On Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:32:34 +1000, Herodotus
wrote:

Bruce,
I thought I had sent this but it appears that the news server I
subscribe to had crashed. I have just come back home (in Sydney) from
home (Penang - the centre of the universe).

Snipped a bunch.

I then said to the Customs officer "See, she is irrational - what
should I do?" He began to stamp my papers and quietly said "Go with
God brother" (he is a fellow Moslem and that is what people say upon
departing company). I, being rather thick as is my normal custom,
replied "Yes, but what do I do now?" He looked at me as he handed back
the papers with the port clearance and said "Brother, GO with God".


No I believe that your passport can be seized with the purpose of
making sure that you stay around until the trial, although perhaps
"seized" is the improper term; perhaps something like "retained" would
be the proper term.

There was a 'german guy arrested at the Satuan Immigrations -
apparently on a German warrant. In any event they took his passport
away right on the spot. But perhaps they then turned it over to the
German embassy.


I got the hint, fueled up the boat picked up the refilled scuba tanks,
said good-bye to friends (no lovers unfortunately) and left - minus an
exit stamp in our passports which I was supposed to have prior to
getting port clearance.

First time something like this has happened.

It's an interesting world isn't it?

By the way, I am thinking of asking your friend Wilbur to accompany me
across the Pacific after Christmas with a two fold benefit. I could
learn about sailing and have amusing compay (I prefer not to sail
alone) and also give the newsgroup a break for a while from his
pathetic "life is tough, it's tougher if you're stupid" (John Wayne)
anti-anything-I-cannot afford-or-don't-have-the-guts-to-do attitude.
As he displays the obvious symptons of short man's disease, at 5' 10"
I am bigger than he and thus could thump him occasionally to keep him
in line.

I am unsure if he would be comfortable on my 41 footer after the
luxury of his Swan 68 though.

What do you think?

cheers
Peter

That is quite a haul are you stopping along the way or essentially
doing a delivery? If the latter it is a damned long trip. Are you
heading for N.Z. or Australia?

Forty-one feet might seem like a lot when you are trying to maneuver
in a crowded marina with the tide running 3 - 4 knots and the wind
blowing but it would get awful small with our friend aboard. To be
frank there are a very limited number of people I would sail with
longer then an overnight run to Langkawi or a Sunday sail and as I
said, it is a long trip..........

There was a guy, Frank the American, here for a year or so. He has a
45 ft. boat and does these deals where you get four or five people and
pay him to help sail his boat from, say, Honolulu to Auckland. No
autopilot, hanked on sails, real old fashioned sailing. I guess he
makes a dollar because he is still at it. Anyway, on the stern "roll
bar" where the solar panels, wind generator and all that junk is
mounted there is a comfortable looking seat mounted about as high as
you can get on this structure. One day I asked him what it was for as
it is obviously too far aft to con the boat from and he said it was
for people who were feeling grumpy. If you were a bit out of sorts
they sent you up on that seat for your watch -- about like spending
half the day half way up the mast. He said it really helped to keep
people friendly...

Sounds like you are one of those Paid Captains, talking abut "Owners"
and all. I assume the wide legged white shorts and knee socks and
epaulets. How did you get this position?

You are going to get a bad reputation leaving the boat just because
the typhoon season is approaching. Absolutely no question about
lubberness. You are supposed to forge ahead, hell, a month or two of
upwind sailing will make a sailor out of you.

Write when you get time. Or e-mail if you can decipher my address.

Bruce in Bangkok
(brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom)