#suffering saturday for marina it seems

[annabelle--cane]

NOOO blog I like and respect and followed for years blocked me randomly. please baby give me another chance I can change.

[jmdbjk]

All things Walmart, poo, ticks and inspiration...

Spoiler alert but to hell with it, I know y'all have watched it all already.

Things I cannot relate to and will never happen to me:

• Pushing my cart down the snack aisle at Walmart and running into Jungkook searching for Tostitos and a sponge.

• Going out to the mailbox to gather the day's junk mail and two guys on a Harley drive by and wave at me and me not know it was Jimin and Jungkook.

• Hiking through the forest and not realizing that guy way up ahead swatting at mosquitoes is Jimin.

• Enjoying my lobster mac & cheese at a restaurant and not know Jungkook is discreetly (not so discreetly) staring at my food trying to decide if he wants to order what I'm having.

I didn't have time today to spend on this like I wanted to and I feel like everyone has already talked about the finer points they're most interested in so I'm going to just drop a few things that made ME laugh, smile and cherish the fact they even started this thing, this show. Episode 3 will be here tomorrow night (for me) so I don't want to delay this anymore so I'll be brief for Ep. 2.

Saturday, July 15:

They left the campsite and Jungkook got to ride the motorcycle. Jimin said he looked like a proper American.

They stopped at a park and hiked a trail. Jimin fought mosquitoes. It was brutal. I've seen people worried about ticks. And snakes. Jimin pointed out a spider on a tree. Jungkook fantasized about alligators. Tick inspections occurred all around later on I hope.

We didn't see the transition from woods to marina. Maybe they had to make a bathroom stop for Jimin. Or urgent care to get him some meds. Who knows. Poor thing was suffering.

On the yacht, Jimin was still feeling puny but he tried. He ate though he knew he was risking it all.

He horsed around with Jungkook with the beast still rolling around in his guts.

I really wasn't expecting so much poop talk during Are You Sure but here we are.

I think this summed up the yacht trip. Especially after how it all started with the excursion being leaked by the boat captain himself. Perhaps the editors did this on purpose.

FYI those concentric ripples in the images are my camera trying to capture the screen in a different frequency than the monitor refreshes or some tech mumbo jumbo. Apologies and please ignore. It's Disney's fault for not letting us screen cap using an app.

I think Jungkook was looking for ticks. He would take something like that seriously, don't you think?

But Jimin mostly slept on the yacht. He had a rough night before. They still salvaged what they could and they still seemed to enjoy the experience.

A trip to Walmart. On the way they have one of those rambling conversations where Jungkook, who is not the most talkative type, decides to talk Jimin's ear off. They talked about making music and what drives them personally in their choices about their work.

We'll visit that thought again in a minute....

The whole Walmart visit is surreal to me. I go to Walmart at least once a week so to see Jimin and Jungkook browsing the aisles just blows my mind. NEVER did I EVER dream I'd see them looking for bacon at WALMART.

They look just like anyone else pushing their shopping cart going down the cereal aisle past the boxes of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Sugar Pops.

Jimin was a tad testy when JK disappeared. He even cussed him out. HAHAHAHAHAAA. BEEN THERE DONE THAT!!!

I know Jimin-ssi, why are men like that? I swear to god...

I saw someone say this sums up their dynamic perfectly: Jimin calculating in his mind how to work the self-check out while Jungkook does the helicopter cam above him.

You gotta give it to Walmart though, they do know their customer. The self check out is pretty self-explanatory.

The content of their cart:

TWO boxes of Twinkies???? And both Prego AND Ragu...

Getting to the AirBnb accommodations. Cooking. Chilling out before bedtime and Jimin lets Jungkook hear Who.

Horsing around in bed. You know, all these years, I've wondered how they keep the toothpaste spit inside their mouths while brushing their teeth? We've seen them brushing their teeth backstage, in the bathroom, walking around the green room, outside practicing choreo... HOW DO THEY NOT DROOL ALL OVER THEIR CUSTOM MADE OUTFITS? And now wrestling on the bed...

Waking up, JK and his frosted flakes. Jokes about abandoning Jimin...more horsing around on the bed. And then they doze off again. I know they did. Hard to tell but Jungkook is glued to Jimin's back.

Jimin gets to ride on the back of the Harley with JK. It starts to rain. I guess they were bringing it back to the rental place.

Going back to the store for a sponge.

I think Jimin was feeling much better. Looked like he slept better.

We see the Army who said they met Jimin and Jungkook last year. When I first heard about it I thought how lucky and random and what kind of stars need to align for that to happen??? What a great experience!!! When will it be our turn???

And then the next idea for Run BTS (the show)... hide and seek while shopping for specific ingredients to cook with and the twist is they're in a foreign country. WORLD TOUR RUN BTS!!! BIGHIT I HAVE IDEAS!!!! LISTEN TO ME!!!!

Its raining, dancing in the rain as they exit the store. They leave in the Jeep and head back to the house to eat their pizza.

Army in Connecticut won in life.

Then they start their journey back to NYC (I'm assuming) so Jungkook can go on to London and Jimin can head back to Korea. They stop one more time for lobster rolls and lobster mac & cheese.

That's when we see Jungkook contradict himself...

In the Jeep just a little while ago you said nothing inspired you. Was it the rain or the beer that was inspiring you? Or was it the head full of new memories and ideas about the next trip that were swirling around in there?

By the end of this trip, they are back in sync.

Their closing interview: JK wants to keep doing this until they're 50, 12 more seasons! JK said "practice being better variety show entertainers so the two of us can continue doing this" as motivation to continue doing this type of thing way into the future. Jimin found humor in that. And that's where we fade to black.

And during the credits, Jimin is eating again, spicy ramen, possibly the next day. Apparently his stomach is back in order as he readies to fly back home.

What a trip.

Deeper thoughts:

Jimin and Jungkook wanted to spend time together. We knew that. It didn't seem to happen when it could have. They even said so in the Jeep. But JK concluded the discussion succinctly:

Finally.

Finally they were spending quality time together. Though their talk was brief, we have no idea if there was more to it before or after what we saw of it. The editors showed us that much enough to explain the situation and why it had not happened. The end result of it all was: finally.

Finally, after wanting this. Finally, after saying we would. Finally... doing something together that we loved doing before and we've wanted to do again. Finally.

Jimin pushed for it. He knew. He made it happen. Finally.

They are two distinct personalities and their journeys through this solo era leading up to their enlistment were different.

Jimin is a leader and doer. He is the initiator. Jimin said if he hadn't pushed for this show to happen it would not have gotten done.

There were a few moments in these first two episodes where Jimin brought up MS. Jungkook didn't seem thrilled to talk about it.

They truly didn't know what they were going to film for this show. They got in the car and started to make it up as they went. I can see how that would be awkward.

They don't understand that just them being themselves is what we want to see. They don't have to try to make something happen. Its the spontaneous moments that make the best content (see kayak dump and Walmart trip). Maybe Jimin was more in tune with this than Jungkook was but he is the one who turns on a live and sits there and watches Netflix while eating chicken. They had to get back in sync and they did.

So the first episode was a little slow, a little cautious, a little quiet. Reserved. That first day they were finding their groove, getting 're-acquainted' if you will, finding the slots and spaces in each other that fit and feel the most comfortable to them. You could see them relax as the day wore on.

But, they still had challenges. JK's head cold. Jimin's stomach bug. You want some TMI's? Watch Jimin run to the bathroom for the fifth time.

We may see a little bit of this quiet re-acquainting when BTS does its first group live next year. And yes, I am 100% confident we will see this first live shortly after Jimin and Jungkook are discharged. We will see them in a way we've never seen before.

After both episodes... my conclusion is we saw about 2 hours out of the roughly 3 or three and a half days Jimin and Jungkook were together. Thursday evening, July 13 through Sunday evening, July 16. I'm not exactly sure when JK left for London but Jimin went back to Korea on July 17.

I wonder if the plan was to create hour long episodes or if there was so much they wanted to show the episodes just ended up being that long. They could have easily hidden Jimin's stomach issues from us. They could have edited a lot of it down. But in making the episodes this long, they showed more and more of their dynamic in play.

I didn't put everything into this post that I wanted to but we've got six more episodes coming and I still haven't had time to watch Run Jin.

Hashtags arent working... I'll add them later.

[mr-tony-stark]

Tony wasn't meaning to push anything. Just making offers simply because he didn't want Clint to just have to suffer through anything. And he wanted Clint to know - even if he had to hammer it in - that Tony cared.

He let it go though. He wasn't going to berate a full grown adult man about treating an injury he didn't even know if existed or not.

"Alright. I'll make sure there's fishing gear. There's a full kitchen and a grill so I'll have some stuff so if we do fish we can grill it up and eat. And I'll bring something else to grill in case we don't catch shit or you're not feeling gutting and scaling fish. If there's anything else you want, bring it along and I'll see you there. Just text when you get there. It's a private marina and I'm sure you'll be able to break in, but there's no need."

He felt like he should have something else to say. Like he hadn't gotten enough of of Clint. Or he should have something better than just goodbye.

The thought that if they were in person he might shove Clint up against the wall and kiss him before he left popped into his head.

Jesus Tony - was this going to be an actual problem?

"Let me know if you need backup with anything. And get that aircon of yours replaced," he said. "See you Saturday."

He disconnected the call and slowly spun around on his chair. He was looking forward to Saturday, but he couldn't pretend he wasn't worried about Clint in the meantime. They had the date though. If he seemed really down, he'd reassess then.

Please relax. If it was dire than Kate would know, any of emergency contacts would know and he'd be laid up in some hosptial. Or he likes to think he'd call someone if he couldn't crawl himself out of situation or get up and walk.

What he had to say seems to settle Tony, or at least convinces him not to fly over in a suit or call emergency services. A little banged up, bit nothing he hasn't recovered from. ❝ I'm fine. Bruises are the worst of it. ❞ That's not entirely true, but he could get up and walk around, he could even pull his bow. He should take it easy was the advice and to not over do it on the painkillers or alcohol.

Ugh.

❝ If you see me and think it's that bad, call her but I can still out scale a wall against you. So it's not bad. ❞ There is a wince as he gets up which hopefully wasn't caught on the phone receiver as he goes to the kitchen to get another drink and fill up his water glass more as well.

Clint knows he is playing a dangerous game with Tony making such a challenge. Who knows what Tony thought was bad when it came to him and he really didn't want to deal with a Dr. Foster or if he dared to see if Dr. Blake was taking calls. Who knows what he could be cornered into?

The thought of having another person with him while he was with Tony seemed like a recipe to be trapped into an intervention. If if was just him and Tony, he thinks he'd be able to escape better. Clint would at least be on an even playing field when it came to anything serious.

Plus he did just want time with Tony, try to make something of whatever they were. Sleep together again, on a boat, or just who knows. It makes him a little twitchy because he and Tony are wild cards, dice rolls, two powdered kegs.

❝ I can meet you there. Half past is enough time to wake up and get there. ❞ Linda never said he couldn't ride his motorcycle. It's been while since he's brought it out.

