Thought For The Day - Bloody Christmas, here again, let us raise a loving cup, peace on earth, goodwill to men, and make them do the washing up. - Wendy Cope

One of the things I really like about cruising is the opportunity to interact with people from all over the world. Last night, for example, we celebrated Christmas in the true French style over a 5-hour Christmas dinner that was not to be believed.

The four couples present were treated to a menu of crackers and cheddar or smoked meats, foie gras and bread, lobster bisque, roast lamb and skillet potatoes, and an amazing nameless frozen Dutch dessert. All accompanied by French champagne and red wine. Yes, we were aboard a lovely monohull sailboat.

The couples consisted of a Frenchman and his American wife, an American and his French wife, a Dutch couple and us, the Americans. What we have in common is a love of traveling and living on boats. A truly exceptional Christmas Eve.

Today we are celebrating once again with our Dutch friends. I am cooking a small turkey with all the trimmings so we will feast again. Merry Christmas to one and all!

Thought For The Day - The purpose of life is a life of purpose. - Robert Byrne

Our Dutch friends, Rob and Ylona, came into our marina the other day on their shakedown voyage from Maryland, where they purchased their new boat, to Curacao. The boat is a Catana 431 catamaran, and they arrived accompanied by Sea Tow, both their starter motors having burnt up thus leaving them with no engines. At least they haven't had to replace one engine and rebuild the other one as we did on our initial voyage.

Because they were being towed and had no towing insurance, they opted to run a bridge at high tide, taking off everything that was above the top of the mast, rather than paying for the tow boat to wait the 6 hours until low tide. So they're going to be here for a while getting everything fixed.

One night while they were in Cobb's Marina in Norfolk, Virginia, Rob, hearing an unfamiliar sound on the boat, stuck his head up into the saloon and observed a man and a woman on the boat. When the man saw Rob, he said "we're just checking to see if everything's OK", and they left quickly. Seems more like they were checking out the boat to see what they could swipe. They're now interested in purchasing a taser gun for protection. Just goes to show, you don't have to go outside the U.S. to have "something happen". Stay safe.

Thought For The Day - Gratitude is a duty which ought to be paid, but which none have a right to expect. - Jean Jacques Rousseau

On this day of thanks, some things I'm grateful for:

My son Eric
My partner Charlie
Our cat Sunshine
Eckankar
Our friends
Our boat Blue Star
Being able to take a bike ride on this gorgeous day.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Thought For The Day - I see nothing in space as promising as the view from a Ferris wheel.
E. B. White

Which reminds me, I was on a ferris wheel last night, the opening night of something called Ham Jam, a carnival with a barbeque judging contest sponsored by a mobile home company. Only in Green Cove Springs, folks. Stay safe.

Thought For The Day - What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless, but disastrous. - Thomas Merton

A solution for traveling with expensive camera equipment or maybe those boat parts that you don't want the airlines to lose - put a firearm in the same case with the items. You have to declare the firearm, of course, but once that's done and the TSA has relocked the case, your bag is doubly scrutinized to make sure it doesn't get lost. Stay safe.

Thought For The Day - To me, nothing made by man is more beautiful than a sailboat under way in fine weather, and to be on that sailboat is to be as close to heaven as I expect to get. It is unalloyed happiness. - Robert Manry, author, Tinkerbelle

Couldn't have agreed more, especially seeing a couple of sailboats underway enjoying the fine weather this past weekend. Unfortunately, we're not moving right now due to a problem with one of our engines that El Capitan will get around to fixing one of these days.

On a more somber note, I recently read about a boat boarding at Yachting and Boating World, one of the boating forums I monitor. Although this happened at Swansea, England, it could happen anywhere. In short, the guy awoke shortly after 6 AM and discovered two guys had opened the patio doors and were proceeding to burglarize the boat. He interrupted them, but they made off with his DVD and TV. He now locks his doors at night. Several other boats around him were burglarized also. Visit Pamcom Security and stay safe.

