C James

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,

This one was my favorite. And this one too.

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".

That's an interesting article and information, thanks! One thing to bear in mind; a modern yacht can go against the wind by tacking, but it's slow and arduous, often called "beating and bashing". Also, a catamaran like Atlantis and also some monohull yachts are faster moving across the wind than running before it. So, if the wind is from the west, a sailboat could easily use it to go east, north, south, or even north by northwest or south by southwest. A sailboat, when tacking, is actually moving into the wind at an angle. If not tacking and just doing, say, a course of northwest when the wind is out of the west, it's called sailing close hauled. Further complicating things is that different types of sailboat would look at the same conditions and chose different routes. A 30 ft monohull would favor different conditions than a far faster catamaran. Also, fast boats, like a Catamaran, Trimaran, or a very fast monohull like an open 50, don't worry as much about storms en route; they are fast enough to outrun or dodge them. This is not the case for a 30 foot monohull that probably has a hull speed (maximum speed) in the 6 knot range; they are very much at risk of being caught by weather. BTW, by "Weather" I include wind, waves, ocean currents, fog, rain, low and high-pressure systems, and tropical events (Tropical storms, hurricanes, etc). Waves are probably the most critical weather element since they have the greatest potential effect on a vessel's stability and its ability to make progress toward a given destination. Basically, one can sum up route planning like this; if you're going west, you'll stay mainly in the tropics. If you're going east, you'll be in higher latitudes (further north or south) and exposed to more severe weather and sea conditions, but also to faster times.

I can't say (it would be a spoiler if I did) whether the freighter on autopilot and no one on watch is significant to coming events, but I can say that it's a fairly common occurrence. Also, a great many yachts have been lost due to being run down by freighters and other large ships. Several without-a-trace vanishings are suspected to be from this cause. This is an even greater danger to long-distance solo sailors, because they have to sleep sometime. They usually have radar alarms set, but those are not 100% accurate. Sometimes I put things in just for detail and color. Sometimes I put things in as red herrings, and sometimes they are foreshadowing and will be very relevant later. You're right, falling asleep while underway is dangerous, especially in a bush shipping lane or near land. The problem is, it's required if you're crossing an ocean solo. Sailing with one or more people is definitely safer. Solo sailing is less dangerous in recent years thanks to radar alarms, but it's still risky. Also, radar can't pick up some hazards, such as floating debris that can hole a hull. Back a decade or more ago, solo sailors didn't have radar alarms or radar. I've read a few accounts of them waking up and seeing a large ship that has just passed. There are other cases where they simply didn't wake up at all, ever, due to a collision. Even when sailing with several aboard, things can happen. Sometimes, you get a mystery, like the entire crew just vanishing but the yacht is okay. Other times, boat and crew both vanish without a trace. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1042910/Mystery-solved-Mary-Celeste-yacht-crew-disappeared-leaving-engine-running.html Erk! Now, now, please bear in mind that you're trying to hold me accountable for something I never said!!! I can prove it. Here's the relevant passage, The middle paragraph is explicit; Joel was saying that, not the narrator. So, therefor, those are Joel's words, not mine! What did Joel mean? I can only speculate that it's something to do with the fact that Canadians are notorious for speedo-wearing in Florida. That's just a guess; for clarification, you'll have to ask Joel. Excellent speculation and a sharp eye!!!! I can't confirm what they mean, but those are key passages. I can confirm that "a few months" may, or may not, mean Christmas.