[seabreeze2022]

Bahamas 2023. Pre departure. We leave March 5 to the Bahamas

Lots of work before we go play in the Bahamas. In January we took the boat 10 miles north to a marina in Key Largo. The primary goal was to replace a Dripless Shaft Seal as preventive maintenance. This can only be done out of the water. The bottom paint was holding up pretty well. But now was the time to go ahead and redo the bottom paint. Previous paint was an ablative paint colored black. We used the same brand of ablative paint but changed the color to blue this time. Changing color helps you tell how far you might be sanding or how much paint has been scrubbed off over the years.

Nancy cleaned and waxed the hull once the bottom paint was done.

Due to tides we spent two nights at anchor waiting to get into the marina. I used this time to periodically spray PB Blaster on the rusty bolts holding the prop shaft to the transmission.

Here I have decoupled the prop shaft in preparation of removing the old Dripless shaft seal.

Nancy shines up the prop.

The boat has a new bottom paint and is shined and ready to splash.

We spent two nights on the anchor. Yoga on the foredeck in the morning.

The big addition this year for cruising the Bahamas is a water maker. We bought a Schenker 30 Zen water maker. It should make 30 liters an hour, or 7.9 gallons an hour. We were very frugal with our water usage last year. But our hygiene suffered, and the boat would not get salt washed off unless it rained. It was getting pretty crusty. You will never get a watermaker to be cost effective. But it will allow you to cruise in places where water is not available. Getting older this will save some wear and tear on us. “Jugging water” is strenuous and can be dangerous during the transfer from dinghy to boat.

Checking the dinghy engine which has not been run since last year in the Bahamas. It does run but is rough. Changed spark plugs but that did not fix the issue. Next thing to check is the carburetor. Starting with the easiest and least invasive, then digging deeper. After tearing down the carburetor multiple times and putting it back together before testing. I got it down to 20 minutes start to finish. It seems to be working but until we use it for a day locally, I will not have any confidence in it.

I needed professional help getting the electrical lines run for the watermaker. My mechanic Marcel finished that up Sunday February 26. By that evening I had lowered the actual watermaker down the hatch and laid it in place. Very little remains to be done now. Until we test run the watermaker and check for leaks the boat is completely in disarray. To access the bilge area for the intake and waterpump the aft cabin mattress has to be pulled out into the main cabin. Once we pressure test the watermaker and put the mattresses back, then we can start doing the final provisioning of the boat.

The Schenke Zen 30 is bolted down and pressure test on March 1. Now we can put the mattresses back into the aft cabin. Which allows us to start moving around the cabin and putting in all the provisions.

Nancy is drinking the out put from the watermaker. Our little multimeter tester shows great water. Nancy does the ultimate taste test, and the lagoon water passes the test. Absolutely amazing that we can turn yucky harbor saltwater into fresh drinking water.

While we are getting ready to leave March 4 (Saturday), Nancy’s relatives are dealing with a blizzard in Fargo N.D.. This time of year we are in the middle of “Spring Low tides”, we could not leave if we wanted too since the channel depth is so low.

A local friend and his wife, left a few days earlier in their Catamaran but a navigation component failed. So they had their replacement AIS shipped to our house on Wednesday. We will try and meet up with them south of Georgetown Exuma a week or so after we leave.

Saturday morning at daybreak on the 4 th, we navigated out the channel at our house. Very leisurely sail 5 miles at 3 kts. where we anchored on the back side of Tavernier Key.

While at anchor I set the “Jack lines” in place. Our Jack line is a web belt 3/4” wide rated to 4,200 breaking strength. It runs from the very back of the boat to the very front of the boat down both sides. If we have to go on deck ANY time when it is dark while underway. We tether ourselves to the boat. If we are underway and seas are rough we will also tether ourselves, via the jack lines to the boat. Nancy has an Inflatable Life Jacket and a Kong tether. Since I will be the one to handle any problems on deck. I wear a foam life Jacket that served me will in Water Tribe events. It has 2 knifes, flares, signal mirror, VHF radio, whistle, multiple lights, strobe and a Personal Locator Beacon. I wear a Kong tether and a sailing harness under the life jacket. If sailing at night we both tether into short jacklines that I installed in the cockpit.

Alarm is set for 0400, we will depart the anchorage and head perpendicular to the reef. Hopefully avoiding all of the lobster trap buoys and lines. Once we hit 250’ depth we will be clear of all traps. Then we will head for South Riding Rock. So about 70 miles across the Gulf Stream on a rumb line of 078 degrees. It would be nice cross on to the Bahama Bank during daylight but not mandatory.

Seas are predicted to be 1 foot with a 10 sec. period between them. Which makes for a calm crossing but not great for sailing. I assume we will motorsail the majority of the way. Another 56 miles puts us at the mouth of North West Channel. Great place to anchor Monday night. Then a quick 20 mile run to Morgan Wells, Andros Island Tuesday.

After clearing customs we will work on getting a Wi-Fi hot spot device and can then pick up internet. Till then don’t expect to get any updates until Wednesday at the earliest.

SV Sea Breeze, Tavernier Key, Florida Keys.

[formula365]

Making the pendulum swing - Turkish GP review

There are a lot of reasons motorsports fans love a race in a wet track. For one, rain is a great leveller, reducing the advantages of superior machinery and enhancing driver ability. Another reason is that it is fun to see some of the greatest drivers in the world have to wrestle with the steering wheel; reduced grip, at least to this level, is not a desirable outcome for every single race, but to have it on occasion makes for some great entertainment. And some spins are always a bit of fun to watch.

But the main reason why racing in the wet is so exciting is the unpredictability. These are special races, in which the logic of faster driver in a faster car will win does not (always) apply. Everybody loves an underdog, and these races are the biggest opportunities for unexpected winners in modern F1. Wet races can also provide plenty of changes in momentum, with the pendulum swinging in favour of one driver or another; if someone looks like being in control by lap 10, they might be out of it by lap 20 and back in it by lap 40.

This is exactly what we had in Istanbul this Sunday. Particularly in the first half, several drivers seemed to have the upper hand but, for one reason or another, they ended up falling down the order or, at the very least, could not compete with the eventual winner. In different periods of the race, Stroll, Perez, Verstappen and Albon all seemed like having the perfect set of circumstances to win the race. But Stroll couldn’t keep his tyres from graining, Verstappen and Albon spun out of contention and Perez decided to roll the dice and take the old tyres to the end, sacrificing pace for track position.

Perez’s strategy almost worked. Yes, he was significantly slower than several drivers behind him, and almost lost a place in the podium on the last lap, but he did manage his tyres superbly, as he usually does, to finish in a fine second place. It was, however, not enough to deal with the one man that continues to rise and astonish with how he makes the pendulum swing towards him.

Lewis Hamilton knew after qualifying that he didn’t need to do much in the race to clinch the world title. Bottas had struggled even more than he had, and was three places behind. Stay out of trouble, avoid crashing early and ensure Bottas finishes behind. The Finn made his job even easier by spinning on the opening lap and falling towards the back, from where he never recovered. A scoreless Bottas meant the title was in the bag. Hamilton didn’t need to push.

But he still went for it. He was stuck behind Vettel for a considerable period of time, which meant the Racing Points were too far down the road. As the pendulum swung between different drivers ahead of him, the champion-elect never really seemed with a shot of winning. But Hamilton bid his time and once he had clear air, he saw there was still an opportunity. And he is not one to waste opportunities. He clearly wanted to win the championship in style, not simply have it fall on his lap. In the past, he hasn’t often had the change to secure the title with a win. He wasn’t going to let that go this time around.

In the end, while all the other drivers who were there, or nearly there, made mistakes and lost their cool, Hamilton disappeared down the road, finishing a whopping 30-seconds-30 ahead of the pack. It was another demonstration, as if we needed more, that he does stand head and shoulders above everyone else on the grid. The young pretenders will have to wait a bit longer to dethrone him, because he shows no sign of losing his ability with age.

I try to not focus too much on the winners of a race, and not to write too often about Hamilton, but he makes it really difficult not to. He is a unique talent in the history of the sport and we should very much enjoy watching him while we can. Although there is plenty of talent in the coming generation, we might not see another driver like him for a long while.

Talking points * On Saturday it seemed impossible that we could see a Hamilton win. The Mercedes were completely out of pace, and it was Racing Point and Red Bull who had the fastest cars. It was an intense qualifying, that finished with a first pole for Lance Stroll. The Canadian gets a lot of stick because of his father’s money, but he does have bags of talent and he showed it on Saturday. The race might not have gone his way (Racing Point reporting there was damage to his front wing which caused the excessive tyre graining) but he should take comfort that, after a tough couple of months, he showed what he is capable of. He should use Saturday as a motivator to finish the season strongly. * Saturday also provided another concerning moment in terms of safety. At the start of Q2, drivers were sent out on track while marshalls were still in a run-off area, with a crane, recovering Latifi’s car. If your heart went racing back to Suzuka 2014, you were not alone. Race direction justified it by saying they had been informed the crane would be gone by the time drivers reached that point of the track, but there is no justification to even take that risk. A delay of 2 minutes would have been fine. After the issue with the marshalls on track at Imola, this is the second race in a row with less-than-optimal decisions from race direction. We should hope it’s not a trend, but Michael Masi appeared defensive afterwards and said he didn’t think anything should have been done differently. More than the decision itself, his reaction after the fact is not a good sign. * Wasn’t it great to see Vettel up on the podium again? He has had a torrid year, but had a quietly good race and was there to take advantage of his teammate’s error on the final chicane. It was probably his last podium in red, to leave a slightly sweeter taste to the end of his years with the Scuderia. * It was also great that he was there congratulating his great rival on another title. The respect Seb and Lewis have for each other is exemplary, both of them clearly aware of the hardships they had to go through to reach the very top. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see them go toe to toe more often in their careers. It should have been the great rivalry of this generation. * Sergio Perez’s form since it was announced he wouldn’t stay at Racing Point: P5, P4, P4, P7, P6, P2. And those P7 and P6 would have been P5 and P3 without strategy stumbles from the team. It’s ridiculous if he’s not on the grid next year. * McLaren continue to do what teams that reach the top do well: maximise their results and score valuable points even when their car is not the fastest. Both their cars started behind both Racing Points and Renaults, and yet, of those four drivers, only Perez finished ahead of them. Sainz had a bullet start and kept a cool head to finish P5, just behind the group fighting for the podium. His teammate had a horrible start and was last off the line, but recovered brilliantly to P8, and had a blistering pace towards the end, setting a fastest lap that was a second faster than the next best one. The car’s development might not have gone the way they hoped, but in every other aspect, this is a team firing on all cylinders. * Bottas had a nightmare race, seemingly incapable of keeping his car on the road. The team revealed he had suffered damage in a first lap contact with Esteban Ocon which could help explain his miserable day. Regardless of the causes, P14 is not a results anyone expects at Mercedes. At least now he is free to race the last 3 GPs without the title in his mind. I wonder if a pressure-less Bottas might put up some more of a fight in the coming weekends. * The two Red Bull drivers missed out on huge opportunities this weekend. After the first round of pit stops, the race was arguably Verstappen’s to lose, and, well, lose it he did. He was too greedy when trying to overtake Perez and destroyed his tyres in a spin, which forced to a second stop that effectively ended his race. If he was miserable after missing out on pole, I can’t imagine how he must have felt after the race. As for Albon, he is very much running out of time to impress the Red Bull hierarchy. After Verstappen spun, he was in great position to at least claim a podium, but like the Dutchman, he couldn’t keep his car on the road, and opened the door to Hamilton. To make matters worse, the driver who is apparently being considered to replace him finished second. Red Bull have said he will have until the end of the year to grab that seat, but one has to wonder how much can he genuinely do in the last 3 races after missing out on so many opportunities before? * What a tremendous qualifying from Alfa Romeo. Their pace disappeared on Sunday, but on Saturday Kimi and Gio were two of the stars, putting their cars in Q3. That this happened on Sauber’s 500th Grand Prix entry was only fitting; they couldn’t score points, but there was something for the team to celebrate about the weekend nonetheless.