Thought For The Day - "The cabin of a small yacht is truly a wonderful thing; not only will it shelter you from a tempest, but from the other troubles in life, it is a safe retreat." - L. Francis Herreshoff

One of the things I enjoy most about this crazy cruising life I lead is that you never know what will happen next. Today is a perfect example. We got up, went to church, visited a fellow cruiser in the hospital (he returned to his boat later today I'm glad to report) and returned to the boat planning to read the Sunday newspaper out in the cockpit while we enjoyed the beautiful fall air. However, on the way to the boat we learned that they were going to film a scene for an episode of "America's Most Wanted" right on our dock.

You might recall that the pier we're on is approximately 1,000 feet long and is substantial enough to drive cars on. There are about 10 piers of that length in this area because it used to be a Navy mothball fleet storage site. They set up a camera on the pier directly across from our boat, so at least the boat may get her 15 minutes of fame when this is shown on TV, assuming the editing room doesn't cut her out first. After we were alerted that they were about to begin we heard cars approaching very fast. Indeed, they passed by our boat doing at least 70 mph. It was an SUV being chased by a cop car. They did this about 4 times before they were satisfied with the take.

After they shot this scene, the actors and camera crew moved over to another pier where they were going to film a chase scene followed by a scene in which the SUV is driven into the water. This chase scene involved the cop car stopping at the entrance to the pier then the cop getting out and running after the SUV which was speeding down the pier. Again, they filmed several takes before they were happy.

Now for the SUV going in the water. Unlike the previous scenes, this one took a good bit of setting up. They had built a short ramp over which the vehicle would go into the water. They took all precautions to obey EPA regulations including removing the engine and any parts that could discharge oil. Since the SUV had no engine, it was attached to a truck via cable. The idea was the truck would start pulling the SUV, which contained 2 dummies, and once the SUV got up to speed, it would roll right up the ramp and into the water. They had all sorts of real and fake policemen, real firemen, and other safety officials on hand.

While we were waiting, we talked to the real policeman who had apprehended one of the criminals when this crime happened back in July. After the SUV ran off the end of the road into the water, he had jumped in the water, swam across the river and up the bank before he caught the passenger of the vehicle. The driver, unfortunately, got away and is still at large. The cop was playing himself in the episode and was driving the police car in the second chase scene.

After more setting up, including maneuvering a crane into place to raise the SUV after its dunking, again to please the EPA, all was finally ready for filming. Everything went off without a hitch. The truck started the SUV rolling, the SUV went up over the ramp into the water with a large splash, then the 2 divers in wetsuits, who were playing the criminals, swam away from the sinking vehicle. The real cop, mentioned above, reprised his role and jumped into the water in an attempt to apprehend the "criminals".

Since a stiff breeze was chilling us to the bone, we didn't hang around for the crane to raise the SUV from the depths, but returned to our boat on our bicycles. Enough excitement for one day. Stay safe.

Thought For The Day - The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do. - Ted Nelson

I decided a quote on computers would be appropriate considering we've just solved our ongoing internet problem on this boat. This marina has T1 internet service included in the monthly rent. This sounds great until you face the reality of splitting a very weak signal. How can a T1 signal be weak? Well, this marina is composed of one very long dock (over 1,000 feet) as it used to be used by the U.S. Navy for storing a mothball fleet. The signal must travel about a quarter mile from the office to the dock, then down the developed portion of the dock (another 700 feet or so). We're sitting about midway down the dock, so, even though they've installed a signal amplifier further down the dock, we don't get the benefit of that and we're on the edge of the unamplified signal coming from the office.

We've been able to run one computer off the signal from the dock successfully by lowering the connection speed on the computer, but the signal was too weak to be split by a router so that we could run 2 computers off of it. I think we must have tried 4 or 5 different routers and hubs, but none would run at the lower speed the computers were set to. Until today when we finally tried a 5-port Network Everywhere hub made by Linksys which would run at the lower speed. Funny thing is that not only are we now running both computers off the line, but the connection speed is faster. Now we can both do our parts to replenish the cruising kitty. Stay safe.