In the chapter 10 thread, Alphadog raised an excellent set of points. It's a complex issue, so I thought I'd start a new thread for it. Here are four hypothetical routes from Florida to Australia; I've highlighted the one that would fit for his current heading. The four routes are: West, via the Panama Canal, South and then west, via Cape Horn (tip of S. America) South and then east,via cape hope (South Africa) or east, via the Mediterranean and Suez Canal. The antipodal point (point on the opposite side of the globe) for Ft Pierce (Trevor's home) is in the central southern Indian Ocean, about a thousand miles west of Australia. Therefor, the shortest route would be via the Panama Canal. But... it's not that simple. The deciding factor is winds. The route via Panama and a direct transpacific run would put Atalntis in headwinds or the intertropical convergence zone (doldrums, where there can be periods of no wind for weeks) and would be extremely difficult (the only way to sail into the wind is to tack back and forth, making for very slow and difficult going and more than doubling the actual length sailed for those areas). Atlantis could avoid this by striking east from Panama and beating close hauled (slightly upwind) towards Hawaii, and then heading west, and then south. That would solve much of the wind problem, but still leaves the doldrums issue. This route is feasible, but would actually end up being longer and slower than the eastbound routes. However, it's a viable route. Similar would hold true for rounding Cape Horn; the roaring 40's have eastbound winds, so same problem, but far harder to fix with a route change. This route is technically possible but would be incredibly difficult (the roaring 40's also hold some of the roughest seas on earth.) Rounding South Africa is an option. Once Atlantis reached it, she'd have generally following winds, but getting there is a sizable detour, and from Florida to South Africa would be difficult; the winds often vary by season, and in the southeast Atlantis are often northerly so it would be difficult sailing, and crossing the central Atlantic would also be difficult (the prevailing winds run from northern Africa towards the Americas) but it is a feasible route, just long and potentially very difficult. It would also require crossing the Indian Ocean at about 30 degrees south latitude, and those can be stormy waters. However, it is a viable route. The fourth option would be to head up the US cost from Florida, riding the gulf stream, and then take the eastbound winds across to southern Europe. Where would depend on the position and existence of the Bermuda High, though for mid summer, turning to a northeastern track around Cape Hatteras would be a likely option, taking a great circle route, passing close to the Azores, towards Spain. Then go via the Mediterranean and the Suez canal, down the Red Sea, and into the north Indian Ocean, then cut across the NE trades by heading rough south and then bending east. This also puts you in the doldrums in the central Indian Ocean, and this route is more prone to seasonal wind changes (that's why sailors often use the term "weather window"; a forecast for winds favorable for their direction of travel). However, this is also a very viable route. Piracy is indeed an issue for yachting in some areas. Several yachtsmen have been murdered, many more have been robbed, beaten, held hostage, etc. Also, there have been mysterious disappearances that could be due to piracy. The Red Sea - Horn of Africa route goes close to Somalia, but as you mention, there are other trouble spots; Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the South China Sea, Brazil, the Caribbean (mainly in the far south) etc. There have also been attacks in areas not known for piracy. Another routing that fits Trevor's current course would be to cross the Atlantic almost to Europe, and then turn south, following the southerlies that usually blow in the area, past the Canary and Cape Verde islands, and then tack across the northeast trades towards Brazil, then turn south until reaching the westerlies to head towards South Africa and around Cape Horn. I'll see if I can find some links to seasonal wind maps to post. One thing to bear in mind; weather changes, and winds might not always blow in the direction they normally do. I'll add more to this thread once we know more of Trevor's plans, but if anyone has any questions, please ask! Edit: Okay, here's one link, but, it shows current wind and weather, not historical or seasonal. http://www.passageweather.com/

Very good theories! In many cases, parents do indeed assume heterosexuality. Trever thinks Dirk understood when Trevor tried sounding him out, and so Trevor now thinks that Dirk knows Trevor is gay. Trevor has shown a past tendency to be wrong, so he might be here as well. On the other hand, The gay issue is far from the only one, so things can be complicated. And, um, a PIRATE song!?!!? Come now, surely you don't think Trevor is going to hoist the Jolly Roger and take up piracy?

