On Sun, 11 May 2008 01:42:27 +0000, Larry wrote:

Hi Larry and Claus,
Thanks for the responses.

Larry,
Why didn't you tell me this when I had my mast down in Trinidad last
year? I took your advice about lightning strikes and relocated the
masthead VHF aerial down from the top of the mast. Still, I really
can't blame you as I hadn't even heard of AIS back then I hadn't
informed you that I had an A-B switch for the two radios.

you are very fortunate that i am not a woman as I would have expec`ted
you teo read my mind.

Thanks for the advise though. As usual it makes sense.

Thanks for the offer to pick me up from the marina. It is much
appreciated but I don't think I shall be coming by sea even though the
idea is still very tempting. Went to the trouble, expence and time to
travel to Madrid from Cartegena in Spain to get 10 year visas for the
US in 2004. The standard 3 month visa waver programme (note THE
correct spelling in the rest of the world) that we get when arriving
by air for New Zealanders and Australians does not apply if one
arrives by small boat. Any 'crew' other than the captain are not
allowed outseide the port. When I found out about the restirctions
applied to foreign yachts on their movements within the USA, decided
that it was too much trouble. For instance, when arriving at any new
port or moving within any port even if it is from one berth in a
marina to another, the department of Homeland Security must be
notified and the mobement approved. Too draconian for me.

The crazy thing about these paranoid regulations is that I can arrive
by air, get a rental car and drive any bloody place at any bloody time
I so please. I can even buy the materials to make any number of
explosive devices I wish. The only reason I can think of for this
ridculous state of affairs is that it was personally thought up by Mr
Baby Bush himself as I really don't think that anyone else could be so
thick.

On the other hand (yes, you have different fingers)that 10 year visa
has also proved to be a pain in the proverbial in that I cannot enter
the US under the visa waver programme until it expires. The problem is
that it is issued under my New Zealand passport and as it is nearly
full I use my Australian one. Fortunately I have so far been able to
convince the nice people at the counter which I am usually directed to
ignore it as they can see my problem. Thank the Gods that there are
still some sensible people in uniform.

I don't know how long these regulations regarding foreign yachts are
going to continue. I have no criminal convictions, not even a speeding
ticket. I was once arrested at a student demonstration in New Zealand
in 1967 against the Vietnam War but the charge of letting down the
tyres of the police van containing arrested students was dismissed
through lack of evidence. The arresting policeman claimed I did it
with a ballpoint pen which was an outright lie. I did it with
matchsticks.

Better not complain. I don't want to appear un-American and end up in
Guantamo Bay. I have an aversion to torture and am a very weak minded
person who would readily plead guilty to anything once they "showed me
the instruments of torture" as in the glorious days of the inqusition.

Sorry to burn your ears but I always wanted to cruise the eastern
coast of the US.

cheers and thanks
Peter

You have 2 radios and one antenna...now going to put 3 radios on one
antenna? Is this a good idea? What happens if the antenna fails? No
radios!??

Let's kill two birds with one stone. You don't need AIS from the top of
the mast unless it's to impress the girls with your range. So, let's add
an "emergency antenna" to a handrail and hook the AIS to it, permanently,
until the masthead antenna fails then swap the cables around to a radio.

I recommend the Metz Manta 6 with a handrail mount:
http://www.metzcommunication.com/manta6.htm
Warranteed for life. Best antenna made. Doesn't even require a ground.

Clamp it to "something", anything horizontal and hook it to the AIS. It
will only show you targets on the AIS 3 miles over the horizon, which is
probably more targets than you want to see, anyways....hours of notice.

Let's mount another Metz out on the yardarm for that other radio and get
rid of all this antenna switch crap and ideas of multiplexing, before it
tears up the transmitters when it fails. Coax is cheap.



Holy smokes! I bought a Folbot 17 foldup from Jack Kissner, the original
founder of the company, back in 1967! He used to put our boats on a huge
16 Folbot trailer, already erected, and hook it to his HUGE Olds 98 sedan
and off we'd go to one of the rivers in the Southeast for a week back
then. We'd leave some cars at the boat landing where we'd eventually
come out of the river and all load up into the rest for the trip UPSTREAM
(thank god) to the starting boat landing, paddling DOWNSTREAM with the
current, stopping on some nice beach the current had made in the middle
of the swampland miles from anywhere to camp out maybe a day or two
before packing it all back in the Folbots and heading downriver again
until the next place fit our fancy. We'd fish on the way downriver for
our dinner at the camps for all. What a great way to go
boating....cruising down a nice river.

When we got the the destination landing, the drivers of the cars,
including Mr Kissner, would ride in one car back to retrieve the
Olds/boat trailer and other cars while those left packed up for the sad,
sad trip home....exhausted, happy and smiling from ear to ear....(c;

I didn't know they'd started production again and would love to come get
you at the marina and take you to the factory tour, which isn't far from
my home. I'll bring my station wagon and we can load 'er up on top on
the way out. How's that?...(c;

Sea Ray Regattas have nothing on Folbot regattas....(c;

I wonder if they're still making the wooden parts just like wooden snow
skis....almost impossible to break hard-laminated wooden strips,
beautifully finished.

http://www.folbot.com/about/history.html

I see they're not $200 any more.....hee hee...(c;