Thought For The Day - Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't.
Pete Seeger

One of the things I like most about cruising is that you never know what you'll see on any given day. Even sitting in a marina, as we are now, things change every day, especially when you're near working industrial docks. They're putting in floating docks in our marina, and a dragline on a barge has been busily setting the posts that anchor these docks. Today I learned how the barge that carries the dragline anchors itself. It has 2 large steel posts on it which extend through the barge. The dragline raises or lowers these posts one at a time. When lowered, these posts anchor the barge. The barge was originally over by one of the large piers, and I had wondered why it didn't move considering there were no lines from it to the dock. Now I know.

Stay safe.

Though For the Day -

Don’t let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.
-Richard L Evans

Had some land-based friends over for dinner last night, and they seem enchanted with the idea of actually being invited to someone's home for a meal. How different from the cruising community where it's not uncommon to go to another boat for drinks or dinner. Cruising really allows people to get back to the basics in life including sharing the gift of friendship. Stay safe.

Thought For The Day - All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. -
Walt Disney

A reminder that we cannot let security issues stand in the way of our dreams of cruising where and when we want to go. We just need to take a few precautions and remain vigilant. We are blessed with a lifestyle that allows us to move on to another port if there are problems in a particular area.

Five years ago we were in Porlamar, Margarita, an island off the coast of Venezuela, when we learned there was going to be a general strike the next day. What did we do? We simply raised our sails and headed for Trinidad with a small group of boats. Some cruisers remained in Margarita where, as it turned out, nothing happened. The point here is we have the freedom and responsibility to make our own decisions to stay or go. Stay safe.

Thought For The Day - "I loved cruising the coast of Maine. For one thing, it helped me conquer my fear of fog. Not that I have learned to feel secure in the fog, but at least I have learned how to grope without panic". - Herb Payson

Finally, I'm back after a week of intermittent internet. They're upgrading the internet connection in this marina and had a few problems along the way. It's still not complete, but at least I can once again connect from the boat.

Unfortunately, Mr. Chavez has seen fit to sound off against the U.S. once again, this time at the U.N. General Assembly. Reminds me of the time Khruschev banged his show on the podium at the U.N. If Mr. Chavez would spend a quarter of the amount of time on his economy that he does courting the Islamic fascists, I believe Venezuela would be a much safer place to cruise.

Stay Safe.

Thought For The Day - Am I the only one who sees the irony in 9/11 and the 911 emergency line used all over the U.S.?

On this, the fifth anniversary of 9/11, I would like to add my experience of 9/11 to the legions of accounts available on the web and elsewhere. Being a native New Yorker, this event has special significance for me.

I was in Curacao waiting in line at the local phone company to get a phone line for the house we had rented there for a few weeks. They had a TV monitor with CNN on it. I hadn't been paying much attention to it until I heard someone saying something about the World Trade Towers. I then turned my attention to the TV where I saw smoke billowing out from the first tower and thought I must be watching a movie. But no, I was watching this live. Then the second plane struck and the towers proceeded to disintegrate. I was born and raised in New York. To me, this was an assault on my home town.

Later that day we went over to the marina where one of the boats had TV. Even though they barely knew us at the time, they asked me aboard to watch it again on their TV. I'll never forget that act of kindness. I'll also never forget the U.S. flag our neighbors at the house displayed at half mast as a show of respect.

As I watched the "Path to 9/11" on ABC tonight, I realized that, though painful, it's necessary to watch it so that we never forget what happened that day in a totally unprovoked attack on thousands of innocent people by Islamic fascists. Rather than laying blame, let's use these lessons learned to help us catch these guys and prevent future disasters.

No matter where we are in the world we need to be aware of our surroundings and stay safe.

