====================1-5-2010

It's cold down here in LaBelle, below freezing for 5 days in a row, a 50 year record. 

====================3-15-2010

I spent last week painting the bottom of the 38 Hughes and fixing the lower rudder bearings.  The boat is back in the water anchorre out near my other 2 boats.  I've got somebody that wants to look at and consider buying the 27 ft steel boat that lives in Ft Myers.  This week will be spent getting ready to sail the 38 to Galveston, to deliver it to the new owner.  I'm not sure exactly when I'm leaving, it should take about a week. I also am not sure if I'm doing it solo or with crew.  I've got a couple that might be interested in crew, but nothing solid yet since I'm not sure how I'm getting back.  I might make a trip to Kansas, a friend there had a  car that needed to get deliverd to Miami.  I've also got invited to an Easter dinner with all the trimmings, and most of you know how much I like food. 

The new owner of the boat had lined me up with a 45 ft Westsail that he thought needed to be delivered from Galveston to Florida, but it turns out it needs to go just the opposite so that doesn't help much, but it might provide a later adventure.

Other than that all is well, and I keep plugging away at little projects on the big boat.  I still need varnish the masts.  I'm thinking I will look seriously into making the main mast deck stepped, most likely with a tabernackle hinge at the base.  I really won't need that till I get to the canals in Europe in a couple years but it sure would make the varnishing job much easier.

=====================3-16-2010

I normally don't send out 2 emails this quickly.  But thought this
needed to be shared.   No I don't have cancer, but I do worry about it.

I also forgot to mention I learned why the Hughes boat has 2 rudders,
the 2nd one deep closer to the center of the boat on the main keel is used to resist heeling and get more sail area to the wind, thus get more driving force and go faster.

Probably outlawed by racing rules and not seen on later boats.  That
might be much like the rest of this letter, something that works, but
maybe not used for a stupid reason.

Shark cartilage and cancer

I picked up a book at the library that caught my eye, very rarely do I read a 150n page book cover to cover in on sitting.  It's an old book and a very controversial subject.

The book "Sharks don't get cancer" by I. William Lane.

Basically the book describes how shark cartilage can help cure some
cancers and other problems that require blood flow to cause the
problems they cause.  It explains how something like this is difficult to get funding since no major money will be made by big business.  If there is no money, there is no research, and there is no government approval.  It all makes sense to me.

The shark cartilage has chemicals that affect the bodies production of the blood circulation system.  That sounds scary but it doesn't
destroy the already produced circulatory system.  It seems the cancer
and other problems require new circulatory system production to continue and grow. 

Basically, If I had cancer I certainly would want to learn a lot more
about this subject.

The other problems mentioned that might be helped with shark cartilage are Arthritis, in humans and pet dogs, psoriasis, enteritis, diabetic macular degeneration blindness.

Here are some web sites discussing the topic, both positive and
negative.

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cartilage/HealthProfessiona
l/page5

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/eto/content/eto_5_3x_shark_cartilage.asp

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/shark-cure-cancer1.htm
This one is negative but I tend not to believe it just because they
found cancer in a shark does not prove it will not work in every case
and against other cancers.  This is not purported to cure everything
just most stuff.  The www.cancer.gov is much more believable in my
book.  This guy talks about something called angiogenisis.  Is he not
smart enough to even find out what that is?  It's not hard, it blood
vessel production.

http://www.cancerquest.org/index.cfm?page=6325
This one is also gives a negative report. I notice in the clinical
trial reporting negative results, the dose was given orally, the book
suggests much better results when allowed to be absorbed in an enema. 

Nobody says the treatment has to be easy.  The original doctor
explains that if orally taken, the powder would often be digested in
the stomach as food before much is absorbed by the body as a drug.

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/Sharkcartilage.htm
This one is very well written, basically says it might work in the
future. 

There are some cautions for the cancer patient regarding shark
cartilage:

•Children and pregnant women should not take shark cartilage because
if the cartilage does work as an inhibitor of blood vessels, it could
adversely affect growing children and the growing fetus

•Those who have had recent surgery should not take shark cartilage
because it can theoretically impair healing

•Avoid using shark cartilage enemas if you are neutropenic (have a low white blood cell count). You can induce a life threatening infection.

