Neal who?


"Michael" wrote in message
...

So life is sweet and the future looks so BRIGHT I gotta wear shades!

Cheers and Smooth Sailing to all . . . . So whatever happened to Neal?

Michael

Michael wrote:
Seemed like it some days. Swung on the hook for seven weeks in Diego G.
awaiting a back haul. Life on a tropical atoll seems great . . until it
includes 90 hour work weeks. But the paycheck looked great! Not as bad as
the MSC unrep ships though. That is real institutionalized living. Funny
thing on the last of those I sailed on, the "Shasta" we took aboard frozen
stores one day and included were boxes of meat originally consigned to the
California Penal System and overstamped "Rejected."

LOL yep nothing is too good for our boys "over there."

DSK

Michael wrote:
We just returned to the USA after a longer than expected voyage.

Welcome home, Schoonertrash!


.... I think playing catch up was the most important
thing. You can't regain the lost time but I did regain a lot of the lost
money simply by filing a set of 1099 forms for the last two years. IRS for
once was quite nice about it and no fines for late filing from 2002.

Good. Sounds like you connected with one of the human beings who work
there. They say there's at least one in every crowd...


... The
one and only thing that still hangs and will probably keep doing so is
wondering when some shoe will drop. Security investigations aside (and all
positive) there's no telling what little surprises await but what the hell!
Life goes on. Biggest lesson learned . ..don't let anyone no matter how
close get ahold of your identity. You just don't know.

Sounds like you have a little pilot fish to shake off. One of my
coworkers suffered ID theft a while back. It was terrible. It's a shame
you can't simply hunt them down and kill them, wouldn't that legally be
considered suicide? Anyway there is clearly not enough deterrent.



Don't know how many of you caught it but my first published article is in
the middle of Lats and Atts current issue, look for the pictures of the
freighters!

Congrats! I will go out and look for it, I usually don't read this mag.


... the future looks so good I gotta wear shades!

Glad to hear it. Don't forget the sunscreen too. Tell more about your
boat & it's status & rigging project & puttering around the SJIs.


Fresh Breezes- Doug King

"Michael" wrote in message ...
Are you in for some surprises. I took a bunch of photos.

Cool, looking forward to seeing them!


Did the same last
year and sent them back along with a lot of stuff to post but somehow,
somebody was too busy doing whatever else to deal with it. So I took more
this year. It's all different. The yacht club is all built up but they
just tore down the bar to build a new one. Hector was too busy stealing
fish off of hooks, eating the handouts fromthe dumbies on the ship's and
ended up going after some folks so they did away with him.


Who did away with him? Did you take a picture of the picture at the seamans club?

Pictures of that
monster still posted above the cash register in the Seamans Club. Lots of
new buildings, complete ATT sat phone service, clubs, stores, swimming pool,
gym etc. etc. etc. Everything except Scuba as they have no pressure chamber
available sothat's out. I'll get those photos developed and a copy put on
disc and then post them somewhere or send them direct.

This time I picked up 25 Burgees from DGYC. I had two before.

I still have my offical DG zippo lighter.


One ended up
on the wall at Port Townsend Rigging and one in a yacht club that gave me a
week free just to get it! Now I'm well prepared.

My third trip there in a little over a year. Great place, but as you say
only for the first few weeks. Can't get basics like tennies, bootlaces,
etc. etc. etc. still and the Pinoy's that run everything only order in Sizes
S and M with a few of the rest in short supply.

Still has that vicious surge just inside the entrance too! Whipped out
60,000 tons around and at one point I felt like I was steering a surfboard!

OK I'll get that done in Virginia and get them posted.

Looks like a month and a bit there and then back to the good ole Pacific NW.
I'll be in and out all the islands for quite a while between ships. It's
been a long two years and it's good to have a place to go to where you know
everyone. Did contact my friends in Norfolk though and the weekends will be
spent back on the tugs. Little more preparation for the next license jump.
That will get me away from the limitations of near coastal and set up for
crossings and, as I've found out, 100 ton limited to the coast are (not to
downgrade it but to make a practical statement) available for whistling so
it makes sense to jump the tonnage and get the 'oceans' version. That opens
up a lot of delivery work plus some worthwhile charter skippering not to
mention the commercial side of things. Big difference out here when you can
go from local tourist guide or taxi boat to the working world of the
industry. Oh well . . .more on that and on the boat refit later as time
goes on. I should be around through the summer and into October before the
next freighter voyages start up.

Side note - I remember someone asked about my old radar unit but it went
tit's up so I didn't bother trying to send it


What kind of Radar Micheal? I need a cable for a Raytheon 10X



Old Salt!!!!!!!!! Looked in the mirror lately?

Hey now! I havent been mid ocean for a few years now. You a golden shellback yet?


