C James

I thought it would be a good idea to have a general geography thread. Any questions on Geography, for the story, or for that matter, anything, ask away! I'm fairly good at geography, as it is one of my favorite subjects. In another thread, Wildone said, The map is from Google Earth, and shows the shallow areas well. Google earth isn't always accurate for depths, however, and in this case, the water color is the best clue (shallower is lighter, generally, in this area). The bottom is largely white sand, and the point for the last call from the Ares is in roughly 90 feet of water, but if you go north, it gets deeper, fast. I was in that area earlier this year (though I didn't have time to look for the Ares); The water is very clear. After looking at the satellite image, what I said in the other thread hopefully makes more sense now; The waters around the Bahamas can vary. Off Bimini, for example,there are huge areas that are very shallow (under 20 feet) even far from shore. The last reported position of the Ares, for example, is 20 miles from land, but it is in barely a hundred feet of water, and between there and Bimini (the closest land) it only gets shallower. There are also many deep areas. In general, in the Bahamas you have some massive banks that contain the islands and vast shallow areas, and the banks are separated by deep water areas, such as the tongue of the ocean.

I've spent quite a bit of time in Google Earth while writing this story. In many cases, there will be maps, and also some on-scene photos. In one case, I found a map was absolutely required, because no matter how careful I was in describing the setting one one well-known place, it is a place that most everyone thinks is in a different location than it actually is. I dare not mention the place by name, because that would be a spoiler and the Echidna would get me, but the map of it is in chapter 12. In Changing Lanes I used google earth .kmz files, and also links to google maps, for a couple of critical locations. For Circumnavigation, I'll use either google maps, or local maps, depending on what is needed in each chapter. Thanks! Weekly postings, every Tuesday, are my goal. I have a cushion of chapters, so I think I can hold that pace for a good while. Thank you Wyndham! Do you mean Trevor? Yep, he looks very good indeed in them; that's why Lisa makes a point of bringing guys she wants to set him up with to the pool, when he's doing workouts. I think this calls for a new thread, about the Bahamans. I'll get one started as soon as I've prepped some maps. Florida and the Bahamas aren't quite in the Caribbean, they are just a bit north of it. The waters around the Bahamas can vary. Off Bimini, for example,there are huge areas that are very shallow (under 20 feet) even far from shore. The last reported position of the Ares, for example, is 20 miles from land, but it is in barely a hundred feet of water, and between there and Bimini (the closest land) it only gets shallower. There are also many deep areas. In general, in the Bahamas you have some massive banks that contain the islands and vast shallow areas, and the banks are separated by deep water areas, such as the tongue of the ocean. In the Caribbean itself, there are fewer areas of vast shallows, but there are a few shallow places.

Well, for those who haven't seen the official announcement, here it is. Please note the part at the end. Authors cannot receive the King Of Cliffhanger award for more than two years in a row. This of course means that I am INELIGIBLE! for King of Cliffhangers! This is, of course, absolutely reasonable, because, as we all know, I never use cliffhangers. Oh, and although I have no doubts I'll be accused of it, the fact is, I had nothing to do with this. It was not my idea, nor did I play any role in the discussion or voting. Did I know about the result? Yes, but no more than that. Feel free to ask any member of the WST: I never enter into decision-making on the awards, due to conflict of interest (I've been a nominee in the past). Ok, now, is this a good time to mention again that Graeme is currently under indictment by the Cliffhanger Police, and I had nothing to do with that, either? :2thumbs: :2thumbs: :2thumbs: :2thumbs:

Hey now! Of course I'm ineligible... I never use cliffhangers.

Get Well Soon Lacey!

Happy Birthday, Talonrider!!! Have a GREAT day and year!! :2thumbs: :2thumbs:

Who? Me? You can't blame me, it was Julie's idea! Umm, you mean you'd rather have had a charter with the hot surfer than the three middle-aged women? And it was kind of a pool part (well, and ocean party) I think I'm still learning this whole gay thing. Okay, I'll try to remember; hot guys, not middle-aged women. 0:) I like Julie; she's got a good sense of humor. Thanks! I can admit to one thing; you're right; sometimes, when I need to add information, I do it by making it part of a scene, not just dry narration. Sometimes, something humorous is there just for fun, and other times it serves multiple purposes, such as conveying information, or clues. And, umm, a map? Errr, I did make one for the chapter, but.. I cleverly forgot to actually, you know, add it... oops! It's added now, and I'll copy them into this post too. Those are google maps based, and I used placemarks on the relevant points. My plans are to attach maps and other info to the chapters as needed. I'll attach them to the chapter, so as to avoid having a map page or similar be a spoiler. So, hypothetically (to avoid provoking the Echidna), if Trevor sails to, say, somewhere, the map and route would appear in that chapter, not a central map page. Oh, there will also be actual photos of locations. Thanks for the reminder!!

