October 17, 2005

Captain's Log

Skinwalker Log October 17, 2005, Monday, 2000 hrs

Behind Cobb Island just off the Potomac River

Wow! Washington, D.C. is exciting, vibrant and also very odd, at least compared to our other experiences. Let us share the likely mundane to you but fascinating to us. We stayed at the Capitol Yacht Club which is interesting since most of the boats are used by live-aboards, due to the high cost of living in the district. Our District touring took us to the usual monuments and through three of the Smithsonian Museums of Natural history, Art & American Indian. We also managed to get through the National Archives and the Supreme Court where they point out with tongue in cheek that the highest court is really the basketball court on the roof of the court building. Oh, yes we did the obligatory photos of the Capitol Building and managed to lunch at Union Station where they have more food vendors and variety than any mall I have ever seen.

Jerry Paul one of our friends from Englewood who was appointed by President Bush to handle all things nuclear for the nation, graciously took the time to bring his family by to visit one afternoon. It was a delightful and informative visit. We talked cruising and about his job, but if I shared any of the latter with you he would have to kill me—and you. We are very proud of Jerry, he is a good man.

Our oldest, Dom, the Navy JAG Officer, and a colleague, Tierney Carlos, were in DC from Memphis for meetings and we managed to hook up for a nice evening. Tierney really knows his shit. In fact, as a tug pilot in New York City he moved treated shit from the various treatment plants out into the Atlantic to be dumped. As an attorney he agreed to join the Navy if they would station him on the East Coast. They did. The east coast of Cuba at Guantanamo (sp). What goes around comes around. Now he and Dom are detailers who decide where JAG Lt.'s are stationed. Tierney is getting even.

It seems every piece of land or water in the District is either used for roads, government buildings or housing. Why, even the Potomac is a freeway, not for boats, but for helicopters. There are two types of helicopters that use the river. Kinda normal helicopters moving military and a certain rank of politicians and those pesky Helicopter One jobs of which there are many, not just one. My guess is when the President is on the move they put up about five Helicopters that all look alike and they all go in multiple directions so the bad guys don’t know which one to shoot down. The rest of the time, we assume when it is just cabinet members, the Helicopter One’s just shoot up and down the river from the White House, Pentagon and we guess Andrews AFB and no doubt other obscure locations.

Now, why would the government allow National Airport to be built so that the planes take-off in a direction toward the White House and then have to bank hard left in order to keep from being shot down for infringing on government air space? Did you know that there is a plane taking off from national every 30 seconds to 60 seconds during a good part of the day?

We slowed our tourism ventures long enough to work a fix for the engines that wouldn’t start, the bilge pumps that wouldn’t pump. We noted in our looking for the problem that the engine instruments and starting buttons were taking power off the house bank while the actual starter power came from our starting bank. Our work around moved the engine instruments, starting system and start power all from the starting bank so starting would not be at the mercy of two starting banks. Thanks to all for their suggestions for finding and or solving the problem. Thanks especially to Rich Gano and Mark Richter for there technical and moral support. Now I need to find the reason why the alternators are not charging the house bank. The genset can charge the house bank. Why can’t the alternators? Is it more ground problems? Hmm.

We have started our trip south. It could be a slow trip with all the stops to visit we want to make with new and old friends we have met during our travels.

This is a heads up for those in Deltaville, Indian Creek, Put In Creek, Southport and Bond Creek. We’re coming.

Its cool in the pilothouse just now.

Capt'n Lynnie and Skinwalker