•Some shark cartilage may contain additives, fillers, and contaminants

•Shark cartilage can cause diarrhea, which can affect the patients
ability to tolerate conventional cancer treatments 

==================== Apr 21, 2010

First, I left my briefcase, cell phone, computer, car keys, etc. in Galveston, I'm using
an old computer but bicycling to the library.  Basically life is pretty much on hold
untill I get that stuff back.  I found out 4 hours into the trip, I should have turned
around and "wasted" the 8 hours, but I put my faith in Billy to next day air it
since I just did over $4000 worth of free labor for him, wrong again. 5 days later,
nothing.  His wife will send it but I really don't expect it for almost a week or so.  I
could say live and learn, but it seems I don't learn.  Every 10 minutes or so I find
something else that I need that is in the briefcase.  The last thing was one of my flash
drives to move a file from one computer to another, there are at least 3 or 4 in my
briefcase and computer case.  Life goes on.  Since I don't have the flash drive I'm
trying to uplaod photos using my old computer that doesn't have all the working cursor
movement keys, to get this sent, since I don't have my newest wifi card it is not working
well, and I am wasting lots of time bombing out in the middle of uploading three pictures
and getting sent back to square one. Needless to say I'm not having nice thoughts about
the guy who doesn't think that I and my computer is important enough to get back to me in
a hurry. I have similar thoughts while riding my bike the 5 miles in the rain every day
to get to the library.  Finally after 2 hours of fighting I got this done.  Load a
picture save a draft, load the next, save, etc.

Here's the trip story, I wrote a couple days ago.

I just got back to Florida from sailing my old 38 Hughes (my 2nd boat) to it's new owner
in Galveston.  I was helped by another sailor freind Hank, a large ore ship pilot from
the great lakes when he's not sailing his boat down here.  The trip took longer than
expected, 12 days, there was no wind in the gulf so we followed the coast up toward Tampa
to make use of the shore breezes every morning and evening.  When there was no very
little or no breeze I was pleasantly surprized by the fuel use when motor sailing.  With
the 3 cylinder volvo at a fast idle, giving us 2 to 2.5 knot increase in speed the fuel
use worked out to be about .3 gals/hr.  I was expecting about twice that or more.

We crossed the major indentations on the shoreline heading toward Apalachicola from just
north of Clearwater, then after a oyster meal on land and a good nights sleep anchored in
the harbor we headed for the mouth of the Mississippi south of New Orleans. We again were
fighting a lack of wind or when we had it it was from the wrong direction most of the
time, we made it south of Louisiana, but then a storm blew up with a strong wind from the
north and I decided the best corse of action was to run with the storm for 6 hours to
reduce stress on the boat even though we had no need to go south.  Hank was getting some
good sleep so I didn't bother him to try and reduced sail, it was much safer to just
continue south. At that point I had been without sleep for 3 days, I tired to sleep but
was not sucessful, I could not shut my brain down. Too much stress being responsible for
another person and a boat that I no longer owned.  Every noise was followed by "What
was that?, Did it need immediate attenion?" I was as exhausted as I have ever been,
maybe since the time I crossed the gulf with my first boat with a seasick mate and then
ended up bailing with a bucket for 28 hours.  I was making mental mistakes but consious
enough to realize them quickly after I made them.  After the storm leet up and the winds
swung around to the east we headed back north to once again find a place to anchor out of
the swell and get a good nights sleep again.  The wind once more did not co-operate but
finally after a day we made it to shore.

We saw thousands of baby Porgeguesse man of war, a number of sea turtles, the normal many
wake dolphins and during this first part of the trip we were entertained by birds landing
on deck.  At first we had a barn swallow rest from it's long migration from South
America, glad to find a place to land.  Then we had 3 barn swallows, two males and one
female, the male where fighting over the female and one was sucessful at mating her right
there on the cockpit seat not two feet from Hank that was busy steering at the time.  We
also had a golden swamp warbler land on the lifeline while I was at the helm. It was
obviously extremely tired and cold and near death.  Hank tried to revive it, got it to
drink some water, warmed it by hold it against his belly, it perked up but we could not
get it to eat.  We tried PB, Banana, tangerine.  It rode with up in the cabin for 8 hours
or so, exploring the entire interior and then sitting in one of the kitchen cabinets
perched on a roll of paper towels.  While I was sleeping and Hank at the wheel it
disapeared, we hoped it flew on it's trip northward and just missed it's departure.