Putting the anthology together is a lot of hard work. Our Anthology Coordinator, Graeme, has done a fantastic job, and I would like to invite everyone to join me in giving a big "Thank You!" to Graeme, and also to Steph, for techical help, and to shadowgod, for emergency repairs. Thanks also to the participating authors, editors, and betas. This anthology looks like a great one; its theme is "Deceptions". CJ

That can't be me.. just look behind the goat; that's a mountainside! And on that mountainside, i think I see some vertical spots! That's right, CLIFFS!! So, as we all know, I'd never go anywhere near a cliff, so that can't be me!

Happy Birthday, Benji!!! :2thumbs:

Tigers make me nervous... and we have two around here! :ph34r:

The shadowy one linked to a quiz in another thread, and one of them made me do a double-take, probably because of so much goat-roasting talk! Urmmm, I'm going to go hide now....

Well, that question 13 has nothing to do with me; that's a mountain goat, and we all know that I don't go anywhere near heights of any sort! Of course, I'm also of the opinion that kicking a bear in the balls is a very bad idea.

Hey now! There has to be something left to cover in later chapters! And BTW, chapter 4 is called "The Charter". I can't say what it's about (one must always fear the Echidna!), but I can give the title! Julie is the nominal captain, there to fulfill the legal requirement and get some diving in. Trevor doesn't take charters out to the spot off Bimini. Its sort of sacred ground for him, and it's dangerous; it's 20 miles offshore, BUT, that area is one vast shallow region. Those can be treacherous waters, not a good place to take charter guests to dive. Hi Elezbed, and welcome to the forum!! :2thumbs: It was indeed a chapter of transition; good call! Now, now, Bondwriter, you're just upset because Lisa said, in Chapter 1, "There is no Hell. There is only France." You can't blame me for that; Lisa said, it, not me! That does sound like a scary movie! Fortunatly though, scary stuff never happens in my stories. Yep, you're right! It's sort of like a commercial driver's license; in order to be paid to drive passengers, you need one. However, as owner, he can go out alone, or take friends, as long as no money is involved (except for expense-sharing). But, Trevor can't get his master's ticket until he's 18.

Yep, the entries for coffee and sinking. And are you implying that I stinketh? BTW, I added a photo of a cabin. They tend to be small, but a catamaran that size has more floor space than a far longer monohull. :-) And to Linxe and others, thank you for the flag links! I can't say what at this point, but I'd made a blunder on a flag in a coming chapter, and described one when meaning another. Ooops! Thanks!!

The Diver Down flag is VERY official in the U.S. It's mandated by law. This is true in some other countries as well, Italy being one. The Alpha flag is used in many areas of the world, but, it does not mean quite the same thing. It means that the boat is unable to maneuver (due to divers, in this case). One interesting thing I found; in US and Canadian waters, the "Diver down" flag: red, with a diagonal white bar, is the standard. In the Caribbean, it appears to vary. I've seen the "Diver down" flag used in the Bahamas. Generally, either the Alpha or Diver Down are used when divers are diving from the boat. They wouldn't be used, say, on a shallow-water wreck dive on a permanently marked and buoyed site, especially if the water had obstructions to make the presence of a boat unlikly. At least, that's what I've been seeing. Interestingly (and exasperatingly, for me) there are authoritative sites on the usage, and these sites don't agree. My feel at the moment is that for diving outside of North America, the Alpha flag and not the diver down flag would be used, but I am far from sure. Hrmm, seems to me that it IS in the glossary, right under "Coffee". (of course, it's possible that I just added it!) Generally, in US waters, one uses US standards and procedures, which take precedence over international rules. The good news is that they are similar. One example of the difference; in US waters, the Diver Down flag is required. In many countries, it appears that its the alpha flag, with a few exceptions. My own personal view; when in areas where they favor the alpha flag, fly both. And Tequila storage? Hrmm, one of those hundred-plus gallon water tanks might suffice. LoL BTW, there are no a new set of photos, one of a cabin and one of one of the helms, on the page.