* Renault’s topsy-turvy season continues. After 2 podiums in 3 races, they leave Turkey with just one point and their hopes of reaching third in the constructors’ championship dashed. They should do well in the final races of the season, as the power hungry Sakhir and the long straights of Yas Marina will favour their car, but if they want to be in the mix up front, they need to better understand the car and what makes it work (and what doesn’t). They have shown they can put together a competitive car, but they can’t win titles if they don’t show up every weekend.

[jfls]

[190128] Javier Fernández’s farewell speech.

“When I was six years old, I was accompanying my parents to pick up my sister Laura, when she also started skating. And one day the question of whether I also wanted to skate arose. And of course I said yes. Two years later I started my first competition, with some second-hand skates. Shortly after I had a dream, an impossible dream that has now come true. Could a guy from Cuatro Vientos stand out in a world as different and complex as we are used to in our country? And I dared to dream and I pursued that dream. Last Saturday, as you know, was my last performance and I come back home with seven European Championships titles, two World Championships titles and one Olympic medal. All these championships, sporting successes are so important... I take the enthusiasm from the fans, that's for sure. The affection with which you, the media, have always showed me and the support of the institutions and sponsors. Today I want to start by thanking my family, my parents and my sister Laura, who had to make great sacrifices so that I could develop my life as a skater. I could never thank you enough for everything you have done for me. It must have been very difficult to leave only a 17-year-old boy, who hardly spoke English, to travel across the world and go to another country. I went to live in the United States at age 17 with a coach named Nikolai Morozov whom I met at a summer camp in Andorra. He suggested to my parents and I that I go train in New Jersey and be part of their training team. They accepted, I accepted and that's where everything started. Later I moved to Toronto to train with Brian Orser, who became a model for me, a second father. Brian had to suffer with the personality of a Spanish teenager who did not have the discipline that I have now. Brian understood my way of being and brought out the best in me. How I'm going to miss Brian too, that way of being he has and that embrace that coaches give you before going out to compete. Nor can I forget Tracy Wilson, who has been by my side in many and many of my trainings. Choreographers have also played a key role in my career. I have had the pleasure of working with Antonio Najarro, the one who created La Malagueña, who has given us so much joy. And of course, the Canadian David Wilson with whom I had the honor of working in the last 7-8 years. Those who know me know that I am not the most organized person in the world. I have already arrived at some competition without my skates, I have already forgotten my costumes, but I am who I am. I also want to apologize to the people who have suffered from my mistakes, especially to Jorge Serradilla, with whom I have shared many adventures first in the schoolyard and then all over the world. I apologize. The support of institutions and sponsorships has also been essential in my career. Gloria Estefanell, María Teresa Samaranch supported me from the Spanish Federation some time ago, and later it was Frank González and his entire team. I want to publicly thank the support from LaLigaSports, whose president, Mr. Tebas, is here with us. I have also received the support of the Spanish Olympic Committee, in particular Alejandro Blanco, who is also here with us. And I can not forget also our beloved Miguel Cardenal, who has also suffered some of our pranks. And of course, María José Rienda, current Secretary of State for Sport. The media have also always shown a very special affection for me, as for example Saturday's broadcast with Paloma del Río showed, who after 30 years as a commentator was was moved to tears at the end of my performance. You (the media) have been there and have always lived my successes as if they were yours. Thank you all for that affection. I leave these last words to my girlfriend Marina, who has suffered my absences and has been the inspiration in my last successes. To finish I want to make an call to all people who have a dream, whether they are children or adults. I encourage you to pursue your dreams: as impossible as they may seem, dreams are often fulfilled. And there are even times when reality goes beyond what we dreamed, as it has happened to me. Thank you so much everyone.”

[f1chronicle]

Max Verstappen Takes First Pole Of 2020 In Abu Dhabi

It was a case of better late than never for Max Verstappen who surprised everyone, including himself, to take pole at Yas Marina for the FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX 2020.

Behind him on the grid will be Mercedes duo of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, while the battle for third in the Constructor’s Championship is poised to go to the wire after McLaren’s Lando Norris qualified fourth.

Listen: 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying Analysis

Results: 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Qualifying Results

Late Season Joy For Max Verstappen

After a long and tiring season, Max Verstappen brought joy to himself and his crew by breaking Mercedes dominance at Abu Dhabi, taking the third pole position of his career.

‘It was a very nice lap. I didn’t really expect to fight for pole today but it is very satisfying and at least we have one pole this year with the dominance Mercedes have had and we can be very pleased for that.

‘Everyone is a bit tired at the end of such a tough season but I think for the mechanics and everyone in the Team this was a great boost.

‘It wasn’t the most straightforward qualifying, of course initially I had my hand stuck under the wheel so I had a poor lap and then after that with the medium tyre it was not so easy but on the second run we made a few changes and then it seemed a bit better.

‘Then in Q3 we had quite a decent lap and everything came together. It won’t be easy tomorrow as they have two cars behind me that can do different strategies and try to put me under pressure but I’m going to give it all I have and have fun out there.

‘We have a shot at the win but whatever happens today has been a great day.’

2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Saturday – Max Verstappen (image courtesy Red Bull Racing)

Valtteri Bottas Settles For Second

Valtteri Bottas had to settle for second place on the grid as he set the second fastest time in Q3, missing out on pole position by less than half a tenth of a second.

‘Congratulations to Max on pole position, he did a good job today. We saw in FP3 that the Red Bull was pretty quick; they managed to optimise their car and really extract the maximum from the Soft tyre, which is something we struggled with all weekend.

‘As the track cooled down towards the end of the session, I started to suffer with understeer, which made it tricky to improve the lap times. I think I still managed to get everything out of the car, but we simply weren’t quick enough today.

‘We looked stronger on the Medium tyres, but you need to be quick on the softest compound to be on pole.

‘The points are given out on Sunday though. We have a strong car and will start the race on the Mediums, so it’s all still to play for.

‘I think it’s going to be a good battle between Max, Lewis and myself and anything can happen as we’ve seen in F1 lately. I’m looking forward to an exciting season finale tomorrow and will fight hard to end the year on a high.’

2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Saturday – Valtteri Bottas (image courtesy Mercedes-AMG Petronas)

Difficult Day For Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton had a difficult day, struggling to get back into his usual race weekend rhythm after not racing last weekend in Bahrain.

‘It’s definitely been a difficult weekend, getting back into the rhythm and finding the momentum again but I’m super grateful to be back with the team and trying to close out the strong season that we’ve had, in style.

‘I’ve struggled with the balance of the car and we weren’t really gelling together, so it was a battle to get a lap together in qualifying. I still gave it my all and it was so close between us.

‘Obviously, it’s disappointing to be P3, but congratulations to Max, he’s been driving great this year. Hopefully we’ll give Max a good run for his money tomorrow, with both Valtteri and myself starting right behind him. It makes it more exciting, that’s for sure, and there’s still some unknowns with the long runs.

‘This is a tough track to overtake on but there’s still strategy to play with, and the start and first few laps are going to be important. So, there are opportunities and I’m excited to see how it’ll play out.’

2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Saturday – Lewis Hamilton (image courtesy Mercedes-AMG Petronas)

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Note:  I wrote this more than a decade ago but given how little is out there about the historical context of Mexico City earthquakes I thought it might be useful to post it now.  It was intended to show the complex relationship between seismology, historical settlement and societal corruption.  My aunt was a doctor on the staff of the president of Mexico at the time and she and all her colleagues were secluded in the presidential compound by the army for days after the quake unable to help the people who actually needed them.  She lost her apartment building and friends killed in the collapse of the Residency of the General Hospital.

Tepeyollotl’s Revenge:  Echoes of the 1985 Mexico City Earthquakes

“Oh, my Mexico, my wounded Mexico, my Mexico that contents itself with so little!  Is it possible that we can still believe in the efficacy of government when, at the crucial movement, it was the people who did everything?” –A Mexico City resident.   

“Let us not forget the days following the earthquake of September 19, 1985, when, weighed down by the tragedy, the people of Mexico City yet showed themselves ready to organize and run their own lives in the face of the complete failure of the government to find an effective response.” –Francisco Pérez Arce, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.  

           On Saturday September 28, 1985, I was a seven-year-old girl playing with my toys on the floor of the New York City apartment of a friend of my mother.  Everyone was keeping up a good face and trying to hide their concern, until the phone rang to tell us that my aunt, a doctor living in Mexico City was alive. It had taken more than a week to get word out of the country, not by telephone, but by short wave radio as most information was trickling out of Mexico.  Nine days before an earthquake had hit the city of eighteen million people and knocked out all telephone communication for the entire country.  It wasn’t for a few days after that news footage began to appear on American television as specialized satellite trucks landed in the country of toppled buildings and disaster on a scale that was hardly imaginable.  As it turned out the destruction was far worse, and the suffering far deeper than toppled buildings could convey, but in the wake of death comes life and rebirth, not just for a city, but also for the entire country.  The earthquake changed the way the people saw their history, and their government, and lead to massive changes across Mexican civil society.

           In 1325 the Aztecs choose a magnificent setting within the Valley of Mexico for their new capital of Tenochtitlan, high on a plateau on an ancient lake basin with a ring of volcanic mountains around it. It was perfect for the building of the great pyramids of Central America, but that choice would have profound consequences for their descendants.  During the Aztec period there were some fifty settlements in the Valley of Mexico, each ranging from between 15,000-30,000 people.  By the time of the battle between Hernaán Cortés’ forces and the Aztec’s, Tenochtitlan was as large as any European city. The city would continue to serve its new Spanish masters during the colonial period, and in fact it was that very battle site that would later serve as the center of postcolonial power in Mexico, as well as the area of greatest destruction during the 1985 earthquakes.  

           For close to seventy years the country had been governed by a single authoritarian political party, the  Partido Revolucionario Institucional (Insitutional Revolutionary Party), known as the PRI..  Poverty in the countryside and perceived opportunity in the city, along with an internal growth rate had resulted in the quintupling of the city’s population in that time, spreading well beyond the boundaries of the Federal District, and into the surrounding State of Mexico.  The earthquake was only one of a serious of shocks to Mexican society beginning with the 1968 student movement and the massacre of protesters by government forces at Tlatelolco—the site of much of the worst residential damage seventeen years later—just before the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games up to the collapse of world petroleum prices which brought about a collapse in the peso and the declaration of a debt crisis in 1982 which resulted in a deepening financial crisis by the time the tremors hit.

