Autonomous Review

Looking forward to better blog uodates!

2010-08-23T12:34:00.000-10:00

Thanks to smart phones, now it's easier to keep continuous and up to date blog postings. Blog while on the bus, during coffee and bathroom breaks and more.

F/V Pacific Star

2010-03-17T15:24:00.014-10:00

F/V Pacific Star

For Sale by Owner
Commercial / Pleasure / Recreation / Live-Aboard Vessel
Current Location: Pier 36 in Honolulu Hawaii
Last Drydocked and Bottom Painted in Oct 2009 with new zincs!

Specs
Length: 38'
Beam: 11'
Draft: 4.5'
Type: Wooden Troller
Built: 1993
Main: Mitsubishi 6 Cylinder Diesel
Fuel Consumption: 2.5 Gallons per hour at 6-7 knots
Fuel Tank: 300 Gallons Diesel
Fresh Water Tank: 30 gallons
Insulated Fish Hold: Holds 6,000 Pounds
Power: Three (3) 12v Batteries, 2100W Power Inverter, and Portable Gas Generator

Deck Equipment
Hydraulic Crab Block with Boom
Two (2) Hydralic Tuna Pullers
Mass extra rope and fishing gear, assorted jigs, twines, net remnants, hardware, tools, etc...
Pacer Pump in Engine Room
A Dozen or so Japanese Hard Floats for Long/Short Lining
A Barrel of Drop Line Ropes
Weighted Lead Lines for fishing
Extra Mono/Snaps/Hooks

Electronics
Simrad Plotter/Radar/GPS Flat Screen
Furuno Radar
Comnav Autopilot 1001
Video Sounder/Plotter
VHF Marine Radio
Faria Watchdog Tracking and Email System via Satellite (AWESOME! With Touch Screen Windows CE Operating System, small compact onboard communications and tracking)

Other Items
Fridge
Microwave
Cooking Sink
Outside Steering Station
Great Woodwork inside the house!
Good live-aboard
Two (2) Survival Suits
Six (6) Life Jackets
Flare Kit
EPIRB

Asking: $60,000
* Will consider owner financing to create a great start-up shortline business to catch Ahi, Mahimahi, Swordfish, Tuna, Marlins, and other fishes to sell to Honolulu Auction. Great earning potential!

Reason owner is selling is that we want to return to the Mainland. The boat is is great shape and the right person can make really good at the Ahi/Tuna/Marlin Shortline fishery here out of the Hawaiian Islands. I'm also looking into shipping the boat back to the mainland and keeping it, as it's a great boat, I just no longer want to fish it in Hawaii, so, if you're interested, better move on this quick before i get my quotes back from the shipping/barge company, cause I'd love to keep it if I can get it back to the mainland. Let's talk ~ Chris Miller (206) 533-4888

In Drydock October 2009 - Hoquiam, WA

Chris Miller with the boat pulling into San Francisco in October 2009 right after drydock