Later, when we were heading north after the storm to find an overnight anchorage near
Sabine, TX. an egret joined us for 12 hours or so. It just rode on the top of the
companionway cover or up hear the forward hatch.  It left us when we came up to the
anchorage, let the sails flap with lots of noise and we had to go forward to drop anchor.
It's last few miles of it's long migration was pretty easy.  After the night sleeping 
another tired barn swallow join me on the back rail, I just reached down and hit hopped
right up on my finger and posed for a picture.  It soon left us after a little rest
because we were not heading the direction its internal GPs said it needed to go.

After reaching Galveston, and sailng on to Kemah where the boat was to go for it's new
berth in the Boardwalk marina next to the wooden roller coaster and ferris wheel I
brought the boat into it's new slip.  No one was the wiser during the docking but
afterwards I did tell all that it was the first time I had ever brought a sailboat into a
marina slip.  No problems, just like a seasoned pro.

After a few hours getting the boat settled in Hank and I rode the rollercoaster and had a
good dinner.  Another day of getting stuff packed up and explaining stuff to the new
owner and it was time to get the rental car and head home.  On the way home we stopped at
a freind of Hank's home in Lousiana for dinner and a good night in a real bed and then we
drove straight through to Ft Myers.  While unpacking the boat we found the little
warbler, at least he had a quiet ending, not dropping into the sea and drowning. I had
planned to maybe visit Kansas after Galveston but Hank needed to get back to his boat and
then head to Diluth to go back to work for the summer.
   

===================== Apr 28, 2010

I got the stuff in the mail this morning, all is OK, Billy got back to the Mid east a day
late, nad won't get a paycheck this month.  They are very strapped for money.  I called
Bette to let her know I got it, they are talking about moving the boat to Arkansas, I
told them I would help if needed.  Basically said it should take about 3 weeks, up the
Ten Tom.

======================Jul 10, 2010  

rain and humidity protection

I use a couple layers of Ziploc bags for some things.  I also use a lot of peanut butter
jars and and such for storing things, some I make a car inner tube washer for the lid.  I
have carried an LED flash light, whistle and knife in my canoe this way for many years. 
I also have a small amount of duck tape, heavy thread, needle, lighter and electrical
tape inside

I also have just found out Listerine full strength makes a good mosquito repellent.  I
was working on the dock for the lady where I keep my boat, bothered by mosquitoes, she
sprayed Listerine on me and I had no problem for 2 hours.  Interesting Listerine had the
formula on the package down to the 10th of a percent, Generic is exactly the same
formula.

====================== 7-23-2010

I will fly to kansas on August 5th, to KCI and then spend a couple days with College friends in a reunion, they will deliver me to manhattan on Saturday.  I have a scheduled flight back to Florida on the 23rd but that is flexible.

If anybody is heading from Kansas to NW Arkansas, I would like to go to spend some time at my brothers, I have a car down there that I should return to Manhattan.  So let me know if anything sort of clicks with that.  I will also need to get from Manhattan back to KCI when I return.

I've been busy working on the boat, lots of little projects.  Today I'm working on building a wind generator, that will sure help with being energy independent.  I bought the blades a long time ago, last week I finally found a good deal on a treadmill, to get the motor to use as a generator.  I also bought some steel last week (a great deal on 4 20 ft 1 inch angles, more than I need but good for lots of projects) to start construction on steel companionway covers, something that will be more vandal proof. I still need to find some 1 1/2 angle iron.  I also need to get my small OX I will fly to Kansas on August 5th, to KCI and then spend a couple days with College friends in a reunion, they will deliver me to Manhattan on Saturday.  I have a scheduled flight back to Florida on the 23rd but that is flexible.

If anybody is heading from Kansas to NW Arkansas, I would like to go to spend some time at my brothers, I have a car down there that I should return to Manhattan.  So let me know if anything sort of clicks with that.  I will also need to get from Manhattan back to KCI when I return.

I've been busy working on the boat, lots of little projects.  Today I'm working on building a wind generator, that will sure help with being energy independent.  I bought the blades a long time ago, last week I finally found a good deal on a treadmill, to get the motor to use as a generator.  I also bought some steel last week (a great deal on 4 20 ft 1 inch angles, more than I need but good for lots of projects) to start construction on steel companionway covers, something that will be more vandal proof. I still need to find some 1 1/2 angle iron.  I also need to get my small OX tank and cutting torch from Kansas to Florida.  The tank is less than 2 feet tall and 6 inches in diameter, so if that clicks let me know.  I decided a while back that I don't need a cutting torch, I do most of my cutting with a grinder or a saw, but I do have three things I need to braze.  I thought I would check if I could fly with the tank if I remove the valve so they could look inside.