           Mexico is a highly active seismic zone, experiencing five times as many major earthquakes as California, with more than 340 recorded earthquakes in the area of the capital since pre-Columbian times.  A 7.5 magnitude earthquake had struck the city in 1957 resulting relatively minor damage. This gave false reassurance not only to officials in Mexico City who had been concerned about the vulnerability of the capital, but also to similarly at risk cities such as San Francisco who were at the time debating residential building in what became the Marina District.  But in 1957 there were only about five million people living in the city, and few of the buildings that would cause the greatest loss of life in their collapse had been built.  In 1985 there were eighteen million people living in the Federal District.

           At 7:19 a.m. on Thursday, September 19, 1985 an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck in the subduction zone of either the Cocos or Rivera Oceanic plates beneath the North American plate.  The Rivera is a relatively small plate subducts below the state of Jalisco at a rate of 2.5 cm/yr.  The Cocos subducts between 5-8 cm/yr.    The boundary of the Rivera and Cocos plates is uncertain, but is probably near Manzanillo (19.1 ° N, 104.3 ° W). It was not one earthquake, but two separate events separated by some 30 seconds and about a hundred miles in space long the fault system.  The foci were 6 and 20 km underground in the Michoacan gab.

It was learned from a 1964 8.4 magnitude earthquake in Alaska that extremely large seismic events are often the result of this kind of momentary hang up of the slip along a fault, before it is released at another point.  The surface of the earth behaves like the surface of a pond during an earthquake. During a standard singular event waves travel out from the focus of the earthquake like ripples on the pond after a rock is dropped in.  In the case of these compound events, it would be like dropping two rocks simultaneously into the pond and watching their waves interact and amplify as they spread across the water.  In addition to gaining powerful from each other, the combined waves from these events travel at a greater distance through rock.

           The earthquake was also unusually long, with duration of almost three minutes.  Mexico city is built partially on alluvial lake deposits that average 100-150 feet thick, but in some areas extend as far as 7500 feet, the long period of shaking excited soil deep soil deposits and resulted in an amplification of the ground movement.  The clay layer which forms the majority of the lake bed has up to 400% water content, and when subject to shaking liquefies, contributing yet another cause to the amplification of the waves in this area up to 50 times that which occurred in the surrounding hill zone.  Two days later a second quake, registering 7.5 in magnitude also rocked the area.

           At the time Mexico city was highly centralized, with key government buildings (including the presidential palace and the main administrative offices of the Federal District, educational institutions, medical centers, principle hotels) all located within the lake bed zone.  Five major hospitals were destroyed with another twenty-two damaged including the residency of the General Hospital, killing a large number of young doctors.  Other major government buildings collapsed including the offices of the Attorney General, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of the Navy, and the Ministry of the Interior.  The city saw the bending of railroad tracks, and the breaking of underground pipes causing widespread disruption transportation in the 150 square mile city and cutting off water to more than six million people.  With the telephone center on Victoria Street destroyed, the entire country of Mexico remained cut off from the world.  Journalist Elena asks incredulously in her ethnography of the quake, “How is it possible that 55,000 branches that connect the south with the north of the country and the whole country with the world were all concentrated in one single old building on Victoria Street?” 

Government estimates place the death toll somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people, but there is ample reason to suspect those figures.  More than a week after the earthquake, Fernando Pérez Correa, subsecretary of government was insisting on national television that only 2,000 people had died.  Given the reported loss of more than a hundred schools, and the beginning of the Mexican school day at 7:00 am, and some 6,000 people were known to have died in the collapse of the largest 265 buildings, it seems more reasonable to accept the number of people missing after the quake, 28,000, as a more reasonable estimate of the loss of life.  

This discrepancy over the death toll leads to a troubling factor in a lot of the technical and engineering descriptions of quake which do not classify it as a “great disaster” because while there was an undeniably large amount of property damage, a death toll would usually need to fall into the tens of thousands before it would reach that classification. As will be seen, it was in the interest of the Mexican government to downplay the extent of the disaster. Monetary losses were impossible to estimate, but it is believed to be the third most expensive earthquake of the 20th century, only exceeded by the San Francisco in 1906 and Tokyo in 1923, and neither of those cities were already three years into an economic crisis at the time.

           When trying to digest the level of destruction that occurred in September 1985, it is worth examining the terms we use when describing such destruction.  A hazard is a natural occurrence that generally comes in two categories, slow acting and fast acting.  Slow acting hazards include droughts, disease, and epidemics, all of which are common in the history of Latin America.  Fast acting hazards are generally singular events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and tsunamis.  Hazard refers to the agent, disaster to the process in which the agent interacts with physical, social, and economic factors.  A disaster occurs when a population is vulnerable to a hazard, and is in no way natural.  Dorethea Hilhorst describes challenges the popular perception of the villainy of natural forces, “Instead of regarding disasters as purely physical occurrences, requiring largely technological solutions, as was widespread until the 1970s, such events are better viewed primarily as the result of human actions—as the ‘actualization’ of social vulnerability.”

           “Vulnerability is usually understood as the physical risk in the presence of given hazards, which has in the past led to mistaken concepts, such as ‘a natural disaster.’”  Often these are poor people who have no other choice as to where they can live, or no ability to move out of the path of danger, but not all poor people are vulnerable to disaster and not all people vulnerable to disaster are poor.  

In the early colonial period the Indian populations lived historically on the outskirts of Mexico City (at times forbidden by law to live in the city center), and thus were saved from the vulnerability of the soil conditions within the city center, but the damage they did sustain was longer lasting because the areas they lived in were not considered urgent when priorities were made for reconstruction.  As seen in the case of the Indians, the circumstances that create vulnerability are often historical in nature and can be centuries in the making, “Vulnerability is not just concerned with the present or the future but is equally, and intimately, a product of the past.”  

           There is a tendency when studying disasters either to focus on the “hapless victim” or on the equipment used to help them rather than on the societal forces that have caused the situation in the first place (Hilhorst 64).  Only when disaster research is linked to a specific social and cultural context can it really show the disaster process and be a guide to preventing disaster in the future.

           The 1985 Mexico City earthquakes presented often-confusing data to earthquake engineers from more developed countries like the United States and Japan.  Most of the buildings collapsed were relatively new reinforced concrete structures building between 1950 and 1970, between seven and fifteen stories tall. The rigidity of these structures made them particularly vulnerable while older, typically masonry bearing structures did well.  While some buildings were crushed when larger ones collapsed onto them, others sustained major damage to the upper floors when adjoining buildings swayed so much as to send the tops of the buildings pounding into each other.  One engineering survey of these buildings concluded “…that there was not a clear, direct cause that could explain all the upper-floor collapses observed, and the lack of seismic design, pounding, overloading, and a sudden change of stiffness from one floor to another.”  What the engineering models, carefully calibrated with blue prints of the buildings and experiments, were probably unable to test was the extent that these buildings, and the people inside them, were the victims of corruption rampant in Mexican civil society.  The engineers found a puzzle because the buildings described in blueprints did not behave as those built in reality.  Criminal negligence cannot be tested in a laboratory.  

           In one famous case, that of the Nuevo León Building of Tlatelolco residential housing district, the residents of the building had been organizing for well over ten years to get city officials to realize the building was unsafe.  One resident describes it, “The fear began with the noise that the elevator cables made. The shafts were lopsided way beyond what is permissible.  We residents organized—there were wonderful people who struggled and who are no more—and insisted to the authorities that the building was unsafe.”   Three years before the quake the building was temporarily evacuated so that the foundations could be re-enforced, only to have the contract given to the nephew of the housing authority president whose firm did not have the technological means to carry out the job.  Less than a year before the earthquake the president of the housing authority presented building blueprints to the residents and insisted not only was their building safe, but that it was the safest building in the entire city .  It was one of the first to fall down.  In the Tlatelolco-Nonoalco complex alone, where Nuevo León was located, 43 out of 102 buildings were completely destroyed .

           Much of this level of corruption was the result of the party apparatus, though certainly the history of top heavy, complex and corrupt governments in Mexico did not begin with the PRI.    H.R. Harvey, reaching back into Aztec times, describes, “…complex political institutions—highly stratified conquest states, with imperial motives—have long been characteristic of Central Mexico.”   To say that the PRI was a one party state is simplistic.  The party was divided between multiple factions that vied for power among in bitter struggles that might send high officials and their grupos (immediate supporters) into political exile.  Factions were often based within a particular ministry or handful of ministries, and would deliberately undermine the work being done by other ministries to the extent that no particular faction could hold onto the presidency very long, or do very much while in power.  “Fear of losing power is also the most plausible motive for the extraordinary intense conflict that, all sources agree, beset the cabinet.  A grupo has two motives to attack rivals—ambition to advance its’ members careers and fear that rivals will end its members’ careers—but fear is the more powerful.” 

           The city administration could not be separated from the national government, as the city administration was the national government.  The Federal District was an administrative unit made up of most of the Mexico City metropolitan area, and at the time it was ruled directly by the national government. The mayor, or regente, was one of the president’s most important cabinet appointees and attempted to oversee the complex interactions between the national government and the city’s social framework.  As such, the regente and his administration were often subject to the same political infighting that marked the rest of the national government.

           In the preceding years before the earthquake, the PRI faced a decline in support within Mexico City, as many people joined independent urban citizens movements that only multiplied after the earthquake. These movements demanded better transportation, and city services, but overall better housing.  Forty years of rent control had discouraged private landlords from maintaining properties that did not turn a profit, while in places such as Tlatelolco, the buildings were suspected (rightly) of being substandard.  

           President Miguel de la Madrid, a Harvard trained economist, had come to power a few years before and was working closely with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to service Mexico’s massive foreign debt.  The spiral of inflation and economic crash had so occupied his time that when faced with the calamity in Mexico City his first priorities seem to have stayed the national debt and trying to avoid a loss of tourism revenues.

           The governments priorities, in part to satisfy the requirements of international lenders, was to focus on large manufacturing infrastructure such as transportation, electricity and telephones in order to get the economic wheels of the city—and the country as the city was the engine of the country—moving again.  This was done at the expense of the attending to the primary needs for food and shelter in the most damaged areas.  This was compounded when de la Madrid initially announced that Mexico did not need and would not accept any foreign aid to help in the recovery from the earthquake.  He was so divorced from the reality of the average Mexican, and certainly the average resident of the city, when he publicly stated on September 24, five days after the first quake, that the major difficulty of the earthquake would be that it would “complicate the management of Mexico’s foreign debt.” 

           The perception that President de la Madrid was also not helped by the fact that in his initial tours of the damaged areas, the president visited building sites and looked at physical damage, but did not visit any hospitals or meet with any homeless citizens.  The president’s tin ear for public relations continued with the visit from First Lady Nancy Reagan.  She personally handed over a check from the American government for $1 million to aide in the recovery process and the president endorsed the check and handed it back to her asking that it be applied to the national debt.  This was emblematic of a decision made by the authorities to use much of the earthquake reconstruction aid they eventually agreed to accept to repay foreign debt. This was seen by many people as an effort to help the countries financial elite with money intended to benefit the country’s poor.

