We just returned to the USA after a longer than expected voyage. Will be up
on the Chesapeake for a month or so then off on a long overdue vacation on
the new boat. Sort of a test cruise before the final rebuild/refit/upgrade
is accomplished by my good friends in PortTownsend. Was able to get in some
sailing in Diego Garcia of course and also off the coast of Spain this time.
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. One more school to finish the
leap to both 200 ton and one from NearCoastal to Oceans and that will be
done by September as well. So it will be nice to check in from time to time
and see whats up but mostly I'll be concentrating on finishing up this job
and then puttering around the San Juan Islands in Washington and BC. This
working all but 3 weeks a year helped me catch up but it's time for a
break! And like the Persian Gulf it's a safe area with no trailer park
residents . . .so to speak. 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. 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. Thankfully the US
Navy demands a complete check and the Coasties did another one besides.
Plan is still to finish up the new boat and then truck it to the Great Lakes
on onto the ICW and down to Caribbean with stops in Florida of course ,
then it's flip a coin East or West but I'm thinking about Corpus Christi to
San Diego (all part of research on an article called Canals On Wheels). If
that happens in both directions it'll be off back to the S.Pacific. Mexico
and CentralAmerica? I've got the T-Shirt and it's sort of like driving to
the end of the block but not crossing the street after the first few times.
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! Two more accepted but no pub date and two more in the machine
to be finished up. IRS loved that too and my laptop got a complete write
off!

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

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

Michael