Sorry it has been so long since I last communicated. I have been in hospital following an accident in the Florida keys. Some teenage boys took their dad's cruiser without his knowledge, or indeed his navigational skill. I am certain the alcohol was a crucial factor in this mishap. Certainly it contributed to them thinking it was not only a good idea, but also that they were able to pilot this boat. Well they smashed into the starboard side of my boat and the impact of the collision sent me flying off the port side and I hit my head on my neighbor's yacht, and knocked myself unconscious. Luckily for me an off duty police office say the whole thing and dove into the marina and took me to safety. If it hadn't been for him I could quite easily have sunk to the bottom. A sobering thought.

Apart from the concussion I was relatively unscathed. The same cannot be said for either boat involved, though fortunately for me the father of the boys is covering the cost of the repairs. They aren't too catastrophic. Should take a couple of week and I will be able to set sail again. The father is also putting me up in the fanciest hotel I have ever been in. There is an upside to having your live turned temporarily upside down. The boys are also very, very sorry. Though I am not convinced that they have learned their lesson. I guess time will tell...

I am back on land after a long and happy time at sea. It gave me the time and opportunity to empty my thoughts and to recharge ready to face the world again. Of course I go through the usual process of becoming maudlin and think about all those souls that weren't as fortunate as me, and also of how lucky I am that I have a strong, loving family and a good life led!

Now that I am back on dry land, in the company of good people and hearty cooking, things are looking bright. I am like a pig in the proverbial... I am in Florida at the moment staying with Gene and his wife Camilla in their home. The great thing with these guys, apart from the fact they are some of the kindest and most generous folks I have ever met, they have a mooring at the bottom of their garden - it saves me a long walk over to the Marina. I was fortunate to arrive when I did, because the Fitzmartin family are expecting the delivery of their new Yacht - and they would want my parking spot...

This is only a short stop here to pick up some supplies and then back to the sea. The longer that I spend at sea the harder it becomes to feel comfortable with people. Perhaps that is old age, or perhaps I have never really been comfortable with people who haven't known what it is like to serve.

That is particularly hard for my family I think, but unfortunately it is difficult to change how I feel. They, though, are the exception that proves the rule!

I guess I have been quiet now for a bit, I have just been having too much of a good time out in the big wide open ocean. The last couple of days I have felt young again, and free. I think back to those good days when the war seemed so far away and we could just enjoy the ocean and our company. Of course there were bloody days and many aren't here now to enjoy retirement like I am. But I feel that they are with me now, and that I am not alone as we sail, this time without orders and without fear.

It is as if I am capturing my youth out of the devastating reality of war. I am able to laugh like I once did. O'Hanagan's dirty jokes still echo in my ears and I can picture Donovan laughing, his eyes scrunched up, his mouth open so wide you could see his golden fillings glint in the Pacific sun shine. Of course Bryson being the ranking officer, would always hold a straight face, but we all knew that he was working hard to suppress the laughter. He always took the longest to recover because he denied himself the opportunity to laugh. I always imagined that when he returned to his cabin he would burst out laughing with the days jokes playing through his head!

It is sad that so many didn't make it, but they are, at least, still fresh in my mind and in my heart.

I have been at sea now for two days now and it is great to have that freedom to just set sail and leave everything behind. The weather has been perfect for sailing, a good strong wind but a relatively calm sea. My GPS system has been giving me a little trouble so I have will get the engineer to look at it when I make port. But for now I back to using the skills I learnt in the Navy. It is heartening to know that even at my age I can call up the knowledge I learnt all those many years age. I suppose that because it was so important to know those skill back then has something to do with why I still remember it as if I were that 19 year old child out in Hawaii again.
But that is enough of me reminiscing about the distant past. Instead I can tell you about my recent stay with Gloria. She was my first hostess and I must say one of the kindest and most welcoming I think I have ever encountered. So warm and she treated me to some real hearty home cooking. Boy I have not eaten so well in a long time. She was, I must add this, a very handsome woman and I believe I will stay with her again on the return leg of my journey.
Now I must say that I have been rather impressed with my technical abilities - I have managed to download myself into skype and have been talking with my daughter on that. It makes the whole sailing experience so much more enjoyable to have a link to the mainland!

As much as I love the sea and living on my boat it can get lonely so it is always a treat to get into port! However quaint little Bed and Breakfasts don´t really cut it for me anymore. So here I am, an old seadog learning some new tricks. I have kitted up my boat so that I can get on the internet with my new iBook (the grandkids reckon that was the best thing for me to get). Moreover they have shown me how to use this website, odd word but it helps me find places to stay with people when I´m on dry land. At my age it is a great way to meet new people, I think I past the point of just going from port to port alone. I really have something to look forward to when I travel into port now! That is all for now from me, happy sailing.