C James

My sincere thanks to everyone who has posted. There's some great speculation here! I can't really reply directly to much of it without giving spoilers, but I love reading it. It also lets me know how the story is coming across. One of the issues I wrestle with is that I often don't know how the characters are coming across. I see them a bit differently at times, due to knowing the entire plot, such as who actually did what, and what the character's core values are. But, in a serial especially, they can come across differently, in ways I didn't predict. The feedback here let's me see the story through other eyes, and that helps me greatly. So, my sincere thanks. CJ

We'll find out more soon, AND BTW, y'all missed it! Did you see this map of Trevor's route to the Bahamas and back? Umm, did he circle something? Yes he did! He circumnavigated Grand Bahama Island! Maybe this is the reason for the title of the story? Trevor is indeed a little reckless at times. he should have thought to be more cautious in many ways. He's new to being on the run, but he needs to learn. BTW, when he's anchored inshore like that, the radar would be off, so no warning at all. Trevor is indeed in a mess, more than he knows. Thanks Steve! Sorry for the late posting; I had no idea nyone would be waiting at that time of night. From now on, when possible, I'll post within half an hour after midnight, Tuesday mornings, Arizona time (no DST here). I'll try anyway. Swimnming with a mayo jar is easy; just keep it in your hand. You can easily swim that way, just not as fast or as far. Using his phone was dangerous , but at least now, he's got Joel's phone. Thank you for pointing something out: Trevor is making assumptions without knowing the whole story. He's in the same boat we are. Maybe the circumnavigation already happened, and it was of that island? BTW, the next chapter is called "Launch". (Which might have something to do with this one being called "countdown") Thanks!! CJ

Not as strange as frogs! It's a cliffhanger. We don't know what happens to that poor author...

There was our friend from LTMP, whose appearance in Changing Lanes came as a surprise to many.

That game sounds interesting! For a boat like Atlantis, the doldrums aren't as big an issue as for most; she could just fire up her engines and motor for over a thousand miles. That's not enough to cross an ocean, but it should be enough to get out of the doldrums. BTW, please don't take any of this to mean that Trevor or Atlantis will be attempting to circumnavigate the earth. At this point in the story, we don't actually know that anything more than that Trevor is a central character, has an oceangoing catamaran, and the title of the novel is Circumnavigation. I am prohibited from saying anything more than that, on pain of echidna spines. Therefor, anything I say on routing, or circumnavigation, is purely hypothetical and might not be in the story at all. The pirates off Somalai would not be a big concern for Trevor, if, hypothetically, he tries to go by that route (assuming he indeed goes anywhere at all). The story time is, in chapter 9, summer of 2006. Back then, the pirates were not making the news anywhere near as much as they have been in the last couple of years, so they would not be so clear a threat in Trevor's mind. Ben was in chapter 2 and had one brief mention in chapter 3. My view is that characters in a story are like people in real life; sometimes, we meet them only briefly. Other times, we see them from time to time. And with others, they might appear after a while and then play a major role in our lives. You can never tell. One thing to keep in mind; it's early in the story yet. He's high-strung, that's very true. It doesn't help that he now is wondering if his father murdered his mother. It also probably doesn't help that he hasn't been laid in months, since breaking up with his former BF (mentioned in chapter one). My favorite lines by Lisa so far in the posted chapters;

My favorite was this one;

Who, me? Be misleading? Of course, those explanations for the title are not mutually exclusive. Well, Trevor could do a circumnavigation via the poles, but that would make wearing a speedo a bit on the chilly side. (not to mention ice and a continent in the way) but, we still don't know if Trevor is the one circumnavigating. We also don't know what it is that will be circumnavigated. Maybe it's Bimini Island? Or downtown Ft Pierce, via skateboard? I can answer some of those questions, BUT, please don't take this as any sort of a plot hint; some or all of it may (or may not) be in the story. (sorry for the legalistic disclaimer, but one must always fear the Echidna!) Okay, first, visas. There are many kinds and the rules vary from country to country. In many cases, there is no age limit. That $16,000 might sound like a lot, but boats like Atlantis are expensive to run. For example, a new set of sails (if the old ones wear out, are shredded in a storm, etc) would cost a lot more than that. So would major engine repairs, or a host of other things. Now, for hypothetical routes to Australia; there are four main ones. 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 Mediteranian and Suez Canal. The antipodal point (point on the oppisite 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 convergance zone (doldrums, where there can be periods of no wind for weeks) and would be extreemly 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 feasable, 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 feasable 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 guld stream, and then take the eastbound winds across to southern Europe, then go via the Mediteranian 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 doldurms 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 forcast for winds favorable for their direction of travel). However, this is also a viable route. Long story short, the most practical routes from Florida to Western Australia are eastbound, not westbound, even though it's slightly further as a straight-line distance. CJ