If the mast was removed, he could definitely motor to Nebraska, and probably wouldn't even need to refuel to do it... err, well, actually, I'm wrong; Atlantis has a range of over 1500 miles BUT going upriver he'd be heading into the current. Okay, he'd need to fill up once. BTW, a couple of years ago, I transited the Kiel Canal (from the north sea across the base of Denmark to the Baltic) in a cruise ship that was just a bit too tall to fit under the bridges. The stack was about 5 feet too high. I'll attach a few photos I took of how they did it. It was fun to see, and I made a point of standing as high as I could on the ship. It was a blast having the bridge swoop by about 12 feet overhead. I love going under bridges, but that's the first time I've been under one with such a low clearance relative to the ship. Let's just say there are plenty of visuals in many coming chapter. Thanks! All I can say is... keep reading, because clothes and boats in hot climates are a bad mix. Who? Me? Here are four hypothetical routes to Australia; I've highlighted the one that would fit for his current heading. The four routes are: West, via the Panama Canal, South and then west, via Cape Horn (tip od S. America) South and then east,via cape hope (South Africa) or east, via the Mediterranean and Suez Canal. The antipodal point (point on the opposite side of the globe) for Ft Pierce (Trevor's home) is in the central southern Indian Ocean, about a thousand miles west of Australia. Therefor, the shortest route would be via the Panama Canal. But... it's not that simple. The deciding factor is winds. The route via Panama and a direct transpacific run would put Atalntis in headwinds or the intertropical convergence zone (doldrums, where there can be periods of no wind for weeks) and would be extremely difficult (the only way to sail into the wind is to tack back and forth, making for very slow and difficult going and more than doubling the actual length sailed for those areas). Atlantis could avoid this by striking east from Panama and beating close hauled (slightly upwind) towards Hawaii, and then heading west, and then south. That would solve much of the wind problem, but still leaves the doldrums issue. This route is feasible, but would actually end up being longer and slower than the eastbound routes. However, it's a viable route. Similar would hold true for rounding Cape Horn; the roaring 40's have eastbound winds, so same problem, but far harder to fix with a route change. This route is technically possible but would be incredibly difficult (the roaring 40's also hold some of the roughest seas on earth.) Rounding South Africa is an option. Once Atlantis reached it, she'd have generally following winds, but getting there is a sizable detour, and from Florida to South Africa would be difficult; the winds often vary by season, and in the southeast Atlantis are often northerly so it would be difficult sailing, and crossing the central Atlantic would also be difficult (the prevailing winds run from northern Africa towards the Americas) but it is a feasible route, just long and potentially very difficult. It would also require crossing the Indian Ocean at about 30 degrees south latitude, and those can be stormy waters. However, it is a viable route. The fourth option would be to head up the US cost from Florida, riding the gulf stream, and then take the eastbound winds across to southern Europe. Where would depend on the position and existence of the Bermuda High, though for mid summer, turning to a northeastern track around Cape Hatteras would be a likely option, taking a great circle route, passing close to the Azores, towards Spain. Then go via the Mediterranean and the Suez canal, down the Red Sea, and into the north Indian Ocean, then cut across the NE trades by heading rough south and then bending east. This also puts you in the doldrums in the central Indian Ocean, and this route is more prone to seasonal wind changes (that's why sailors often use the term "weather window"; a forecast for winds favorable for their direction of travel). However, this is also a very viable route. We'll see in the coming chapter what his plans are. Trevor is good at navigation; he has been mentioned as having (and knowing how to use) a sextant. He also has (and uses) clearpoint weather, which gives him updated reports on wind and weather. On the other hand, he is also prone to rash decisions.

Mark is absolutely right on this; it hurts, a lot. In fact, it's GA policy not to allow name changes for Promising and Hosted (absent a compelling reason) that you don't change names, because it is so detrimental to readership.

In Florida it's either 16 or 17, and the Florida Department of Education cites BOTH ages. Ah, Florida! :wacko: (and if Emoe reads this, I'm in trouble!) Depth wouldn't be a problem at all. Atlantis has a draft of about 3 and a half feet in salt water, so she'd be deeper in fresh water, but not by more than an inch or so. But, it's height that would be the roadblock: the Missisippi would be navigable for Atlantis only until Cape Girardeau, MO, because the bridge there is too low. Everything south of there has over a hundred foot clearance, but the mast wouldn't fit under the Cape Girardeau bridge, or anything north of it. :-) The only answer, of course, is to blame Canada! (I do!)