Thought For The Day - The difficulty with marriage is that we fall in love with a personality, but must live with a character. - Peter De Vries

And I might add that once you move onto a boat with your partner, you'll discover exactly what that character is. Stay safe.

Thought For The Day - "Twenty years from now you will be disappointed by the things that you didn't do than the ones that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover." - Mark Twain

One of the neatest things about cruising is that you never know what sort of boat you'll see next. Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of touring Mistress, an approximately 50' yawl built in 1930 that her owners found on the Great Lakes and had shipped to St. Augustine, FL. There they spent 6 years restoring her to pristine condition, and, in the process, modernizing her for worldwide cruising. One of her owners is a master shipwright, and his skills were evident throughout the boat especially in details like the beautiful transom and the world map inlaid in the top of the nav station.

The boat came into our marina for only one night. Today she had her main mast unstepped for a cruise upriver to the dock where she'll spend the rest of this hurricane season. After that, plans are for her to start her voyage around the world. Fair winds, Mistress. Stay safe.

Thought For The Day - "It isn't that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better." -
Sir Francis Drake

Couldn't have said it better myself. Stay safe.

Thought For The Day - " A tourist remains an outsider throughout his visit; but a sailor is part of the local scene from the moment he arrives". - Anne Davison

Which says a lot about why we cruise - to get that unique viewpoint of a place that you'll never see as a tourist. When we arrive in port, we live as the locals do, not as the tourists do. Stay safe.

Thought For The Day- "I don't know who named them swells. There's nothing swell about them. They should have named them awfuls". - Hugo Vihlen

It's Labor Day weekend here, we had no problems from Ernesto and don't have to deal with John or, God forbid, Ioke, that super typhoon churning in the Pacific, so I'm taking a little vacation and just posting quotes this weekend. Of course that might change if I get a disturbing report on the world situation...
Stay safe.

Enough of the comic quotes - there's just too much going on in the world today. For instance:

Thought For The Day - Hezbollah is actively working in Venezuela. - Read all about it at Venezuela Today.

What has this got to do with personal security especially on cruising yachts? The way I see it - everything. One way we cruisers can protect ourselves is to stay informed about what is going on in the world. I realize it's easy and desirable to forget these things when you're in a safe peaceful anchorage or marina and living the good life offshore. After all, we set sail to forget about all this, right?

The problem with this train of thought is that, given the world situation today, it pays to stay informed before something happens that directly affects you. Venezuela is a great example. Many cruisers have boat insurance policies that dictate the boat must be below 12 degrees latitude during hurricane season. One look at their charts and they realize they have a choice of Trinidad or Venezuela in the eastern Caribbean.

This season we've heard reports of increasing crime in both these areas and now comes a report of Hezbollah openly recruiting in an area not that far from where cruisers sail in Venezuela. This report is not meant to scare you away from Venezuela, only to inform you of what is happening there so you can make an intelligent choice as to where you want to go in that country. Stay safe.

Thought For The Day- Human beings, vegetables, or comic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player. - Albert Einstein

Earl has now officially become a non-event for us but I feel bad for those in the Carolinas. Batten down, people. Our dock is still full of boats but we put the tarps back up, the skies are blue and the sun is shining. One thing I forgot to mention on the matter of hurricane prep - yesterday, Charlie ran both engines, generator and watermaker to ensure all were in working condition. He normally does this every 5 days, but it's especially important when a storm is approaching. We also took the motor off the dinghy, put it in the motor mount on the stern, and hoisted the dinghy out of the water. We were lucky this time but there's always a next time. Til tomorrow.

Thought For The Day - Happiness is good health and a bad memory. - Ingrid Bergman

As I write this, we're starting to experience a bit of wind and rain from Ernesto. Hopefully, this storm will be a non-event but we're prepared for anything. I filled the water tanks and Charlie battened everything on deck and in the cockpit. I should explain that our boat is a catamaran which has a bit more area to clean up.

