Conner

OMG! Fatal error! Sloppy, sloppy research! I have to go now. Thinking about measuring things in inches has gotten me all flustered.

Chapter 10 was superb! Another incredible sea battle. Admiral Wilcox will have some explaining to do. I sense a court martial coming. Poor brave Cavendish! I hope he recovers.

Robin Williams, my favourite comedian and actor, did a take off on pairs akating in one of his comedy monologues. He turned it into the SEX Olympics. I think it was the HBO special he did several years ago. I laughed until I cried.

If I were Merrick, screwing-up would become the order of the day. Fun chapter!

OMG! He's gone and done it! The story line is still advancing though. I was worried about that. If Dirk comes out of all this smelling like a rose, I'm gonna be pissed. Joel's on his way! Speedos packed of course. Looks like the Goat's world travels are really gonna pay off in this story! That scene where Trevor fell off his boat and the way CJ walked us through the "other" scenario, well, I just about pissed myself. Thanks for that, CJ. Looking forward to Joel's arrival.

Poor Grafton. Just when he was becoming interesting, too. Such is life in the King's navy. Was he buried at sea? A few words from Granger would have been nice. Kudos to Granger for doing his duty and, most importantly, successfully. Sure showed that French '74 what sailing is all about. I really enjoyed the battle description. For me, we could spend the whole story running into French ships. Well, not the whole story. Wilcox as shark food. Yes, I like it! Well that little nipper, Winkler. Gettin' himself some! Good on him! Superb chapter, Mark!

Joel is simply misinformed about Canadians and their practices while visiting Florida. Quebecers, especially Francophones, love Florida. They head there in droves during the Winter. It appears Florida residents dread this yearly onslaught for two reasons. Overweight men (from Quebec) love to wear speedos while in Florida. Not a pretty sight, regardless of the language you speak. Second, Francophones have a reputation for being poor tippers. Needless to say, there's a big service industry in Florida. I haven't a clue as to how factual these two transgressions are. All generalizations, including stereotypes, are usually based on at least a little bit of reality. Therein lies the problem. Fat men in speedos who speak French will likely "stand out" more that a fat dude from New York or Toronto. Francophones would likely get "labelled" quicker because they have a characteristic that stands out. Now that doesn't totally explain Joel's comment given how great he looks in a speedo. He was just looking for a smartass comeback line for Trevor. On the prejudice or bias scale, I would have to rate Joel's remark as being pretty low. Definitely forgiveable. As to the political actions proposed by Steve (Wildone), it's not likely we Canadians will ever get around to it. There's a minority government right now and sweet little seems to get done. Besides, we'd have to have all those committee meetings and public hearings first. Maybe later in the story Joel will say something "nice" about Canadians and all will be forgiven. In the meantime, he should definitely continue to wear the speedos.

Definitely hockey. Figure skating. And seeing I'm in Vancouver, the traffic.

A lot of great humour in chap 2. Especially the back and forth betwen Stef and JP on getting out of Claremont. Claremont has definitely become a place to leave. Looking forward to seeing how Caleb will fit in. If Caleb's gay, I have no trouble with that. Now, the question is will we actually learn of these secrets in the next chapter? It could make for a whole bunch of cliffhangers. Great work, Mark!

That was absolutely hilarious.

Circle the globe? Why? No doubt it would be an adventure, but it would put the whole story on hold for a very long time. I don't get it. Joel has to stay in the story on a regular basis. Ok, what's up with Joel being concerned that people will think he's Canadian??? That was a sweet chapter. I really enjoyed it.

People are coming out of the wood work to comment on this new story. I have to believe that, given the wording Tonto uesd on the box, she very much intended that it be opened. So I see the contents of the box as her "gift from the grave" to her loved ones, mainly family. I suppose that everyone has their secrets, but this is Tonto we're talking about. She will bear all. Excellent start to this new story, Mark. Can't wait for the next chapter.

Am I missing something or did you contradict yourself using affect as a noun?

Totally loved chapter 7. The pending battle gets Grafton somewhat uhmmm shall we say, excited. Such excitement must be shared with the Captain no less. Gulp! I declare a cliffhanger!!! :2hands:

As they say, all good things must come to an end. Great closing chapter, Mark! A wonderful story well told.

Who could blame anyone for trying to get rid of the French? The English have been trying to do it for years.

Does that mean a good dump is art???

I'm with you, Benji! I'm not sure exactly where I'm with you, but I'm with you. How about mom is gay??? She's presently living with her lover. Her disappearance is all a charade. I think that's the "trouble" Dirk would be in - covering up his wife's diappearance. But then I can't explain where Dirk goes on weekends. Maybe they're both gay, mom and dad. I think that would be too "soap opera" for CJ. We all know mystery and intrigue is CJ's game. Then again, he did say (some time ago) that this story would be more character or relationship driven. Now, if I only knew what he meant by that. :wacko:

I was born and raised in Montreal. It's a great city. It's been eons since I lived there though. Send a PM to Jack Frost - he's 'da man' in Montreal. Do keep in mind that Montreal has real winters. brrrrrr...

Alert: Hot Chapter!!! Joel is looking fine in brand new red speedos. I didn't pay attention to anything else.

Excellent love scenes in chapter 5. So Granger's all bummed out over Travers' refusal (inability?) to disclose who is looking after his interests back in London. Tough call. I don't believe for a moment that Travers would take advantage of Granger for his own advancement. We'll have to wait and see how that unfolds. Travers has to realize, however, that he has just put a major dent in their relationship. I wouldn't mind getting into Travers' head for a few moments. I'm not sure that came out right.

Given the circumstances, Wade may one day forgive his father. But really, there's no relationship there that can be salvaged. There's only pain and hurt on Wade's part. His father remains a seven year old victim whose concept of love is so distorted...well, the best the senator can hope for is Wade's forgiveness. Tough chapter. Threesome! Threesome! Threesome!

You're referring to the Commomwealth of Nations which comprises 54 independent countries. Great Britain is but one member of that organization. Something like 50 of these countries used to be part of the British Empire. It used to be called the British Commonwealth quite some time ago. It's not a political union at all. So, no, no dual citizenship. See Wikipedia for details (I don't do links :wacko: )

Freighter? What freighter? OMG!!! Thank goodness for radar and fancy navigational equipment. Trevor is one determined young man, I'll tell you. He's stubborn, too, like a goat! Dirk is a jerk! So the plot is thickening. Knowing CJ, it'll get a lot thicker yet. Maybe that was an antique porta-potty and was worth something??? I know a clue when I see one. I miss Joel....and his red shorts.