Capt. Neal=AE wrote:
Interesting reading, Joe. I can see why it was published in SAIL
magazine.
It has all the elements that magazines want these days - one
potential disaster
after another . . . I certainly hope you have progressed well beyond
that stage.


But of course I have, The key was to get while the getting was good.



Here is my story. Such a story would never get published in a
magazine because
it has none of the ineptitude displayed in yours.


Cutting the Mustard
A true story by
Capt. Neal

I have lived aboard my blue water cruising yacht for nigh on fifteen
years now. I named her "Cut the Mustard" instead of "Cuts the
Mustard"
out of a desire that she inspire me to do the job right on an ongoing
basis
and not because as a vessel she is competent. Her very name serves as
a reminder to never stop being vigilant.

I purchased her in Nashville, Tennessee, fitted her out for living
aboard
and blue water cruising, had her hauled overland from Percy Priest
Lake to Old Hickory Lake on the Cumberland River where I commenced my
journey to the sea via the Cumberland River to the Ohio River to the
Tennessee
River and the Tombigbee waterway on down to Mobile Bay and the Gulf
of Mexico.

The journey took a fortnight and there were no disasters, no near
misses,
no frightening moments and no uncomfortable situations. Even
negotiating
the many locks turned out to be uneventful. In short, it would make
for boring reading delineating how I did everything right.

I suspect more sailors do things right than careen from near
catastrophe
to near disaster to near stupidity than it would seem. This is
because
the only thing magazines will print is tales of woe in the latter
category.
I guess it is because there are so many more people in the inept
category
who read, enjoy and identify with others of the same ilk. They cannot
identify with professionalism.

In spite of this, I'll continue to do things right even if it means I
remain
anonymous and have no story that will sell in the magazines. After
all,
real sailors sail. We have few if any failures and should we have one

or two over the long years, we certainly would not be proud of a
story describing them and making us look the fool.

Capt. Neal


Good story Capt, A bit boring but fine seamanship for sure.
Notice no others have stories of conquest, just lame spelling comments.


Guess plopping down thousands to a yacht broker is not worth talking
about eh?.

Joe






"Joe" wrote in message
oups.com...
Here is the story of my quest for a sailboat. After you read it
lets
here your story, IF you have a boat. This has been published in
Sail
magazine and readers digest. It is copy writed.


Fetching Red Cloud
A true
story by Joe Butcher

It was a cold dreary day in December when snipped remainder for
brevity