I wish I could, but I can't. If I did that, I'd end up running late on posting coming chapters; I have a buffer at the moment, but that gives my team breathing room, plus leaves something to post when I'm away on vacation. Thanks, and welcome!!!! The maps and Atlantis page came about by necessity; with a somewhat unusual boat, it was hard to visualize without the diagrams and pictures. Same for the maps; it's not easy to visualize an area based on words, so a map helps. This is especially true in cases where most people have an incorrect impression of what a specific area is like. One example I can give of that is Gibraltar; most people think Gibraltar is the north side of the Strait of Gibraltar and thus the closest point in Europe to Africa. In actuality, it's neither. Thank you VERY much for the comment on grammar and spelling. I take that as a high compliment, especially due to me being dyslexic (I've mentioned that in the forum before, but long ago and buried deep). That made my day. The main credit, though, goes to my wonderful team; these stories are very much a team effort, and they make multiple corrections per chapter. Thanks! CJ And a story note: The next chapter, coming Tuesday, is titled "Countdown"

Happy Birthday!!!

School is over, and it's the summer break between their junior and senior years. Sorry for the confusion; the reference to the school year was to the past, while Trevor was earning tips.

Thank you Rec!!!! I had a lot of fun writing those two stories. And thank you very much for the nominations! You're mainly right on explosive pyroclastic volcanoes, but there are exceptions. St. Hellens had thick, vicious lava, with a high disolved-gas content. Free-flowing lave generally has very low gas content. The gas content also makes for a very big bang. However, many volcanic eruptions (especially stratovolcanos, like La Palma's Cumbre Vieja) exhibit both features, sometimes even in the same eruption. In an early phase, the eruption might me explosive (Plinian, such as St. Helen's in 1980) and then later perhaps Strombolian, and than later,Hawiaan style, with lave flows. Cumbre Vieja has a history of having all three kinds. The mechanism is the lowering of the gas content in the magma as the erpution progresses. HOWEVER, I did indeed take artistic license; I am not sure Cumbre Vieja has ever had a plinian and a hawwian cycle in the same eruptive phase. I went with the theory that it might be possible, due to the initial ripping open of the mountain releasing pressure over a large area. St. Helens has also had Hawiian style eruptions, as well as Plinian ones, in its past (The hawiian sytle ones are why it has lava tube caves on the south side; Ape Caves). Where I really pushed a bit on the eruption was the timespan between the initial Plinian eruption and the lave flows. It's usually (but not always) that fast a progression. To be honest, I envy you for being so close to St. Hellens when it blew. I'd have loved to have seen that... My first visit to St Hellens was just over a year ago, after even the dome-building phase had ended. It is an awe-inspiring sight, especially when standing on Johnson ridge and looking into the blown-out north face, and seeing that, even from that distance, (5 miles)it blasted the ridge down to bedrock. I only spent a day there, but I'd love to return one day and see more of it. Thanks Rec!!!! CJ

Trevor's mother was an Australian Citizen by birth, so unless she renounced it, Trevor has the right of Australian citizenship by decent, any time he cares to claim it. We do not know if Trevor knows this, though he probably doesn't. Doing so would not harm his US citizenship. He would be a dual citizen. However, this would only give him Australian citizenship; it would not apply to other commonwealth countries. BTW, please don't read my knowledge of this as anything plot significant; I'm well known as a font of useless trivial information. Yes, assuming that she maintained her citizenship and did not become exclusively a US citizen. Conner is right; it has nothing to do with the commonwealth, so nothing that way, but as the son of an Australian, he has right of citizenship by decent under Australian law. (I looked that up just for this post.. interesting rules!) I'm the one who can't count! Just ask the team, who have saved us from three-armed characters on many occasions! In the original draft of the charter chapter, the passengers has three bags, and Trevor took them aboard by carrying one in each hand.... GREAT theories! I of course cannot comment, but those are great! [quote name=rknapp ' date='06 January 2010 - 07:48 PM' timestamp='1262832526' post='228573] No. My mother's mother came here from Scotland. My mother does not have citizenship in Scotland simply because of that. You have to seek dual citizenship... I don't think it can happen by circumstance. You do indeed have to seek it; its not automatic. BEWARE the Echidna!!!! And BTW, if Trevor did end up going to Australia, that's Echidna territory! He would be in danger! ACK! I can't save you from the spikey one! That remninds me of the old saying: "I don't have to outrun the bear, I only have to outrun you" Echidnas are known to be fairly fast but only for short distances, but I think both a human and a goat can outrun them. I think the general rule in Australia is that so long as you stay at least a half a kilometer from an Echidna, you're safe.