           There seems to have been a desire by the government to downplay the consequences of the quake, one government spokesmen stating the day after the first quake that “the earthquake was not as important as has been said…”  This denial of the gravity of the situation resulted in deliberate deceit about the death toll that makes determining the true figure impossible.  One example of such deceit has to do with the number of buildings that collapsed.  Officially the government insisted that between 300-400 buildings collapsed out of the 1.5 million in the Federal District.  The reality was that 400 buildings with five or more stories fell, and twice that number had to be demolished.

           Nancy Reagan’s visit gives another example of the obsession with image over the welfare of the people.  In preparation for her visit to a Red Cross hospital, the floors, walls, and windows were scrubbed with soap and water, the hair of the patients were combed, and stuffed animals were placed in all their beds. The one girl they could locate who spoke any English, who had had one of her legs amputated to extricate her from a building, was taken away from her family and put in a separate room so that Mrs. Reagan could chat with her.  When the girl protested she was told  “Afterward, we’ll put you back in your bed again.”  

         The government was organized to maintain control of the state and its institutions.  Elena Poniatowska describes, “For the government the well-being of the people is a secondary matter”.  This is best seen in the exercise of National Defense Plan III-E (DN-III), intended to use the army in support of the civilian population in natural disaster. Sources disagree, but apparently there was some concern by those close to President de la Madrid and other civilians around him that if too much control over the crucial urban center was given to the army that the power might never be given back. As a result, Secretary for National Defense Juan Arévalo Gardoqui ordered the army to “limit yourselves to cordoning off the disaster areas” and prevent looting.  Tragically that is what they did.  

           Soldiers were sent in to parts of the city, some did not even know what street they were on, with automatic weapons and they forcibly stopped civilians from digging through the rubble of buildings were there were cries of survivors to be heard.  

           At one of the collapsed hospitals, Hospital Juárez:

           At that hour the army came, and all of us civilians were kicked out; we were told that they had trained people.  We couldn’t go on with the job.  Friday they pushed us further away, they cordoned off the entire disaster area, and they didn’t let us do a blessed thing, but they didn’t’ do a blessed thing either.  They milled around.  […]  On the other side of the hospital fence, relatives stood night and day, asking, asking.  They wanted help.  It was already Sunday when the French and the Israeli teams arrived and started to work. When we saw that they were already leaving, we stopped the French with the help of a kid that knew some French. They answered that they were withdrawing because the soldiers had kicked them out.

More than 50,000 men had been deployed to the disaster zones: members of the army with automatic weapons prevented any looting and to make sure people understood that the administration is in control of the Republic.   Many citizens reported being forced to pay bribes to the police in order to get the bodies of their loved ones or to return to their homes. 

           Corruption has long been a fact of everyday life in the urban centers of Mexico, and the earthquake exposed a number of disturbing examples.  In the basements of many collapsed police stations and ministry buildings the bodies of people with evidence of torture were discovered, but the most high profile was symptomatic of the marriage between the police and business interests in the center of the city.  It was discovered that there were many clandestine garment factories across the downtown areas when the buildings collapsed under the weight of heavy sewing machines and industrial sized rolls of textiles in old and dilapidated buildings.  Citizen outrage was ignited when the local government authorities sent out police to protect the owner of one such factory as he salvaged the sewing machines while dozens of injured women were left in the rubble.

           The PRI became concerned about the power and influence of the neighborhood organizations that were coordinating rescue operations.  A week after the first quake the government officially declared that only they could assist in rescue and clean up.  For days and sometimes weeks or longer, hundreds of thousands of people had no homes, no work, no transportation, no food, no water, no telephones, no hospitals, and no reliable authorities.  People marched in protest demanding a repudiation of the foreign debt, better transportation and housing, and above all that the government address the housing crisis—that had existed in Mexico City well before the earthquake—a large number of people were still living in tents more than eighteen months after the quake, with the last temporary shelters disappearing fifteen years after the original quake.

           The de la Madrid administration did eventually address the housing crisis and with the help of the World Bank, an estimated 100,000 families found new housing under the Renovación Habitacional Popular (Popular Housing Renovation program) by 1988.  The ban on public action could not hold and just as the government feared, the neighborhood associations became the core of the opposition to the PRI in the 1990s.  The housing rights movement transformed into a force for democratic reform of the city government.  Mexico City became a focus not only for opposition to the PRI, but also of schism from within.

            Certainly the earthquake was only one of many crisis’ that undermined and eventually destroyed the PRI.  The 1994 indigenous rebellion in Chiapas and the assassinations of Luis Donaldo Colosio and Francisco Ruiz Massieu come easily to mind, but the manifest incompetence of the government at a time of great crisis emboldened the citizens and contributed to the end of the one party state.  Just as colonial earthquake records can demonstrate the social state of the Indians living around the capital, the modern record demonstrates the social tremors that followed in the wake of the seismic ones.

[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 2/4/2019

Good MORNING #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Monday 4th February2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT) or Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) OR by purchasing by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

A TIME TO PRAY – Two men of the cloth yesterday took different views about the recent upsurge in crime and violence as the island concluded its Weekend of Prayer. A third has called for a “deeper investigation” into how guns and drugs are finding their way into Barbados. However, Prime Minister Mia Mottley stressed that Government, in partnership with the church and other social groups, could turn the country around. “We have, as a nation, to ‘hold each one’ and the Government has enough resources, but we’re sending piece there and piece there instead of bringing everybody into a single mission – to save our families. If we in Government, in partnership with the church and groups with similar minds, are prepared to save our families from St Lucy to St Philip, we can turn this country around and shun the forces of evil which want to take over,” she said. She was speaking at Sanctuary Empowerment Centre, Country Road, St Michael, where Bishop Dr Marlon Husbands anointed her head and feet with oil, and held special prayers for her as well as for the country. (DN)

ABRAHAMS PLANT BACK TO NORMAL – The South Coast Sewerage Treatment Plant at “better than pre-crisis” levels. But eventually, said Minister of Water Resources, Wilfred Abrahams, the entire sewerage system would have to be overhauled. Abrahams made the comments during a press conference on Saturday at the Barbados Water Authority’s Pine, St Michael headquarters. It was in December 2017, that the then new general manager, Keithroy Halliday, had described the hundreds of gallons of raw sewage, which had been spilling onto the streets of the South Coast from late 2016, as a “national crisis”. On Saturday, Abrahams painted a picture of a Graeme Hall Swamp whose water quality was good and where fish had been reintroduced in the wake of the cessation of pumping raw sewage into its waters; of water levels in the swamp which had stablised as a result of the creation of an outfall, negating the necessity of opening the sluice gate and closing Worthing Beach; and of the much maligned disposal wells which have not been used since last December. (DN)

ANOTHER SHOW OF SUPPORT FOR GUAIDO – For the second time in a week, scores of Venezuelans living in Barbados turned out at Rockley, Christ Church, in support of the head of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Juan Guaido, who has proclaimed himself president and disputed Nicolas Maduro’s legitimacy as the leader of the South American country. Guaido and many others have accused Maduro of being a dictator in the wake of an election last year which they said was not free or fair. On January 23 Guaido was immediately recognised as Venezuela’s president by several nations, including the United States, the Lima Group, and the Organisation of American States. “We are here to show support for the president of the National Assembly . . . . But we are trying to do everything as legally as possible and abiding by the constitution to avoid bloodshed,” Myrna Hughes said. Things came to a head in Venezuela due to shortages of food and medicine which severely impacted living standards and led to protests in 2014. Those protests escalated and resulted in numerous deaths and an exodus of people to other South American and some Caribbean nations. However, Hughes said too many people were trying to cover up the issues. “Our foreign affairs minister was here yesterday and it was incredible to hear that man saying that everything is normal. That is totally outrageous when people are dying of hunger and because there is no medicine,” she said. Minister Counsellor at the Venezuelan Embassy in Barbados, Alvaro Sanchez Cordero, said the chaos was being promoted by the big media companies and that the US’ involvement was illegal. “All this noise and psychological warfare is taking place digitally, through CNN, Reuters, BBC. It’s a whole show for the international community for public opinion to cement the idea that Venezuela is in a complete state of confrontation or civil war to make it seem that something needs to be done,” he said.  (DN)

TRUMP SAYS U.S. MILITARY INTERVENTION IN VENEZUELA 'AN OPTION,' RUSSIA OBJECTS – U.S. President Donald Trump said military intervention in Venezuela was “an option” as Western nations boost pressure on socialist leader Nicolas Maduro to step down, while the troubled OPEC nation’s ally Russia warned against “destructive meddling.”  The United States, Canada and several Latin American countries have disavowed Maduro over his disputed re-election last year and recognized self-proclaimed President Juan Guaido as the country’s rightful leader.  Maduro, who has overseen an economic collapse and the exodus of millions of Venezuelans, still maintains the powerful backing of Russia, China and Turkey, and the critical support of the military.  In an interview with CBS on Sunday, Trump said U.S. military intervention was under consideration.  “Certainly, it’s something that’s on the - it’s an option,” Trump said, adding that Maduro requested a meeting months ago.  “I’ve turned it down because we’re very far along in the process,” he said in a CBS “Face the Nation” interview. “So, I think the process is playing out.”  The Trump administration last week issued crippling sanctions on Venezuelan state-owned oil firm PDVSA [PDVSA.UL], a key source of revenue.  Tens of thousands of people thronged the streets of various Venezuelan cities on Saturday to protest Maduro’s government.  France and Austria said on Sunday they would recognize Guaido if Maduro did not respond to the European Union’s call for a free and fair presidential election by Sunday night.  Russia, a major creditor to Venezuela in recent years and an ideological ally to Maduro, quickly urged restraint.  “The international community’s goal should be to help (Venezuela), without destructive meddling from beyond its borders,” Alexander Shchetinin, head of the Latin America department at Russia’s Foreign Ministry, told Interfax.  Maduro in comments on state television promised peace for the country without specifically responding to Trump.  “In Venezuela, there will be peace, and we will guarantee this peace with the civil military union,” he said in the company of khaki and black-clad soldiers who were earlier shown carrying guns and jumping from helicopters into the sea.  Venezuela’s ambassador to Iraq, Jonathan Velasco, became the latest official to recognize opposition leader Guaido this weekend. Air Force General Francisco Yanez in a video also called on members of the military to defect but there were no signs the armed forces were turning against Maduro.  Venezuela has as many as 2,000 generals, according to unofficial estimates, many of whom do not command troops and whose defection would not necessarily weaken the ruling socialists.  The police have also fallen in line with Maduro.  A special forces unit called FAES led home raids following unrest associated with opposition protests in January, killing as many as 10 people in a single operation in a hillside slum of Caracas.  Latin American governments with the help of the United States are seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Venezuela, which is suffering medicine shortages, malnutrition and hyperinflation that has led millions to emigrate.  Guaido on Sunday was expected to make an announcement regarding international humanitarian aid that would come through Colombia, Brazil and a Caribbean island and said he was counting on the armed forces to help bring it into Venezuela.  “The USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development) is working hard to help the people of Venezuela with humanitarian assistance such as these tonnes of Ready-to-Use Supplementary Foods for malnourished children,” USAID Administrator Mark Green tweeted on Saturday, posting photos of boxes piled up.  It is unclear whether Maduro’s government, which denies the country is suffering a humanitarian crisis, will let any foreign aid through. (Reuters)

