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).

I didn't want you t think I was rude.

Hi Bruce,

Yes, it is I.
I did leave Trinidad but suffered a terrible longing for Larry's and
Wilbur's postings to this newsgroup. I missed Larry because he
educates me, stimulates my mind at times with new information and
mostly because he makes me smile. I missed Wilbur because he makes me,
who is an insane as everyone else, feel normal and well balanced.

I did leave Trinidad in mid May a couple of days after my friend Jack
(who was heading for Nova Scotia direct with one stop at the US
Vigins) and headed to Grenada and the ABC Islands. By the way, Bonaire
would have to be one of the world's best easily accessible dive spots.
No anchoring (excepting with a brick or stone anchor) is permitted and
spearguns have to be handed over to Customs upon entry. To stay, one
must moor for US$10 per diem (that's how we pedantic educated people
refer to a day) on public moorings along the foreshore. At a lot of
the good dive sites there are dinghy moorings whefre you can dive
from. Most of the places do not require scuba to see a lot though we
did dive at the steep dropoff behind the boat. It is quite eery with
one's bow in about 5 metres and one's stern in 200 metres. You can
wade out a few metres from the sandy beach in the middle of town and
snorkle about small reefs with an incredible variety of fish, spongs
and coral. You are asked not to feed the fish but they are still very
unafraid of humans.

After we landed at Curacao, the next of the three still belonging to
the Dutch, we realsied that, though I could still make it, I would
have to go hard to get through to either Australia or Malaysia before
the next cyclone season with little lee way for bad weather (I, unlike
your good friend Wilbur, am not a real sailor and thus prefer to try
to avoid beating for long periods into the weather) and Sod's Law. I
would also miss out on spending any decent amount of time in places
along the way.

The "We" I refer to is my Owner and our son who at 15 is a living
embodiment of the maxim know to those who have had dealings with
pubescent youths - "Hire a teenager whilst they still know
everything". They intended to meet me at Costa Rica, but as I was
behind schedule in my maintenance, continued on to Trinidad after two
weeks of waiting. Women are strange. Half a bloody world away and they
still want to control.

The Owner had taken 12 weeks off work and had to get back, and the son
to school. Thus, it was decided upon that Herodotus would lay up until
later in the year at a secure marina in Spanish Waters in Curacao. The
cost is only US$(bloody economic imperialism again)252.00 per month.

By the way, with reference to the earlier discussion on yacht
formalities, I had an interesting experience whilst clearing out. I
went to Immigration with my passport, not realising that I had only a
three month visa. The rather aggressive female Immigration officer
demanded loudly as to whyI had overstayed my visa by 2 weeks. I
apologised and tried to explain that it was an oversight and that I
never looked at dates on entry stamps. This made her even more furious
and more aggressive. I remarked that I obviously needed some legal
advice and left the office to go to the nearby Customs office where i
knew one of the officers who I had dealt with on importing yacht gear.
As I started to explain my problem, the Immigration woman stormed in
and from the door demanded (shouted). "This man has overstayed his
visa - seize his passport!!" and stormed out. It is my understanding
that nobody can take your passport - it is the property of the issuing
government.

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".

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

Peter!

I thought you were back in the water and far out on the briny by this
time, although you never did mention where you were actually going --
whichever way the wind blows?

Along those lines a mate departed Phuket non-stop for Perth. some time
went by and I didn;t hear from him (O.K., he is offshore sailing).
finally I get an e-mail. From Kuching. I write back, "Frank, I hate to
tell you but Kuching is in the wrong direction..." He comes back,
"Listen, we had winds on the nose from the time we left Phuket. When I
finally got to the Sunda Straits I was so sick of it I turned
downwind... anyway, Kuching is quite a nice place to visit".

Let us know how things are going.




Bruce in Bangkok
(brucepaigeatgmaildotcom)