Finally . ..after two weeks of trying every hard and software trick in the
book I've got this
!@#$%^&* machine to post messages!!!

Happy News #1: Joe I have all the Diego Garcia photos loaded and ready to
send. What's the best way to do this?

Happy News #2: I was given a choice of staying on for many months more or
getting off . . and getting on another ship later on. Let's see . . . go
visit my boat and sleep late and not look at greasy filthy Newport News
harbor water or . . . . .no brainer I'm back to PNW in a couple of weeks.
200 ton school, radar school, license upgrade a little sailing here and
there . . .life in the PNW is sweet! I should be able to post some photos
of the work in progress on the refit/upgrade.

Happy News #3 I have a choice of three marinas for next summer and
thereafter. When the first segment ends no matter how or when it starts
I'll have a place to wait out the storm seasons. First is Mobile Bay,AL.
Second is Jacksonville, FL and third (just in case something goes wrong with
the Great Lakes/ICW plan and/or upon getting back from the Caribbean/Gulf
tour to the Pacific is in S. Cal. Yep, had the forsight to put in for a
slip a couple years ago and my name should be up on the list when needed.
Especially since the area has been recently sanitized.

Happy News #4 Scored a lot of charts and CD versions of the corrections
books, pilot books etc. More than I can use if you need something send a
wish list and a 'safe' mail/UPS addy. These ship's dump all but the latest
and the one's they dump are normally corrected in any case.

Happy News #5 - Get to visit Ole Thom again and I owe him a 'restaurant of
his choice' anyhoo!

So a few/several/some months remain (but less than a year) then the next
great adventure begins. The best part is I get to wander by, finally, the
home ports of a lot of my .asa friends and show off the mondo tricked out
definitive cruising boat! Well . . ..thass my opine!

'nuff of this . ...back to real .asa neat stuff!

Cheers, fair winds, and sailutations!

Michael