TEEN ADDICTS ON THE RISE – More people are turning to Verdun House and its sister residential treatment facility Marina House in St John for help with their adolescent drug addicts. However, says chief executive officer of the Substance Abuse Foundation (SAF) Marietta Carrington, both Verdun and Marina have been forced to turn them away since the two facilities only cater to those 18 and older. But the CEO said while SAF would be ramping up its outpatient counselling, there was an urgent need for a reform of child care laws to deal with the issue. Carrington told the NATION the Foundation had noticed an increase in the number of people wanting help for adolescent drug users. “But we cannot take them into residential care. Just recently, we were having a conversation on how not to turn away the adolescents. There is an outpatient treatment facility in Barbados which provides some support but that is not, in my view, adequate enough for a growing adolescent population,” she said, explaining they were getting requests for children who were 15 or 16. (DN)

DISBARRED – Attorney-at-law Joyce Griffith has been disbarred. The decision of the Court of Appeal was handed down on January 30, ruling that Griffith was guilty of misappropriating the proceeds from a sale of property for a client. No money had been paid to the client more than five years and evidence showed it was used to pay medical bills. In addition, the court ruled that Griffith must pay $128 770 along with interest at a rate of six per cent per annum, dating back to August 2012, plus costs. Griffith had been engaged by Ordeen Bishop-Broomes to act for her in the sale of property situated at Holetown, St James for $300 000. The sale was completed, and the complainant’s brother, who was jointly entitled to the proceeds of the sale, received $128 778.70 representing his net share of the proceeds. Bishop-Broomes discovered that her brother had been paid whilst she had not. (DN)

JASON HOLDER BANNED FOR THIRD TEST - West Indies captain Jason Holder will miss the final Test against England after being banned by the International Cricket Council. The all-rounder, 27, will serve a one-match suspension for his side's slow over-rate in the 10-wicket win in the second Test in Antigua. The third Test in St Lucia starts on Saturday, with West Indies 2-0 up in the series. Holder is the leading run-scorer with 229 at an average of 114.50. He has been a central figure in West Indies securing a first series win over England since 2009, and their first over any side other than Bangladesh and Zimbabwe since 2012. Holder was named man of the match after making an unbeaten 202 and taking two wickets in the 381-run win in the first Test, a performance which took him to the top of the ICC rankings for Test all-rounders. Holder claimed 4-32 to help bowl England out for 132 in Antigua on Saturday before West Indies sealed victory with two days to spare. He missed the second Test in New Zealand in December 2017 after being banned for a slow over-rate offence. (DN)

TWO PACE VACANCIES – WEST INDIES could be looking to a new-look fast bowling attack for the final Test against England. Amidst reports that captain Jason Holder will miss the Test because of a one-match ban for the team’s slow over-rate, there is also uncertainty surrounding the availability of Alzarri Joseph following the death of his mother. The development surrounding Holder comes on the heels of West Indies completing a second crushing victory against England that guarantees them the series ahead of the final Test. While several media outlets, including ESPNcricinfo, BBC and Reuters reported yesterday that Holder was slapped with a suspension, cricket governing’s body, the International Cricket Council did not provide confirmation. ESPNcricinfo reported that 20-year-old Guyanese allrounder Keemo Paul will come into the squad in Holder’s absence, with vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite to take over as captain for the match at the Daren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia. (DN)

SIMMONS SERVES NOTICE – Competing for her club Jump Start, Simmons was in a no-nonsense mood after dismissing the field to win both the Under-13 Girls’ 600 and 400 metres in two separate timed finals. She was literally running against the clock on both occasions, speeding away from her closest rivals to take the 600 in one minute, 46.84 seconds before clocking 1:05.26 to take the 400 metres. It put the cap on a wildly successful day for Jump Start, who topped the meet with 12 wins, including two from promising Under-9 talent Jasmine Hurdle. She, too, was unchallenged on the day after taking the 50 metres sprint in 8.60 seconds and then clocking 12.72 seconds in the ensuing 80. Unfortunately, spectators were robbed of the anticipated matchup between St Michael School speedsters Samiya Dell and Skye Spencer-Layne, who were put in opposite heats of the Under-15 Girls’ 75-metres hurdles. (DN)

MASTERS PLAYER COLLAPSES AND DIES – THE CARIBBEAN UNITED masters football team has been thrown into mourning following the sudden death of player Miguel Nurse. The 38-year-old Guyanese national complained of feeling ill during his side’s match against Weymouth Wales at the Barbados Lumber Company’s Waterford, St Michael ground on Saturday night, in the Claytons Barbados Masters League before collapsing in the fifth minute of play. According to reports, there were a number of attempts by emergency personnel to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by the time ambulance officials arrived, but they were unsuccessful. It is understood that Nurse passed away en route to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and was pronounced dead on arrival. The match was abandoned as well as all games scheduled for last night. When contacted yesterday, manager of the team, Rafeek Jhalu, recounted the untimely passing. “It was so tragic, especially because we were actually playing a game at the time. He told the player that was marking him that he was feeling bad and he fell,” he told the NATION. (DN)

FARMER NAPPY RESPONDS TO BAJAN CRITICS: MY SONG IS A CLEAN SONG – Farmer Nappy is defending his song ‘Hookin Meh’. Responding to critics in Barbados who say the song is promoting domestic violence, Nappy said the song is far from that. During his performance at Old Hilarian’s All Inclusive on Saturday night, Nappy, real name Darryl Henry, said the song was written by Nadia Batson and he has produced all his music in Barbados for the past 13 years. He said, however, there are some radio announcers in Barbados who say the song promotes violence. “All they see in the video is me holding a knife and singing. I just have bad table manners, that is all,” he said. “The writer of this song is Nadia Batson and one of the things Nadia will never give me is a dirty song, all my music is clean music.” Stating that his music is about uplifting women, Nappy said any man who hits a woman is a coward. “Anytime you put your hand on a woman, you are hitting your mother. We don’t deal with violence,” advising men that anytime a woman puts their clothes in a garbage bag, leave in peace. Writing in Barbados Today, columnist Marsha Hinds said the song glorifies possessive and obsessive tendencies in men and confuses them with markers of love.  She said the video highlights disturbing images as well. “Past the lyrics, there are also some alarming and, in my mind, insensitive images in the video to the song. Machel Montano brands the woman a trophy in response to an image that Nappy sends of her. This reinforces the objectification of women and diminishes her worth as anything other than an appendage that is to look pretty and not cause her owner any stress. “What looks to be the male child of the couple portrayed is present through some of the ‘adult’ conversations in the video. He is also pictured dragging the father’s bags back in when his mother puts them out. Again, the suggestion that the child gets between the father and mother and upholds his father’s wishes is problematic. The child is portrayed as an upholder of the toxic masculine traits of obsession and possession. He is ‘another generation of man in training’.” (LOOP NEWS)

CHEF DISHES ON COOKING CAREER - Trevon Stoute’s hands are dusty with flour as he deftly moves them. He is prepping for the next course he is about to serve on the menu at Pavao, the increasingly popular restaurant at Sweetfield Manor in Brittons Hill, St Michael. Trevon’s rise to becoming the executive chef of Pavao was no easy feat. His story is an admirable one. In fact, many would say his is the perfect success story. “I didn’t grow up with a gold spoon in my mouth. I give a lot of thanks to God for bringing me a long way. It is a blessing to be in the position I am now. I had to fight for a lot of things. I had to fight to get out of certain situations. I was born and raised in Haynesville, so I know what it is to come from the rough,” the 24-year-old told EASY magazine. (DN)

NEW ANGLICAN BISHOP PRESIDES OVER FIRST CONFIRMATION SERVICE – Bishop of Barbadian Anglican Diocese, Reverend Michael Bruce St John Maxwell held his first confirmation service this morning urging the confirmation candidates to continue to walk the path of righteousness. At the service held at the Cathedral of St Michael and All Angels, Reverend Maxwell confirmed 15 parishioners from the St Michael’s Row, Bridgetown church. He reminded them their journey with God was ongoing and did not conclude with today’s service. He noted that quite often parishioners did not return to church following the service. “There is the unfortunate trend that many after they have been confirmed see it as a validation to leave the church,” said the Bishop. “Very often there is the tendency that you have been instructed, you know the faith, you have been brought up and you don’t need any more nourishment but no, you need every bit of nourishment every Sunday to continue to nourish you in the faith,” he said. He encouraged the congregation to pray regularly and to attend church every Sunday as it was the ideal means to “experience God in a special way”. “We should always have that great longing, that great desire to come to church to come in the Lord’s house, to assemble regularly with fellowship of other believers, for this is what is best for us,” Reverend Maxwell stated. He urged the confirmation candidates to “always hunger or desire”  to spend time with God and set aside time for worship. “I love church because coming into the special presence of God reminds me of who I am and whose we are as a family of God and it also reminds me of who God is, that God is in control of my life, the one who I can depend on [and] the one who can strengthen us, who is there for us when others are not there for us,” the Reverend said. (BT)

GIRLFRIEND EXPO AND ARTS FESTIVAL CONTINUES TO GROW – The annual Girlfriend Expo and Arts Festival, now in its In its 10th year, has achieved a regional reach with exhibitors from St Lucia, Martinique, St Vincent and Jamaica in attendance. Events director Kimtara Clarke says the annual festival had some 90 entrepreneurs and approximately 40 new businesses participating. Held at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium for the first time, Clarke said that the growth of the exhibition has been “tremendous” having started with 30 booths in 2009. She noted that the increase in innovation and enterprise could be linked to the island’s economic standing and a large number of Government layoffs. “People are trying something new. They are starting new business and a lot of unique businesses as well. I guess because of the economy people are trying something on their own,” said Clarke. The exhibition is all encompassing featuring beauty products and service, interior and events decorating, fashion, cuisine, insurance and more. Following this year’s theme of Africa, the organizer incorporated food, music and entertainment from countries such as Nigeria, Kenya and Senegal. Some of the patron-favorites were the head-wrapping and hair demonstrations and the ‘femi-nars’ [seminars targeted towards women]. Also in attendance at the expo was Minister of Creative Economy, Culture and Sports, John King who lauded the creativity and specialized products showcased by exhibitors. “I am glad that our women are in the forefront of being there and the innovation and empowering themselves and by extension empowering the entire society with these initiatives,” King said. (BT)

CLASSES RESUME FOR STUDENTS AT COLERIDGE AND PARRY SCHOOL - Classes will resume at the Coleridge and Parry School from tomorrow, Monday, February 4. The Ashton Hall, St. Peter School was closed from Tuesday last week to allow authorities to address an environmental problem there. (BGIS) 

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 330 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

[adamernst-blog1]

The fun is in the unknown - Saturday, 24/6/2017

Last night’s sleep was uncomfortable to say the least. The air was muggy and the ground slanted. But nonetheless, it was free and made for a good story.

I woke up at dusk and got the hell out of that vineyard, worrying that the local who owns it might walk upon my squatter’s nest. The town, which had housed obnoxious tourists, was deadly silent in the morning; it was magically still. I rushed to the marina to take a dip in the ocean; my thighs practically stuck together with sweat as I walked. As my head elevated above the warm morning water, I caught the disgusted gaze of a local fisherman, bothered by my disturbance of the sea. Needless to say, I made my swim quick and left for the coastal trail to the next town.