The marina we're in has only one dock, an old Navy pier which is sturdy enough to drive on and long enough to hold many boats. In addition to the usual sailboats and powerboats, we have 2 100-plus foot yachts that are riding out the storm here. A large barge is also on the dock and 2 others are positioned on nearby piers to protect us from any possible surge. We're located in Green Cove Springs on the St. Johns River, which is about a mile across at this point; however, to date they've weathered hurricanes here better than just about any other place in Florida. The water is moving us around a bit, but it's nothing drastic, just that we're used to not moving at all.

So far, so good. More on the storm tomorrow. Stay safe.

The Ever-Changing Blog or as I revamp my web site, so goes the blog. To tie in more with items of interest to cruisers and cruiser wannabes, this space will emphasize safety and security issues as well as more general security issues, including comments on the world situation. I'm keeping the Thought For The Day since we can all use a little inspiration.

Thought For The Day - The true man wants two things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous plaything. - Friedrich Nietzsche

Who knew Neitzsche had a sense of humor? Anyway, my partner in crime, Charlie, and I are sitting on our boat in northern Florida awaiting the arrival of Tropical Storm Ernesto, scheduled for tomorrow night. Having been through Tropical Storm Earl in 2004 in Grenada and on the outskirts of Hurricane Ivan in Trinidad the same year, we take storm prep seriously aboard Blue Star.

Last month we took down all our sails, main and genoa, so we don't have to worry about that. We've also taken down all tarps. Before the day is out, we'll fill up with water and start battening down all external areas. The car's filled up, we've got fuel for the generator in case the power goes out and we're well provisioned after a trip to Wal Mart today. We've seen winds over 60 knots in thunderstorms. Coupled with our past experience with tropical storms, we're not too worried about this one, but we're not too complacent either. More on our preparations tomorrow.

Til then stay safe and remember you can find all sorts of protection devices at Pamcom Security.

Thought For The Day - There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats. - Albert Schweitzer

Thought For The Day - The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble. - Blaise Pascal

In 5 years of cruising the eastern and southern Caribbean, I can think of 3 incidents when pepper spray or another deterrent might have come in handy. Picture this, it's 2 AM somewhere off the coast of Venezuela and you see lights rapidly approaching in your direction. The lights get closer and closer until some type of patrol with all lights blazing passes within 100 feet of you.

Or this one. You're somewhere between Grenada and Trinidad just after Hurricane Ivan struck Grenada and a small motor vessel is speeding in your direction. You're well aware that at this time there's anarchy and rampant looting in Grenada so a small speeding boat is more than cause for concern especially when boats bringing in supplies to Grenada from Trinidad have been boarded. Again we were lucky and the boat passed by.

Or this one. You're anchored in Clarke's Court Bay, Grenada, 5 days after Ivan's eye passed directly over the area resulting in widespread looting when a man swims out to your boat from shore and attempts to board.

Customs regulations on the various islands normally require you to declare all firearms but since pepper spray and stun guns aren't considered firearms, you can safely have the protection they provide without fear of losing your boat if they are discovered by customs. Go to www.pamcompersonalsecurity.com for more information on how these products can protect you.

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to The Security Net where you'll find information on the latest in personal security products and surveillance equipment along with assorted ramblings on today's news as it pertains to personal security and surveillance for females in particular.

In addition, since I live on a boat and have cruised over 17,000 nautical miles in the eastern and southern Caribbean, I'll be sharing some of that lifestyle with you, especially as it pertains to security on the high seas.

I'm Pam Shannon, owner of Pamcom Security. You are invited to visit my web site at www.pamcompersonalsecurity.com where you'll find all kinds of personal security products from stun guns and tasers to pepper sprays and personal alarms. You may also visit www.pamcomsecuritysystems.com where you'll find all kinds of spy cameras and surveillance systems.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this blog and be sure to post a comment before leaving. The mere mention of domestic surveillance should be enough to get you started!

Pam