I've been finding some great deals at yardsales, I bought a sailing canoe outfit and have decided I will take the canoe along and use it for a dingy.  I much rather prefer to canoe than row, you can see where you going, it's more efficient, and quiet.  You can't sneak up on wildlife in a rowboat, and I don't mind canoeing for 10 miles or more.  In a rowboat 1 mile is a major chore.  The canoe also came with most of a sailing outfit.  I had to jury rig some stuff and tried it once but can't say I was impressed. 

I just keep plugging away and hope to shove off toward the Yucatan before X-mas but don't be surprised if I don't make that schedule.
I've still got to get something done with the little boat, hopefully finished and sold, it's mostly just trim on it that needs work.

I also bought a couple dollars worth of machine tools (a small handful) in Alta Vista, so if anybody is traveling back and forth to Manhattan and wouldn't mind picking that stuff up, that would be great. 

Have a great day. Hope to get some dancing done, it's been a long dry spell.  I've been doing OK (not great, just OK, LOL) at the Poker table, but at $5 a night that's just for fun.

====================== Aug 22, 2010

need ride to KCI Wednesday/Thursday

I'm in Kansas, Originally I planned to head back to Florida on Monday but I've been
playing free poker games at the bar for the last two weeks and I've qualified for the
free tournament with $100 cash prizes this Wednesday evening so I pushed back my flight
till Thursday morning. 

If anybody has any reason or knows anybody that might want to head to Kansas City on
Thursday or late Wednesday, I'd be happy to fill up the gas tank in exchange for a ride. 
My flight flies out at 6:30 AM so it would be a real early drive to KC but it never hurts
to ask.

I've been helping my friend Glen with some art work, saloon signs for the Cattleman's
Ball next week at the KSU Alumni Center, and this morning I made a John Deere Logo sign. 
This afternoon I play pitch with the singles group, last night I went to an anniversary
dance at the American Legion, and met a bunch of old friends I hadn't seen in quite a
while.  I had lunch with Phil Kirmser the other day, he was my math teacher for many of
my advanced engineering math classes and also my advisers best friend.  The three of us
always used to have lunch at the Dillon's salad bar for many years.

==================== Sep 28, 2010

Connecticut, driving back to Fl --- I'm in Connecticut at my brother's, I came up here for a nephew's wedding about a week
ago. I've been keeping busy checking out all the marine surplus shops and picking up
stuff I mostly didn't know I needed for the boat. Actually I've got a number of things
I've been looking for.  A 60 lb barnacle anchor, a small wood stove for the rear cabin,
same make as the one for the front cabin so it looks planned, and a boat windshield to be
a good start on building the hard dodger.

I also got a new 16hp 2 cylinder air cooled diesel, a sailing dingy resurrected from a
flower garden on a property my brother just bought, and a 12/24 volt marine refrigerator.
These where all in the category of not knowing I needed them but the price was right,
free or real cheap.  Yesterday I delayed my trip back to go pick up a pile of rough sawn
teak also in the real cheap category.  I'll leave half of it up here and take enough back
to Florida for the trim on the hard dodger and steel companionway covers I will make
before I push off on my trip.  I figure the rest of the wood I might find a use for in
the first year of travel and it will be here when I arrive fro my visit with the boat.

I pack all this up in and on the car and should leave by noon today.  I will stop in
Northern NJ and visit a new friend that might want to trade a short wave ham radio for
some of sailboat surplus I've got in Florida.  I'll probably also stop at some marine
surplus shops on the way back, I need to find a center board for the new sailing dingy,
about 3 ft by 12 inches by 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick, I'm thinking aluminum, but wood would
probably work too.  I probably have a sail at home in Kansas.


The day I headed up this way the week before last, I got my 27 ft boat sold, I still will
do another months work on it, but that is great news.  Finally down to one boat again.  I
also checked on one of my retirement plans and I can start to get monthly payments from
that starting in a couple days. Again real good news.

The next month should go fast working on the 27 ft boat then it's get the projects done
on the big boat, clean up my mess of surplus in Florida and finally start sailing.  Have
a great day.


===================== Nov 05, 2010

I'm busy working on the little boat, it's suposed to be done next Wednesday but I don't
think it will.