As I approached the trailhead, a large gate stood in front of me with the a sign that read “Do not enter” in menacing red letters. “I had to do it, I came all the way here for this hike,” I thought jokingly, looking back at the barrier I had just cleared. The walk to the second town, Manarola, was majestic; like Big Sur but just… just more; hard to put into words the beauty that was this adventure.

Manarola was my least favorite town of the bunch; although it was home to a couple of gems. Its cemetery was home to the remains of locals born before the 1800s; I hadn’t even known Cinque Terre long history before then. Turns out, the five towns have been inhabited for thousands of years, the population able to survive using terrace farming techniques similar to that of the Incas.

Yet again, a spiked gate stood before me warning of the possible danger that might ensue if I hopped it and continued along the blocked off trail. Applying the same logic as before, I traversed the structure and continued on my way. I hadn’t thought much of the warnings. I parts of the handrail that had fallen and brush that had encroached on the path; but nothing that worried me. That is, however, until I came upon a part of the trail eaten alive by a rocklisde; a 20 foot gap separated it from the other side. Now, keep it mind, this part of Italy is extremely hilly; there was no way I could get to the other side of the passage with my heavy backpack. “Well, guess I’m sitting on my ass and scooting my way down,” I thought. About five feet down, I had realized I had bitten off way more than I could chew; and there was no returning to the previous path; the slope was simply to steep. Gripping onto crumbling rocks for dear life, I looked down upon the 20 or so foot slant that lay before me; the rocky beach at its base. Furthermore, I wasn’t agile enough. Equipped with a pair of Rainbow flipflops and my bulky backpack, i was unprepared to say the least. “I’m gonna have to ditch my backpack,” I thought, dreading the damage that it would receive. Tumbling down the slope, my neon orange bag, with my means of survival inside, finally hit the rocky shore. With that weight off my shoulders, I scooted my butt down the steep slope, absolutely shredding my feet and shorts, only to lose one of my flipflops on the way down. “Thank God,” I thought, relieved at not having suffered in major injury. I cannot even fathom what would have happened if, for example, I had broken my leg. I was a mile deep into a forbidden trail, 20 feet below the dilapidated path. Well, I guess I don’t have to, because I reached the ground safe and sound, my bag having one flipflop less to my name.

“Now how the fuck am I going to get back to the trail,” I pondered. I tried scaling it; I tried climbing a broken down building to reach the top. It wasn’t happening with my backpack. My nervousness was starting to foster, I even pondered abandoning my belongings and scaling the sloped with my bare feet. I decided to walk down the rocky beach to look for options. About a half mile in, before my eyes laid a completely nude man on an air mattress, soaking in the sun with a hat covering his eyes. For a second I thought I was hallucinating. “How do I get back up,” I motioned to him with my fingers, pointing to the path. Startled that someone had ventured upon him, he pointed down the coast. I thanked him and proceeded on my way.

After about another mile, I came upon the remains of a rusted staircase; a makeshift wooden ladder leaning against it to make up for the part that had collapsed. I climbed up itand got a fantastic view of Corniglia, the third town of Cinque Terre.

Corniglia is quite unique compared to the rest of the five towns of Cinque Terre. It is perched way above the coast line, with no coastal access. Many claim that is the reason that it is the least popular of the bunch, but it is a gem nonetheless.

After climbing what seemed like thousands of steps, I reached the town and central plaza. I ordered a pesto pizza that was delicious; second to only my dad’s homemade flatbread. The lovely waitress even gave me a caffe on the house; how sweet. After, I saw the town; its tiny church; its vineyards; and its panoramic view that offers a view of all five towns of Cinque Terre.

A hour-long walk to the next town, Vernazza, was next on my list. Through the path, which was the first that was not blocked off, I walked, gazing at the steep lush hills and the clear ocean. 

Finally, I arrived at Vernazza, drenched in sweat. I dashed to the marina, which actually had a small beach with sand; unlike the other parts of the coast I had explored that had rocky shores. I hopped in the ocean only to step on a sea urchin. Ouch! Luckily, the barbs only made contact with my big toe and I was able to pull most of them out. The water was stunningly clear and warm. 

Having toured the local church and the medieval watch tower, I made my way to Monterosso, the most popular town of the group. It was, consequent, also the most touristy. I can understand why though. I had never seen ocean water that clear in my life.

After a half-hour walk filled with indecision, I made up my mind and ate at a restaurant with excellent pesto pasta. If I was a seafood lover I’d be in Heavan, as it seemed like everyone around me was munching on locally caught sardines, lobster, swordfish, and other ocean creatures that Monterosso is known for.

As the sun set, the entire town gathered on the beach; I followed. Children began setting lanterns adrift in the ocean and fireworks began to explode in the night sky. I guess I chose the right weekend to come!

While enjoying the nightly festivities, I looked at my phone and saw that I had been declined from the hostel I had requested because of excess demand. “No worries,” I thought to myself, as I had scoped out a nice little picnic area a half mile deep into one of the abandoned trails I had walked that would make a great place to crash for the night. I took the train back to Manarola, hopped a couple of fences, and set up my tent on a nice piece of flat ground overlooking the ocean.

Riomaggiore

Manarola

Corniglia

Vernazza

[cruisersnet]

Greg Allard Reports: Harborage Yacht Club Marina, Stuart, FL

Greg Allard Reports: Harborage Yacht Club Marina, Stuart, FL - https://cruisersnet.net/greg-allard-reports-harborage-yacht-club-marina-stuart-fl/ Cruisers Net is always grateful for Greg Allard’s observations and willingness to share his vast experience with our readers. Be sure to read and view his several  Letters and photo journals from the Bahamas. Harborage Yacht Club Marina is in Martin County, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, and a major hub Cruisers Net is always grateful for Greg Allard’s observations and willingness to share his vast experience with our readers. Be sure to read and view his several  Letters and photo journals from the Bahamas. Harborage Yacht Club Marina is in Martin County, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, and a major hub of boating activities. Harborage Yacht Club and Marina Stuart, Florida 772-692-4000 https://harborageyachtclub.com In February of 2020 we spent two weeks at the Harborage, which is just northeast of the three bridges in the center of Stuart. In past years we had docked there a couple of times, and had found it to be just ok, but not great. During that period it was a Loggerhead marina and between deferred maintenance and a hurricane, it had suffered. All of that has changed, and I’m pleased to report that the marina has been virtually redone and is now a solid choice for boaters and cruisers. The northerly set of fixed docks are like new, with composite decking and new electrical and water supplies. From what we observed, most transient boats are assigned to the fixed docks, where you are permitted to stay aboard for any length of time. The southern section of the marina consists of floating docks which can also be rented for transient or longer term; staying aboard there is limited to four consecutive days, and nine total days, per month. The southern section is a much further walk to reach the pool and clubhouse area. The marina has a total of 300 slips, 150 are fixed and the rest are floating. One of the issues with this marina, in the past, has been the depth of water in the basins and slips. When we were there almost two months ago, dredging was underway full time. The dockmaster now reports that the dredging has been completed (except for a couple of slips which had boats in them), resulting in 7.5’ depth at MLW in both the slips and the fairways. While some marinas in the area have issues with current, we observed none of any significance here. The shore side facilities are excellent – pool and spa, outdoor fire-pit lounging area, free OnSpot wi-fi, a laundry, Captain’s lounge with TV, new bathrooms and showers, fitness center, boatside (golf-cart) pumpout, poolside bar and grill, and good security. They offer golf-cart rides from your boat to landside. There is an easy-approach fuel dock, with competitive prices and pump out. On site is the TideHouse restaurant, not operated by the marina. We had a very good bar-menu meal on the outside deck, with live music. There is a full dinner menu for inside. Across the street from the marina, in a shopping center, is a casual Italian restaurant, Uncle Giuseppe’s, which is easy to recommend – a comfortable place, reasonably priced, with good Italian dishes and pizza. While the marina facility is now first-rate, this is also now a well-managed marina. The Dock Master, Scott Fletcher, is a true professional, and has his hand on the pulse of the place. The dock staff he has assembled are exceptional and understand customer service. They could just not do enough for you. We had the most contact with excellent dockhands Nick and Jim. The general manger of the facility, Allison Ackell, gave us a warm welcome as we checked in and provided a detailed tour of the facility. The long term dock rates are 17-$18 a foot, per month, with metered electricity. Daily rate is $2.95 a foot, plus flat fee electric. The long term rates makes sense for a stay of more than about two weeks. A full list of rates is on their website, listed above. There is a Sam’s Club, a West Marine and a Publix market a couple of miles north on Federal Highway, along with any other stores you might ever need. Enterprise delivered a rental car to the marina for us. On Saturday mornings, in the neat historic section of Stuart, there is a small but quality farmer’s market. From the GIWW, to enter the marina you leave the main channel at marker 23, (which is northeast of the high, fixed New Roosevelt bridge) and steer for the green buoy which is just outside the entrance to the marina, between the breakwaters; that heading is approximately 310M. From 23 to the green buoy the depth was around seven feet at MLW. If you are uncertain of your track, the dock staff will “talk you in” to the marina on VHF. Is everything perfect? They need to add more dock carts – there always seemed to be a shortage. Additionally, since parking spaces are really tough to find, it would be a welcome service if the marina provided a van type shuttle to Sam’s, West Marine and Publix a few days a week. A couple of people have commented about the noise from the nearby railroad. Yes, there is some noise, but every marina in the area, including the nearby Sunset Bay, is subject to the same thing. The Stuart area is a hub for boaters on the east coast of Florida, and dock space is invariably hard to find. The rebirth of this marina makes for a great new facility in the area. The Harborage Marina is open and running during these difficult times, with a number of boats having arrived from the Keys and from the Bahamas. Greg Allard M/V Meander Click Here To View the VA to NC Cruisers Net Marina Directory Listing For Harborage Yacht Club Marina Click Here To Open A Chart View Window Zoomed To the Location of Harborage Yacht Club Marina -April 18, 2020

[ozsaill]

Weather resources for hurricane season

“It’s like you have a bullseye on Totem!” More than one friend has commented along those lines to us recently. It does seem like severe weather systems have pointed directly at Totem a little too frequently. So far, the systems moved or we moved and all’s well. There are probably more weather forecast posts to our Facebook page in the last two months than in the sum total of prior years! That tells you something. The possibility of riding out a storm is one of the big fears and first questions people ask about cruising.

We actually have yet to experience a named storm aboard Totem. That could change soon.

How do you avoid hurricanes?

Our primary tactic has been “don’t be there” in a very big picture way, by avoiding the zone of risk for hurricanes during the active season. In the South Pacific, that meant getting to a higher (more southerly) latitude as the season began: we sailed to Australia. In Southeast Asia, like most cruisers we remained equatorial, plus/minus a few degrees; this region is not subject to any cyclones. Crossing the Indian Ocean, we choose a route and timing that worked with the seasons, starting in the northern hemisphere in February (the risk diminishes in December) and arriving in the southern hemisphere by October (cyclones start in December there).

But here in the Caribbean, which doesn’t seem as scary as, say, launching out into the Pacific or Indian Oceans, we have actually placed ourselves at greater risk of severe weather than any time in the last nine years of cruising.