Joe


Cheers

Michael




"Joe" wrote in message
om...
"Michael" wrote in message
...
Seemed like it some days. Swung on the hook for seven weeks in Diego G.
awaiting a back haul. Life on a tropical atoll seems great . . until it
includes 90 hour work weeks. But the paycheck looked great! Not as bad
as
the MSC unrep ships though. That is real institutionalized living.
Funny
thing on the last of those I sailed on, the "Shasta" we took aboard
frozen
stores one day and included were boxes of meat originally consigned to
the
California Penal System and overstamped "Rejected."

M.


Dont feel bad, I spent 168 days strait on Deigo. Its a blast the
first 14 day then it get kinda old. Did you hear of Hector? In fact I
was on the first US Navy boat to be in deigo garica since WW11. I took
my 50 footer in ahead of the ship and set up a temp bouy system to
bring the ship in. We were there when the Iran hostage deal started.
No Yacht club, just a small seebees base and they were still
dynamiting the coral reefs to make concrete for the landing strips, it
was something seeming them take those big dozers out into the surf
were the whole things except a air intakes were underwater and pushing
up the coral onto the beach. It was a shame, the reefs there have to
be the best in the world. Swimming the reefs was like swimming in the
best tropical fish aquarium on earth the variety of fish was amazing.
After the first 168 day we got took a R&R trip to mariutius off the
cost of africa, last island on earth were the dodo bird lived, they
sold hash on the streets there for about 5 bucks a pound, talk about a
stoned crew.

Did you see any coconut crabs? Miniature horses? Did you make it to
the plantation? Do they still have the fishing barge ancored out? We
would catch 40 pounds red snappers all day long if we wanted. Is it
still under B.I.O.T
police? Infact if you go to the other Mikes sailinglinks site you can
see a picture of me on the landing at Deigo in the back ground you
will see a pristine beach, thats were they put the YC today I think.
I'd love to see the place again, but it sounds like they have turned
it into another club med. Talk about a tropical paradise. Anyhow
welcome back you salty dog.

Joe



"JAXAshby" wrote in message
...
"What a disappointment today. Some months of waiting, travel half
way
round
the world, finally get off this bucket and take a taxi to Barnes and
Noble .
.. . AH HAH! Lats and Atts is in stock.

not many people get excited reading about scooter trash.

done some prison time, have ya dude?

"Joe"
Who did away with him? Did you take a picture of the picture at the
seamans club?

Pictures of that
monster still posted above the cash register in the Seamans Club.

No, they have them up to high and I couldn't talk them into doing a xerox
for sale either. Made a $25 offer for the three photos. The one's where
Hector has half swallowed the 8' shark someone had hooked. BIOT Fisheries
did the deed!






What kind of Radar Micheal? I need a cable for a Raytheon 10X


Nah it was a Goldstar product.


Old Salt!!!!!!!!! Looked in the mirror lately?

Hey now! I haven't been mid ocean for a few years now. You a golden
shellback yet?


Nope I've got both certificates several times over but never the two at the
same time. Did get promoted though. Royal Baby to Royal Barber and this
time made King Neptune! We are one of the few ships that does it officially
with all the trimmings (except the mean stuff of course).

Couple of people refused but then we did it again on the way North so
everyone ended up Shellbacks finally.

Golly Gee how many times has it been? Over the years....... more than I
want to account for I'm sure. But that Golden SB still eludes me .. . .
something to look forward too still! I'm thinking maybe . .. Golden
Singlehand Shell Back? Then I can do all the parts!

Check out the group and I'll bet the oldest one of us is Ole Thom . . ..
ten to one on that bet!

Michael

"Joe" wrote in message
om...
"Michael" wrote in message
...

Also did some instructing (DGYC uses more the British style competent
crew/competent skipper etc. system which is far more demanding than the
US
ASA training so I had to dial up quite a bit. Michael

Michael here is the picture of me on the landing:

http://www.sailinglinks.com/images/deigogarciag101.jpg

Thats me on the right,


The one with the (red) neck???????


BTW, welcome back Michael!!!



Regards


Donal
--

"Donal" wrote in message ...
"Joe" wrote in message
om...
"Michael" wrote in message
...

Also did some instructing (DGYC uses more the British style competent
crew/competent skipper etc. system which is far more demanding than the
US
ASA training so I had to dial up quite a bit. Michael

Michael here is the picture of me on the landing:

http://www.sailinglinks.com/images/deigogarciag101.jpg

Thats me on the right,


The one with the (red) neck???????

Yelp, Its easy to get a redneck in Deigo in the summer time.

Joe




BTW, welcome back Michael!!!



Regards


Donal
--

"Michael" wrote in message ...
"Joe"
Who did away with him? Did you take a picture of the picture at the
seamans club?

Pictures of that
monster still posted above the cash register in the Seamans Club.

No, they have them up to high and I couldn't talk them into doing a xerox
for sale either. Made a $25 offer for the three photos. The one's where
Hector has half swallowed the 8' shark someone had hooked. BIOT Fisheries
did the deed!


