it's a Frank Zappa quote. I can't, of course, speak for Joel, but my read on his comment was not that it was negative, merely a statement that Canadians are known for wearing speedos in Florida. He was trying to show Trevor that something utterly innocuous, such as being Canadian, is no different from being gay. I can say that here in Arizona, we have "Snowbirds", whom we often disparage. They are winter residents, mainly from the northern US, who live here for the winter. Generally speaking, we disparage them because of a stereotype; they can't drive. Some of them are, admittedly, rotten drivers, as are some Arizona natives. The issue is that the snowbirds often drive RV's, and a dangerously driven RV tends to be scarier than a similarly driven car. Also, most snowbirds are elderly and many drive like it. Arizonans often go to Rocky Point, Mexico, or San Diego, California, and are refereed to as "Zonies." Thank you for standing up for Joel's freedom-of-swimsuit rights! BTW, the next chapter is "First Leg".