Whoa!! Please, everyone, DON'T zap people for "nitpicking", even if they actually do it! I both WANT AND NEED comments, good and bad. It lets me know how things are coming across. Remember, I not only ask for, but beg for, comments, good and bad. They help me improve. (and I see Linxe's point; it *IS* confusing!) Linxe wasn't IMHO nitpicking, but even if he had been, it would have been fine!! So, please, save the post-negging for those miscreants who truly deserve it; the ones who accuse me of using cliffhangers! Thanks!! CJ

Has the Atlantis Page been useful? During beta, I was told that it helped to be able to better visualize Atlantis,so I decided to create that page. The reason is that Atlantis has an unusual design; a catamarn, and most people are unfamiliar with big cruising catamarans. The design itself is quite real; the Lagoon 55 (so named because it is 55 feet long)was the first modern cruising catamaran design, and was groundbreaking at the time. Only 20 were ever built. What I plan on doing is incorporating things as-needed to that page, and also specific things in the chapter pages, such as maps. So, anything anyone would like to see added? (and sorry, but no, I'm not going to give out Trevor's phone number!) Oh, and one other thing; scroll down the page and you'll see a glossary of some key nautical terms. If you see one in the story that's not there, just let me know and I'll add it. BTW, I know that no one has read that glossary yet, otherwise two of the definitions would surely have been mentioned in the forum.

He's planning to be on his boat a lot, because summer is the prime charter season. His father lets him stay aboard when he has charters. You are 100% right: a parent has full legal control of a minor's assets. Trevor's plans to move aboard are in chapter 2:

So, in addition to all your other evil ways, you're a scofflaw, too? Well, I should have known that you, of all people, would resist the good works of the Cliffhanger Police... Hrmmm! This gives me an idea! Maybe G.A. needs it's very own branch of the Cliffhanger Police? I hereby volunteer my services!

Ahh, but I said "by Tuesday". And, that fits for a post today. I do aim to resume Tuesday postings, and today was sort of the halfway point from Thanksgiving to next Tuesday. Oh, we'll be hearing about the charter with the surfer boy, just.. not for a bit. ;-) Yep, Lisa might be meddlesome, but that gives Trevor license to be the same. LoL! Joel is a good friend of his, and Lisa is pushing Joel away for the wrong reasons. Thanks Linxe! Yep, at this point in the story, Trevor is about to turn 17, and is at the end of his Junior year. There was a time jump of nearly a decade between the setting of the main part of the prologue and chapter one. I hope I didn't confuse anyone with that. The chapter length should be more standard from here on (with the exception of a few that are oversized).

Ahhh, but I do know who you mean, and trust me, I'm just waiting for the right time. Tsk, Tsk, Graeme... Let's look at the objective facts here; you were indicted by the cliffhanger police! This is a fact, is it not? Now, how on earth is this delusional? It is all fact, isn't it? Therefor, it would only be delusional to say otherwise, true? This indictment was for Heart of the Tree 24, as I recall, and most richly deserved! It's not my fault that your cliffhangers are so extreme as to get you in trouble with the law. I mean, heck, even shadowgod didn't end up with the police after him for LiS 26!

I would like to offer my everlasting thanks to Jan for telling me about that forum. And yes, here we have proof: Graeme is indeed fully eligible! And he's been indicted! I therefor move that we acknowledge his nefarious transgressions in the upcoming election. :king: If it would help, I can create a list of the most devastating cliffhangers that occured in his most recent novel: the vertigo-inducing The Price of Friendship. However, i recommend just reading it (It's an excellent story!!) Edit: on second thought, knowing how dangerous the Echidna can be when spoilers are involved, I'd best not make specific listings of the cliffhangers, lest he consider then spoilers. I can, however, generalize; there are extreme cliffhangers!

But, but, but, Changing Lanes is now complete, so there can be no cliffhangers in it! I also can't think of any cliffhangers in it whatsoever... Yep, Graeme is on the run from the law! I was shocked when i found out... see the indictment thread for the shocking details, along with a link to his indictment! (and seriously, I had nothing to do with his indictment) Graeme's cliffhangers are notorious at AD, and everywhere else on the net. And as for me, sorry, but only chapters 20 and later of Changing Lanes were posted during 2009.

Ah, but Graeme was indicted and is still at large! Therefor, this is very relevant! Surely we cannot condone such criminal behavior? As for eligibility; he's very eligible. For last year, as well as this year, any author who is a GA member is eligible for the King of Cliffhangers award; it's not just limited to what they post on GA.