Some of you, Whalen and Washington Dan especially, claim to have been real sailors in "this man's Navy" back in the good ole days. And I'm sure there are a lot of others there also. Here's a challenge for you all; I bet I served on the oldest ship of any of you. Before I managed to get sucked into volunteering to live my days under the ocean on submarines I had the dubious honor of spending most of 1968 on this old jewel. The USS Graffias (AF 29) which was commissioned in 1944, yes I said 1944, that's still WW2 for you kids. And like all true antiques it was still all original from the reciprocating steam engine to the pipe bunks stacked four high that had to be "triced" up every day. It was a giant filthy rust bucket but still had huge freezer holds so we made runs from Alameda Calif half way to Hawaii to reprovision ships coming back from the war zone and then swing back into San Diego, load up and do it again. I was an electronics technician on this beauty if you can call radios with all tubes that. I think they were the same ones that came with it in 1944. We actually repaired the things when they broke, this was way before anyone had even heard of transistors. Those were the things that came before integrated circuits and whatever they use today.

Crazy Steve's brother Marshall wanted a fun light easy pontoon boat that he could carry in his truck and came up with this. It's brilliant, two canoes with aluminum cross arms and custom clamps. He was inspired with this idea after a trip to our shop and Tiki hut showed him that anything is possible if you let you imagination run free and don't listen when "they" say it can't be done. Way to go Marshall!

My new high speed commuter is going to be named "Lurlyne" after my mother. She was born in 1920 in Pine Mountain Georgia and was one of five sisters. Imagine all of these girls in a tiny house way back in the hills with no plumbing of any kind. No bathrooms not even a well, they had to carry water up from the spring. Here she is in about 1940, you can see that my funny looks didn't come from her side of the family. She lived to the age of 87 and still looked like this to the end, she never got fat. Those are some genes I wish I had inherited form her.

He sort of said that it was fun building the engine and sort of said that it wasn't dangerous but never did actually say that it wouldn't burn the hell out of you and couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't blow up. Sounds like just the kind of thing we all like. Nothing like never knowing if your engine is going to blow up and kill you when you start it up. Do you need a condenser if you're in fresh water or can you use that water directly. Steam engines are another thing we all have talked about making but few of us will ever do. It takes a whole new set of skills we don't have. He sent these to me when I was bitching about the terrible 100% humidity we're having. He says "humidity, I'll show you humidity".

Another John has these two boats and is proud of them. Claims he can pick up hot women with the little runabout. I have no doubt about that, what's the definition of a hot babe to an old dude up in the north woods around Lake Champlain? I'd go for a ride in it; keep your hands to yourself John. The big one scares me.

I think he's the one who has this or knows the guys who has this or has see one of these, I need to take better notes guys. Sorry. When you send them to me I'm really excited and just know I'll remember who sent it but them, well you know, my memory seems to be going into my arthritic fingers.

I shouldn't even include this one, you guys don't even deserve to be there. Steve B sent these shots of the Small Reach Regatta in Maine. I should be there and all the rest of us stuck in Florida should be there not you guys, you already live up there. You probably don't even know what sweat is. Everything about this place looks great; the location, the cool deep water, even the trees, palm trees get old. Trouble is, it's a really long way from here to there. How bout this, all of us go there next July and all of you come here for something next February.

The excitement in Fla in the summer is a boat show in Apalachicola, this is Kristin's boat or even better, sitting under the big fan in the Tiki hut with a bottle of Patron like Scotty's doing. Scotty is the worlds best motor boat rigger, if it goes on a boat he can do it, but not for you. He's strictly big time factory boats, even if Patron is involved.