Maybe Graeme sank the Ares?? Trevor is indeed touchy on the "gay issue", but he confined that mainly to his thoughts. He has been trying hard to mend fences with his father... For example, His Dad asks him to just help out at the chandlery with inventory, and what does Trevor do? Trevor takes his first day of summer break and gets the entire job done. Trevor is trying to put things right, and Trevor is far from perfect, but he did keep his reactions over the "girlfriend" stuff to himself. We saw them, but Dad didn't. Is Trevor being stupid in some ways? He may well be, but that's not exactly unheard of with teenagers. After the divorce papers were found, I look at it differently; they are, after all, highly suspicious, and might indicate motive for murder. Whatever it is, Trevor knows his father hasn't been honest with him. I think that would mess with Trevor's head a bit, especially on the anniversary, which is already a trying time for him. As for Dirk, we see his thoughts only once in this chapter.

It wasn't a Buick. Yep, Trevor is stubborn and determined. Will the plot get a lot thicker? Ummm, at the risk of provoking the Echidna... yep. Joel? In something red? Absolutely! Coming very soon. He's reckless... But he's 16 (17, in a few days) and guys that age often think that way. What he was doing was very dangerous.... Freediving alone in the open sea is bad enough, btu trolling along behind his boat... in a busy shipping lane (that site is is indeed in a busy area) was very dangerous. He wouldn't hear his radar, nor have enough visibility to see danger in time. Ahh, but we don't know for sure that Trev's dad isn't going to Miami; all we know is he's heading in the opposite direction of it! He could be going to Miami the long way around; via both poles, 33,000 miles due to a rotten sense of direction, and hence the title of the story: Circumnavigation. The divorce papers, dated as they were, certainly throw a bit of doubt as to what went on.

Ack... but... but... but... I never said it was mine, I just said, er, oh.. Well, that isn't mine, I'd never have anything to do with a cliff, and besides, the place looks a bit drafty. That rock climber is in great danger and doesn't know it... Echidnas are very, very dangerous. Well, at least one of them is... Sneaky, isn't he? I know... he got me good! I'll keep trying... and let's not forget, the King of cliffhangers election is just about upon us, so lets all keep in mind that Graeme is under indictment by the Cliffhanger Police!

Not all mountains! Some have nice, gentle slopes.

Hi Dave, Thank you! Rachel (Trevor's Mom) was declared legally dead, at the end of the prologue.

But Graeme... That would make me your landlord... :devil: BTW, the King of Cliffhangers election is about to begin! And I'll remind everyone; Graeme is under indictment by, and on the run from, the Cliffhanger Police! Now, now, Krista... We all know that a goat would never have anything to do with a cliff! That is an interesting point though... How well do echidnas climb? They have some wicket claws on their front feet, which they use for digging, but would make good climbing implements. Here's a quote from a study on echidnas See? Some echidnas live in cliffs!! They are quite literally at home there! Here's a photo of a rock climber encountering an echidna at the top of, you guessed it, a CLIFF!

I had a bit too much tequila last night. LoL. Wel... it's 2010 now! Wow... Happy New Year, Everyone!!

My avatar is a self-pic. I'm just a goat flailing away at a keyboard high in the mountains of northern Arizona. And... if you like coffee, thank a goat!

I can't reveal who sent this to me... but... I have a picture of Graeme's house! Is this at all surprising, considering that Graeme is currently under indictment by the Cliffhanger Police?

But... I've been thinking... the qualification rules for all categories are specific; for example, the story for any category needs to have been posted, at least in part, during the year. Also, for the hosted categories, the author must be hosted. Sooo... wouldn't it make sense that, on order to qualify for King of Cliffhangers, there must have been an actual cliffhanger posted?

Ahh, well, it is true that some of these chapters were written before I was aware of the rules change, but... If I was inclined to use cliffhangers, I'd make sure they were posted in 2009, not 2010! And, I absolutely guarantee that I have no plans to post a cliffhanger for the rest of 2009! And stright? LoL! Nope, not me. Of course I won't slip up! I never have yet: I never use cliffhangers! Oh, and BTW, to anyone who thinks I had anything to do with the rule change: think about it; if it was my doing, I'd be permanently disqualified from being a candidate for the award. And remember, the voting starts soon!

Not so fast, oh amphibious one. Your final line is; That's a QUESTION! An unresolved one. Therefor, I hereby declare a CLIFFHANGER! CJ

Very evocative. You can feel the heartache in it, and the questioning. Well done, Mike!