It's a very quiet Christmas here folks. Suzanne and Thomas are out
with her new boyfriend celebrating Christmas. Things are going to be
very different this next year. We are going to divorce, Suzanne is
going to marry an anesthesiologist she met at the hospital. As part of
the settlement, he agrees to pay me $1500/month as long as they are
married. The house goes for sale, I get to keep "Heart of Gold". In
exchange, I forfeit rights to Thomas, but I'll still see him. I tell
myself they will be better off, he makes over $350K a year. I"ll be a
liveaboard beginning this spring. I get to keep the big screen which
I'll house in a dockbox. Heart of Gold will be my bachelor pad and I'm
looking forward to all my old Russian girlfriends stopping by. I
decided to keep the Kia and let the Subes go. My dad says I should
fight it, but I really don't think it was meant to be. Suzanne really
got into work, she is very attractive and I can't compete with a
younger, good looking doctor. I know he is a good fellow and will
provide well for them. I was in a bit over my head with this whole
family thing, it really interfered with what I like to do. I love them
very much and I know they will be much happier. As down and out as I
have gotten at times, I think back to the time I was alone on the bow
looking up at the sky. Strangely, I thought of Capt Neal and his
idyllic life. Now the chance for that life is within my grasp and I'm
going for it. Even at the darkest moments I can still have a ray of
sunshine by knowing I don't own a Siedelman or Express 30. Thinking
that has made me step back from the rail of the Throgs Neck Bridge.
Life can get bad, but there are those who have it worse. Merry
Christmas to you all!

Capt RB

Liveaboard to be, Heart of Gold
City Island, NY