"Popeye the Sailor" wrote in message
...
I just received a message from Capt Neal via shortwave radio.

Capt Neal, the World Famous Master Mariner, is out marinating, along with
his cedar bucket, up the east coast of Africa. He plans to sail between
the cyclic hurricanes and will arrive back in the US in about 45 days.

Stay tuned for more information as it comes in.

Popeye


I heard from the good captain just yesterday. He e-mailed me via satellite.
It seems the old gentleman is contemplating a change of plans. He has
decided that the political situation gets worse the farther north up the
coast of Africa he sails and the Straits and Suez canal are thick with
Arabian pirates and therefore untenable.

Capt. Neal is seriously considering doing a 180 and spending some time in
the port of Antseranana (aka Antisranana) in the northern tip of
Madagascar to relax and re-supply. From there he intends to head due south
until he fetches latitude 40S and go 'round again at the edge of the
roaring forties heading east until he fetches Cape Horn. After rounding the
Horn he plans to make a relaxed passage up to the Caribbean, perhaps
stopping in Rio for a time to secure female companionship and more supplies.

When he completes that voyage he says he has heard that due to global
warming they say that the ice cap at the North Pole will probably be
completely melted away come next summer. He is planning a Northwest
Passage/Cape Horn circumnavigation of the two Americas. This is something
never done before in a small bluewater cruising yacht. But, he said to keep
a lid on it as he is not one to bring misfortune on any of his voyages by
bragging about them beforehand. He made it clear to me that he sails because
he loves to sail (it's his life, after all) and not for the sake of a bunch
of wannabes hanging on his every word.

Wilbur Hubbard