Happy Australia Day! To all our Australian members, have a great Australia Day, and watch out for all the scary Australian wildlife; Box Jellyfish Blue-ring Octopus 8 out of 10 of the world's deadliest snakes (including the most deadly) And the scariest and most dangerous of all, the Echidna!

Trevor could go via the Northeast passage; Head north of Europe and across the top of Russia, then down into the Pacific via the Bearing Strait between Russia and Alaska, but that route, while navigable in late summer, would be exceedingly difficult, and he would encounter a great deal of floating ice. Or, he could be attempting a direct across-the-pole route, such as the one I mentioned for Dirk as a possible circumnavigation route to Miami. My own personal theory is he will head up the US East Coast until he gets to Maine, and then hang a left, sailing along the US northern boarder, westward to the Pacific. All he would have to do is attach skis to Atlantis: they do call Canada the "Great White North" after all. Okay, to be honest, I will say this; taking the Gulf Stream north and then cutting east across the Atlantic would be his most viable route to Europe, if that's where he's going. The mid-latitude winds that time of year blow east, and there is often a high pressure center near Bermuda called the Bermuda High, and high pressure cells rotate counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, giving strong easterly winds on the northern edge. This would be the most common eastbound route for an under-sail voyage from Florida to Europe. The northbound track makes sense. Europe is further north than many people realize; Paris, France is at the same latitude as Newfoundland, for example. Aww, why can't he sail to Nebraska? Isn't anyone going to buy my explanation for the title of Durk taking the long (long, LONG!) way around to get to Miami? Or that Trevor Circumnavigated Grand Bahama Island? The shuttle liftoff is kind of symbolic in some ways. In the prologue there is a shuttle launch as well. And shame on you for mentioning cliffs!! There surely can be in such things in a story of mine! All I can say about putting the story on hold for a long time is... wait for chapter 11. Now, you can't very well blame me for what Joel said about Canadians...

Does this mean I can call you a blabbermouth? CJ <--- just a shy and quiet lurker

To me, the underlying theme was: never underestimate the strength of spirit.

Bleating? Me? Only when i am accused of a cliffhanger. Sorry, no paper is used, thus depriving me of a snack. And aww shucks... I'm just an average cliff-avoiding ruminant. Thanks, but if the Echidna finds out, I'll also be part pincushion, and those spines of his are SHARP! Umm, I didn't mean restaurant, it was I typo.... I meant Aardvark. 0:)

Sorry Your Amphibiousness, but I must disagree; Your prior poems, and one of your limericks, were cliffhangers! And while it is true that most amphibians do seem to avoid cliffs, there is one species, yours, the Cliff Chirping Frog, which makes cliffs its home. It is also entirely possible for a non-serial to be a cliffhanger. Several movies have ended with one, as have several books, and in fact, I think I recall you opining that a short story ended with one a couple of years ago... I do agree that cliffhangers are very rare in poetry, but you do seem to have a knack for them. If you are not doing so on purpose, then you're a natural.

:blink: :blink: Uhoh. Ummm, can we please, please, please forget I mentioned any restaurant? Ummm, let's call it a table instead! Yeah, that would work, wouldn't it??? I, ummm, Kind of got ever so slightly confused, and, um, shall we say, confused 9 with 10. It's so easy to do... goats, after all, don't have fingers on which to count. Let's all be very, very quiet... what the Echidna does not know, won';t hurt me.... Shhhh..... :ph34r:

Isn't anyone going to comment on the possibility that Trevor, in CIRCUMNAVIGATING Grand Bahama Island, has given us the title of the story??!! :ph34r: The other possibility, of course, is that Dirk has a lousy sense of direction and is driving to Miami by heading north, thus circumnavigating via both poles. BTW, I'm also surprised that there were no comments about the restaurant scene in chapter 9; we both learned a lot and, shall we say, saw a lot. :devil:

That is all the more moving due to the afterword. I think this is also the first of your poems that isn't a cliffhanger. I'm astonished!