Biot Fisheries? Must be something new. We had 4-5 biot cops that got
beat-up by the Seebees on regular occasions. That was the whole BIOT
group.



25 bucks, You cheap skate. I offered a 100 back in the 80's. Lot of
huge sealife there. Once I was swimming with a giant manta ray and he
freaked and cut my leg to the bone :0( At night we use to toss battle
lanterns in the harbor, made a erie blue glow and attracted all types
of good eaten.

What kind of Radar Micheal? I need a cable for a Raytheon 10X


Nah it was a Goldstar product.

Oh well the search goes on!



Old Salt!!!!!!!!! Looked in the mirror lately?

Hey now! I haven't been mid ocean for a few years now. You a golden
shellback yet?


Nope I've got both certificates several times over but never the two at the
same time. Did get promoted though. Royal Baby to Royal Barber and this
time made King Neptune! We are one of the few ships that does it officially
with all the trimmings (except the mean stuff of course).

The mean stuff was half the fun.



Couple of people refused but then we did it again on the way North so
everyone ended up Shellbacks finally.

Golly Gee how many times has it been? Over the years....... more than I
want to account for I'm sure. But that Golden SB still eludes me .. . .
something to look forward too still! I'm thinking maybe . .. Golden
Singlehand Shell Back? Then I can do all the parts!

Gonna be a lonely trip. our whole crew on the Fat Sam went golden in
1979.



Check out the group and I'll bet the oldest one of us is Ole Thom . . ..
ten to one on that bet!

Not getting me to bet on that one. He's gotta be almost as old as
Neptune himself.

Joe





Michael

Ole Thom IS KingNeptune in my book. Thanks Donal . . .always good to return
home. This must be what ten years of this or so . . . . and several name
changes but just plain Michael will do from now on.

Good news today! We thought the budget was going to be a bit sparse for a
while but the 12-16 hour days are going to continue. If this keeps going a
bit longer I'll be back on the water three four months ahead of schedule . .
.. .times awasting!

Only regret is not doing this back when I first planned on it. Getting
sidetracked seemed like a good idea at the time. Oh well . . .lessons
learned .

In case any of you talk with any one who wonders about working full time on
the ocean let me put it this way. This year and last year (including
military retirement) and doing 11 plus months each year . . .are going to be
the only time in my life I made six figures gross. Barely but a legitimate
six. And If I'd been smart enough to do what I wanted back when instead of
listening to everyone else That 100 soon 200 tonlicense would have been a
1600 then unlimited version and that six figures would be for six months
work. Hell the deck officers get base pay every damn day of their lives if
they work six months or more! One day for one day vacation pay. On the
deckplate we get one for three. Nice thing about that and the retirement
fund is you can draw it out after you stop working and in whatever amount
you want. Makes a nice nest egg and keeps the taxes down.

HEY! thats another good point. We get huge tax deductions. Thisyear I
dropped down to 12.5% effective. They didn't even quibble about it. Nor
about the change to the year before. Sending out a 1099 for 'services
rendered, book keeping, bill paying, storagefees etc. ' over two years
helped a lot too! Didn't mind getting some of that money back at all.

Now I can deduct for almost everything. Either from this job, as a small
boat skipper, or as a published writer. That Canals On Wheels article for
example will make the cost of trucking the boat a complete writeoff. I
think that trip is going to be more than one article. Much more.

Back to the professional maritime world. A young guy, or even one retiring
from something else could do a lot worse with license or on the deck. Also
.. .every one else was bitching about no jobs?????? I was getting 30 to 50
hours OT per week. We were short handed in the industry most of the time.
Getting better but back in the early nineties, the first gulf war, an
ordinary seaman could pull down six figures gross on the ammo ships.
Captains were hitting the federal pay limit ceiling.

So what else. BIOT runs a major sizefishing control operation in the
Chagos. It's a huge natural preserve. I think the staff is up to 30-40 or
a bit more now including the Royal Marines. Been all around the island by
bicycle but didn't camp out. Bug season. If it ever opened up for cruising
and club med's etc. I'd try for the Sunsail or Moorings franchise! But you
can still go to the rest of the archipelago did you know that? About 30
good islands with multiple anchorages available. Just don't go to Diego G.

Say Joe! Let me know if you want a burgee or DGYC club hat. I bought out
the store this last time.

Enough for now we are down river in the morning. . .. 4-8 watch and I'm
steering first. Where's my French Roast???

Michael

its like you never left! (hey, I put my head up for the first
time in ages and only the Nav bothers shooting at it). Ref to
another thread, how is your time at sea affecting your road
driving????

I don't think, BTW, your taxation benefits are quite as generous
as the UK's, where six months out of a year at sea gets you down
to zero tax.

--
Flying Tadpole

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