Christmas Day 2019

It took two and a half hours yesterday to drive from Grand Piton to Rodney Bay, about 19 statute miles (30 km) as the sober crow flies. Unfortunately he was not as we switched back nearly as much as forward through the mountainous terrain with a jam of other crows. Traffic has grown exponentially in the last several years. The house is magnificent, but notably isolated. After ten years David & Patricia are considering selling and it can be yours for a mere two million USD. Worth every penny. Hint - offer one point nine.

As in the past Santa blew us off again this year, perhaps for lack of a chimney or possibly for being naughty. I'm thinking that second thing. We're considering blackmailing the old coot for toys next year. For example, the Lacey Act makes it illegal to purchase, sell, possess or use reindeer in some jurisdictions (Additionally, FDR signed the Reindeer Act in 1937 making owning a reindeer illegal except for native Alaskans), Nick doesn't have a pilot's licence, the sleigh has not been certified airworthy and bet he hasn't paid the forty percent tax on larger gifts. In addition there are questions of immigration laws, minimum altitudes, trespass, elven minimum wage, overtime and working conditions and employer mandates for Obamacare. If he testifies to being Santa Claus and can't prove it, he's subject to federal prosecution. OK Jelly Belly, cough up the goodies.

We have begun to seriously contemplate the logistics of getting this boat to Florida with a minimum of overnight sailing, leaving her somewhere for a couple of weeks to attend the Puddle Jump reunion in Puerto Vallarta, then somewhere else for a week of skiing in Colorado, getting lithium batteries installed in Clearwater and sailing back to Trinidad by the end of May to put her on the hard before crewing for mates from Oahu to Tacoma via Alaska and British Columbia. Direct distance from here to Clearwater is 1500 nm and we've run out of abstinent crows. A miniscule amount of ciphering clearly shows this is not possible. Developments to be revealed in the fullness of time.

Jack & Jan