My birthday was kind of like a normal day, I worked on the boat.  I haven't really done
anything but that for a long time. It's looking pretty good, so I don't expect the buyers
will mind.

====================== Nov 21, 2010

I regret to have to inform you that last night Norm passed away.  He went quietly, he had
been fighting complications with lymphoma for the past few months and had been getting
weaker.  The last couple weeks he had good days and bad, and we all hoped for the best.

====================thanksgiving 2010

Happy Thanksgiving
I'm spending Thanksgiving in Florida, I sold the 27 ft boat yesterday, so I finally down to one boat.  It's been a long time since that has been the case.  Now I just have to do the work I want to do on the big boat before I leave.  I still have a couple things to get, but my list is pretty short. 

Last Saturday Norm passed away, he is the guy that I cam to visit here in Florida when I was on my first boat, planned to be just a temporary stop before I took my boat on to the Bahamas.  I guess temporary is a relative matter depending on what you compare it too, compared to a lifetime maybe 5 years is temporary.  Norm had been battling cancer for a long time, recently he has had good days and bad days and we had all hoped for the best but understood this possibility.  He had been a friend ever since I decided to become an amateur radio operator.  He was helping teach the class so we could pass the test and get our certificate.  He and I became the antenna gurus of the Manhattan area.  He also helped me get into teaching Electrical Engineering when the new Mechanical Engineering department head couldn't understand what a Physics guy was doing teaching Mechanical Engineering.  Basically I have become part of his family, sort of like another son.  It's been tough on all of us for this week, and I still tear up just typing this letter.  We will have a ceremony here in LaBelle, at his house the Saturday after next at 2pm.

I plan to build a hard dodger (windshield) on the boat and probably add a tabernacle (hinge at the base) of the main mast.  I still need to varnish the masts, and being able to lower them will make that much easier.  I also plan to make waterproof doors in the bulkheads between the main cabin, engine room and rear cabin.  I need to build steel companionway hatches that are very secure, and finish the installation of the water and sewage tanks.  I also have other projects like rebuilding the sailing dingy I salvaged at my brother place from the neighbors flower garden, adding concrete and a plastic tray to the bilges in the boat so any water left when the bilge pump quits sits in the tray safely away from the steel.

I plan to take, the sailing dingy, a canoe (it also has a sailing rig,) a windsurfer and inflateable kayaks with me.  I need to figure out how these all will store on the boat.  On my "to buy" list, is the rest of the Aries wind vane setup, and a hf shortwave radio.

I also will have a woman I met online come down and visit sometime soon, she lives near Washington, DC but is now over in London on a buying trip, she is planning on returning to Ft Myers from London and we will get to know each other.

I also sold (update still have it 8-1-2011) the Yanmar engine I salvaged when I was buying the 38 ft boat in Mobile.  It needs to go to Texas if anybody is going that way with room in their vehicle.  I still have the mast and boom from that boat to sell and a small boat trailer, but the pile is getting smaller.  I'll also have a small brand new diesel to sell, probably the extra one I've got in the engine room to run the 10KW generator.  While norm was sick he was using an oxygen generator, it's a device that extracts oxygen out of the air.  That's a thing I want to get, that and a propane bottle will let me have a welding torch on board.  I almost was able to buy one for $10 but didn't get their quick enough.  They don't sell on eBay because it's not legal to sell them due to being a medical device, but they do sell on Craig's list and in the want adds.  New they are only $700, so used they are reasonable.  They produce either 5 or 10 liters of 90% Oxygen a minute, plenty for a small welding torch.  I want to learn at what pressure oil and oxygen explode, maybe I can store some at low pressure and safely have a cutting torch too.  I don't plan to have oil in the system but better to be safe then sorry.

I still have an airline ticket I need to use before the end of the year so I'm open to travel suggestions.  Have a great day.

===================== Dec 29, 2010

I'm in Arkansas right now but don't know if I'll make it to KS this trip.  Working
on getting a car situation straightened out, A lady ran a red and totaled my car.
I was not hurt. totalling a car in Florida basically means the bumper, fender and hood
are bent everything else no problem, except they have a stupid law that if a car is
totalld the insurance company has to impound it and then make the title never useable
again.
Supposed to have the insurance compay take the old car tomorrow and get a check for it. 
Hope it goes as planned, today I take the hood, bumper, good tires and wheels and fender
off.  Hpefully one hads doesn't talk to the other too much.  It's the car that the title
goes with so I have a good arguement.