Latest in the series of “here we are near the hurricane” images – this morning’s NOAA update

Tortola, BVIs: car tires, aka hurricane fenders, grace the cockpit of a few boats in Nanny Cay

Only been upon return to North America, where we’ve now been for over a year, has experiencing a hurricane presented a meaningful (probable) risk. For all the well-meaning folks who worry about our exposure to storms at sea, I wonder if knowing that the bigger danger for us is closer to “home” in North America.

NOAA data for monthly incidence of tropical storms and hurricanes. It’s peak season NOW.

Staying on top of changes in the weather is always a priority: weather rules our lives. It could be perceived as hubris to be out playing chicken with hurricanes. Against nature, we are the chicken! But WE have resources, truly amazing resources, to help make better decisions. A system forms in the Atlantic, as it did when we were in the BVIs. Our first instinct was to dash south. Taking measure of timing and options lead to a different decision. We stayed put, suffered through 20 knots gusts and almost enough rain rinse the decks.

Here’s a rundown of our go-to resources, and a number of others to check out.

Primary resources

National Hurricane Center / NOAA. NHC is the place to start. They have the resources, the staff, the historical data. They offer depth of tools, from visual snapshots of hurricane advisories to regionalized text forecasts. While we tend to start the day with a look at the Atlantic page, it’s useful for text forecasts.

NOAA outlook for this morning – Saturday 2 Sept

PredictWind. Our go-to choice for weather information around the world, not just in the Caribbean. It’s PredictWind’s Offshore app on a laptop that’s currently helping us compare models for the as-yet-unnamed system following Irma; one which sometimes looks to be a bigger risk, depending on the model. It’s very helpful to readily compare four different models (including GFS and ECMWF, and two additional with PredictWind algorithms layered on top) to see how a path is being projected.

It can be significant: below are snapshots of the same time, with Irma’s projected position. Totem’s current location, in Martinique, is the green pin; the red pin is Grenada.We can sail there overnight if necessary. The GFS model (top image) shows nothing following, but European model (bottom) shows a worrisome tag-along-maybe-named-Jose forming.

Meteorologists / hobbyists

When bigger picture shows a system is brewing, we start looking for details; deeper analysis and information. These sites organize information from a variety of sources and present them in a digestible matter.

Mike’s Weather Page. Mike aggregates a lot of information into a single view. The graphical nature of the page makes it easy to scan to see the latest in model formation and direction. His website name, spaghettimodels.com, reflects the “spaghetti” look from multiple tracks modeled for the path of a weather system – humor always appreciated! OF course, the graphical nature means the website can a little tough to load if you have a sub-par internet connection. Thankfully, we usually have “good enough” internet in the Caribbean… or if we don’t, it’s within close range. His Facebook page often has a good snapshot combining multiple models into one more downloadable graphic, like today’s:

Mike’s Weather Page aggregate image sample from 1 September.

Tropical Tidbits. Levi is a graduate meteorology student at Florida State, and shares Atlantic tropical forecast tracks and discussion on his site. If you use Twitter, he offers more prolific and sometimes entertaining commentary—like this two-part tweet yesterday morning:

This made me giggle-snort.

Professional weather services

It’s nuts how cruisers will spiral into weather analysis. Paying for professional weather information is affordable, smart, and the safest choice you can make when you’re not expert. Relying on the interpretation of the boat next to you isn’t! These two get a nod.

Chris Parker. Justifiably famous in the cruising community, Chris Parker truly understands both the weather AND cruisers. He’s focused on North America/ Atlantic, delivering analysis and guidance over the SSB (free) via newsletter updates (paid). Beyond just weather, he provides weather-based routing services via 1:1 email or text to InReach.

Crown Weather. Rob Lightroom’s service aggregates multi-source information for free on his site, like others listed here; he also offers comprehensive analysis for paying subscribers by email. The summaries of conditions and forecast are impressive, and interesting to read as he shares details that help make your own capabilities better by discussing known behaviors or biases in different models.

We’re not regular subscribers of these—the prior sources are our go-to. But these are the pros we’d recommend, and have had enough exposure to their paid services to appreciate the quality of what they provide, and this summary would feel remiss without a mention.

Meanwhile, here in Martinique, we are busy having a reunion with our good friends: Utopia II last seen in Cape Town, South Africa.

Sweet reunion with Utopia II

Other resources

I took a quick poll from other cruising friends in the Caribbean to see what’s useful for them, since everyone gravitates differently.

My friend Carolyn from The Boat Galley has spent many seasons cruising Florida and the Bahamas “in the zone” during hurricane season. Her post on favorite weather apps is a good reference for mobile options and more. Favorites include two I didn’t know, Storm (free), and Hurricane Tracker (paid) – her discussion on those, two others, and why she likes them is an interesting and worthwhile read.

Windy comes up a lot: it’s very pretty, but usually seems to use juuuuust a little bit better bandwidth than beach-bar-quality-wifi provides. Better from the armchair or marina! Several people mentioned Marv’s Weather Service, and the Louisiana Hurricane Center, via Facebook page and http://ift.tt/2wwuMX9. Friends brought up a couple of sites based on French Antilles islands: I wouldn’t have naturally gravitated to non-English resources but updates on Facebook are conveniently translated automatically! Guadeloupe-based Meteo des Cyclones is quick to post system updates; from Martinique, Météo Tropicale has analysis. Good text forecasts are gold (you’re getting the meteorologist’s interpretation!), and my friend Sue—who is aboard her boat in Puerto Rico—reminded me that the National Weather Service staff in San Juan offer good analysis for PR and the region. (Thank you to Sophie, Wendy, Kimberliegh, Sue and Katia!)

We’re generally spoiled with ‘good enough’ internet service in the Caribbean, but occasionally are limited to our IridiumGO (with SSB/Pactor as backup). Bonniw from Planes, boats and bicycles (SV & RV Odin) has a good post called Tracking Hurricanes that’s all about, well, tracking hurricanes – with a focus on low-bandwidth means. Her Tracking Hurricanes post is both a primer to the approach and a reference to weather products for Caribbean storms to request through Sailmail and Saildocs.

Kids busy playing How Many Teens Can Fit on a SUP? behind Totem

Watching and waiting

Remember the tweet from Levi near the top of the post? It cracked me up, because of course on Sept. 1 who knows which football team will make the playoffs! And of course a hurricane track which looks awfully convincing when splashed out in deep angry colors on a forecast is tempting to internalize as gospel. But there is one sure thing about the weather: it will change. Even now, what’s looming with Irma varies depending on still-disagreeing models. Expressions of concern are appreciated, truly. So is faith that just because we don’t immediately run from our current position means that we’re stuck in the known path of a major storm: we’re not.

Weather decisions are made cautiously and conservatively, and staying stationary doesn’t mean we’re gambling. It would be safer for us to be in Panama, or back in Saint Helena. Be assured though, this chicken likes to cross the road without risk of getting flattened. Imperfect, and amazingly insightful weather forecasts provided by meteorologist geeks get taken for granted. To the meteorologists and weather geeks of the world, we thank you for showing us when to cross the road.

Sunset from St Anne, Martinique

from Sailing Totem http://ift.tt/2ww6QmQ via IFTTT

[downpcured-blog]

👀 ( ALL THE SHIPS I WANT THE FEELS )

send  👀 for the moment my muse realized they’re in love with yours.

ellie & jasper.

despite her best efforts, jasper managed to creep his lanky ass into her heart. he was a total fucking dweeb but to the small girl, it was a bit of a weakness. she couldn’t help the way all of her aggression just melted away around him. it didn’t matter to him that she was rough around the edges, because he knew damn well that he was one of the few who was able to smooth them out. she even took it upon herself to meet him after class. the look on his friend’s faces were priceless, but jasper’s wide, crooked, and goofy grin was her favorite as she held out her hand for him to take. “ –hey. ” the girl hummed,  “ i was done with my last client early and was wondering if you’d wanna go grab a bite to eat of something. ” it was almost ironic, the way jasper had always surprised her at work. she remembered how embarrassed she’d be at the mere sight of him in her space, but now.. things were different. she found herself wanting to see his dumb grin daily and wanted to hear his ramblings about the latest in the gaming world ( even if she couldn’t understand half of the terms he used for it ). it occurred to her, as he let off how his day went without her provoking it, that she wouldn’t mind much if this is how her days went for the rest of her life. sure, she’d recently come to terms with liking him, but the big ‘L’ word ?? to her surpise, she didn’t seem as opposed to the concept as she thought she’d be.

marina & waylon.

marina always liked waylon throughout high school. though she’d never admit it, she always had a crush on him, even when he dated and eventually married her closest friend. but, things change and that’s made obvious as she was laying next to waylon in her bed. he was still going through withdrawls, and that is made obvious by the intense smell of cigarette smoke. he’d finally managed to doze off wih the help of her fingers running through his hair, and out of fear of him waking up, she continued to do so. her eyes lingered on his face, something she hadn’t quite had time to do. he seemed so vulnerable in his sleep, and in that moment her heart couldn’t help but hurt for all that he’d been through. the idea he was suffering left a bad taste in her mouth. perhaps it was her maternal instincts, or maybe it was something.. different. a red tint appeared on her face at the sudden realization that maybe the feeling she had was something more than a like. maybe it was love. lips pressed to his cheek without another thought as one of his arms pulled her down onto him. the mere thought of being in love didn’t put her in a panic like she thought it would, but lulled her into a sleep, despite it being mid-afternoon.

nadia & breckin.

if there was one thing nadia was known for, it was for going against the family grain. she knew well enough that her father didn’t approve of breckin. hell, that was the main reason why she let him sleep on her couch for so long. he was different, a bright shade of red in her monochromatic life. what she did not account for was to completely fall for him. it wasn’t a specific moment for her. instead it was the slow burn. it was moments where casual makeout sessions turned to chaste kisses, where going out together to hook up with someone else ended in them both being in the same bed. where mornings went from nadia teasing breckin about when he was going to find his own place to trying to convince one another to stay in for the day. no, she didn’t think love would creep it’s way into her life, and she definitely didn’t think it would come in the form of someone like breckin. but as nights turned from sleeping alone to breckin holding onto her so closely, nadia began to wonder how she could’ve lived without it.

ballora & veronica & macon.

veronica hoped that as her relationship with ballora and macon continued, the nerves would leave. however, if anything her nerves were heightened. but not in the way she’d think. they’d convinced her to stay the weekend at their place, and when she awoke that saturday morning, she didn’t even need to open her eyes to know that the two were missing. hesitantly, the brunette opened her eyes, only flinching for a moment at the bright lights, before slipping out of bed. her heart always raced when she was around them, and even though she hadn’t seen them that morning just yet, the mere thought of being in their space was enough to make her nervous. her bare feet padded across the cold wooden floor and upon opening the bedroom door she was greeted by the smell of pancakes and coffee, along with the sound of sizzling bacon. ballora and macon’s voices could be heard, but veronica was unable to translate just what the two were bickering about. shuffling down the hallway, she peeked out to find her gaze fixed on the two. the way they interacted with one another made her heart flutter, a small smile appearing on her lips as she leaned her shoulder onto the nearby wall. it was in this exact moment that these two were just who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, even if that meant dealing with a racing heart for the rest of her days. “ morning, ” the girl murmured, shy smile still gracing her features.