Aft of the House

Food Sink Prep Area Galley

Video Plotter and Sounder

Simrad Video Plotter and Radar

Settee Area that Converts into an Extra Day Bed and Food Storage Below

Helm Console for the Engine Guages - Voltage - RPMs

Television and TV Addiction Epidemic

2010-03-10T16:15:00.002-10:00

Television

Most of the living population in our world today has had the television around for their entire lifetime. There are those few who were born in the early 1900s who did not 'grow up' in front of the television. TVs became commercially available in the late 1930s, and since have spread in popularity to accompany nearly every civilized home. Almost every country now has their own broadcasting network.
I was born in 1967 and I did 'grow up' in front of the television. My mother has, since as long as I can remember, had a television set tuned in and constantly burning in her bedroom, where she spends most of her day watching and recording and re-watching the shows. She does this everyday, all day!
Coined phrases of our day, such as 'the electronic babysitter' that refers to TV sets, seem so common today, yet the implication of this phrase is more than wrong when you think about it.
I have witnessed scores of children in more recent years spend nearly all of their daily time stuck in front of the TV, thumbing back and forth between an array of cable network channels aimed at kids. What seems even more crazy is that these channels run different episodes of the same shows over and over, and over again in the same day, and many times back to back, truly mesmerizing the children that stay glued only inches before the TV screen all day long. Almost like a hypnotism. They even drag their toys out to play in front of the comfort of the TV. Fact is that most of the toys on the market are actual TV or movie characters as well, and if they are not, the other toy advertisements bombard our kids over and over to sell themselves.
It seems that us parents have become accustomed to having these cartoon characters, kid actors, animations, and animal shows spend a childhood of time with our children. Is it so that us, the parents and adults themselves, can sit and enjoy their leisure time too, and most of it, in front of their own chosen form of media at that given time (TV, Computer, DVD Movie)? Or maybe we're all just exhausted from working so hard to barely make our bill pays that it's just plain easier to let the kids bask in the sunlight of the TV so we save ourselves the energy by not playing with them or tending to them. Besides, we like to bask in the sunlight of the illuminated television rays ourselves. It takes us away from ourselves, hides us away into some fantasy time where we can watch our favorite characters in a series of broadcasted plays doing things that vary from the common everyday activities to the most extreme.
What has happened? Well, somehow, subtly and most definitely, the things we see on TV have become a form of idolatry, or at least a medium for it. Even consider the term “Medium” as it was referred to in an older age, eh? Commercial breaks show us what types of products we 'need' to buy to bolster our pride and keep up the false image of security that comes along with the “rat race” mentality that's so common today. Who can look the best? Save and have the most money? Have the cleanest clothes? The nicest vehicle?
How about the admiring of the actors themselves? One could easily see that we admonish and exalt them way too much, right? They are the kings and queens of modern day. If they go parading by, we gather in reverence for them, sometimes by the thousands. If we see someone on TV, we give them glory just because their image was captured by a camera and broadcasted around our community, our nation, or even our world. The more exposure the people have, the more famous they are, and the more influence they have on all of us. Is this not idolatry?
We allow into our very homes, sitcom and various TV shows that portray very dysfunctional behavior where the characters of family, friends, and/or colleagues on the show do nothing more than 'pick on each other' in satire comedic acts or by power plays. All looking powerful and smarter than us average humans that are sitting at home watching. The truth is that writers of these programs, usually a team of them, spend hours of their lives working very hard to make these characters jump out at us, and the actors graciously give up their morals to 'act the part', and why not, they're getting paid bank loads of money to do it!
We let all of this in to our lives, with a click of the remote, right into the safety of our 'locked door' homes and living rooms. Everyday, for way too many hours.
Are we crazy? Well, when you think about it... YES! We wouldn't want a crafty criminal, or worst yet, a gang of them, sitting on our couches beside us and our children, to talk about the details of their next big heist, or the display of that kind of mind control portrayed. We would probably kick someone out of our house, or at least politely ask them to leave if they were really there in our home exhibiting very bad behavior. At least I'd hope so, but when we numb ourselves to this stuff everyday, it's easy to understand why our defenses to such bad behavior get diminished. Do we take our children to the hospital emergency rooms and have them walk into the operating room to see all the blood and guts splattered around? No. Absolutely not. We would most likely cover the eyes of our children, and probably even our own eyes, if we were exposed to such a ghastly sight in real life. But with the 'magic' of television, we allow all of that blood in our living room and justify it's being there by passively saying... “It's just TV, it's not real”. This is where we've all been gravely mistaken and sucked in because the sight of it is still as real as if we were right there in the operating room with the doctors. The imagery still gets into our heads, even though it is coming from a 2-dimensional screen rather than being in real-life 3-dimensional surroundings, as well as the sounds that flow into our minds. This sight and other such dysfunctional sights, such as criminals in action; guns being fired... at people no less; car chases; murders; blatant sexual affairs – often showing way too much and almost never within the respectful setting of a marriage; bombs exploding mass amounts of property; lying; cheating; stealing; greed; gluttony; ego and pride; control of others; sarcasm; and more and more and more and repeat and repeat and repeat; have only one purpose, and that is to create a stimulus in the physiology of the viewer. Seeing all these types of things trigger and stimulate excitement, or put it another way, raise the heart rate, either by fear or by comic relief. Raised heart rate is also what happens when we feel passion. So, in turn, we're all somewhat tricked into being passionate for all the falseness that's coming through the TV and into our lives. As a biomass, We humans are getting more numb as the years go by, while the broadcasters allow an increasing amount of dysfunctional scenes to be displayed on that little machine plugged into our wall and cable called the television. The show producers have to make the shows more intense with time in order to get an elevated heart response from us viewers because of the fact that we're all getting more numbed out to the effects while we watch.
We wonder why life seems so hectic and crazy, yet we allow this all in. Day after day, week after week, season after season, and what becomes, our lifetime.
I've found myself literally stuck in front of the TV for hours and even days. Truly sucked in. Especially when I've been sick in bed or laid up on the couch healing from some sort of ailment.
Like many progressive diseases, I believe that the lack of paying close attention to how much and what kind of television programming we watch holds it's same place with drug addictions and other life-threatening illnesses. It has somehow become a habit that's not too productive and keeps us lazy and lustful in it's grip.

Leave the Jenny, NOW!

2010-02-16T17:58:00.002-10:00

Well, Brandy and I are NOT going to Saipan on the F/V Jenny. Thank GOD! We are looking into selling the F/V Pacific Star to Phil Westbrook and hope we can strike a deal. It is disheartening to sell the boat and give up on our dream of Hawaii fishing, but we didn't have enough finances to start the operation right to begin with.

Whew! We really did not want to go fishing in Saipan!

White Horses

2010-02-09T20:38:00.003-10:00

"White Horses"
Lyrics and Music by Christopher A. Miller
Copyright 1993

Darlin', you know that I'm to blame
I was dealt the hand of your love, but I walked away from that game
It seems that we we never be the same
My pride tries to hide my shame

Cowboys don't ride white horses
They run around on run down ones instead
Searchin' for a place to rest their sleepy heads
Cowboys don't ride white horses

Lord, take me by the reins
Lead me to the water and wash away my pains
Be walking with me as I ride out on the plains
Dry these tears that fall with the rain

Cowboys don't ride white horses
They run around on run down ones instead
Workin' all the day to keep their families fed
Cowboys don't ride white horses

Some say how the Old West was won
Some paid for the crimes they hadn't done
Today, a cowboy is riding in the sun
Tired of living on the run

Cowboys don't ride white horses
They run around on run down ones instead
Searchin' for a place to make their own homestead
Cowboys don't ride white horses

*******************************

The above lyrics are property of Christopher A. Miller!

Feel free to post comments!

~ Christopher A. Miller

Falling Down a Hole!

2010-02-08T12:34:00.003-10:00

Brandy climbing down into a coastal lava rock hole near Kaena Point Hawaii.

She climbed down just fine until the last few feet in which she slipped, but landed safely in the rocky bottom. Her stubborn butt had to climb up the same way to get out too!

Kaena Point has a long stretch of beach with these lava rocks on it, tide pools, crabs and fish living in the rocks and pools, and coves where waves tunnel through the rocks. Very beautiful. It is about a 45 minute drive from Waikiki heading west on H1. If you rent a car in Oahu, you should drive out to Kaena Point for an afternoon, but if you're not a local to Hawaii, it is advised not to be in that area after dark, as it is a very strong local area and they are not very welcoming to foreigners. Haoles!

Feel free to comment on this post.

~ Christopher A. Miller

Year of the TIGER!

2010-02-08T12:21:00.003-10:00

Chinese New Year in Honolulu

We missed the festival activities on Saturday night, but did arrive as they were cleaning up the streets from all the markets.

China town in Oahu is located very close to the United Fishing Agency Auction Block and Pacific Ocean Producers on Nimitz Highway.

The year of the TIGER!

Please feel free to post comments.

~ Christopher A. Miller

Where the Hell is Waianae?

2010-02-08T12:09:00.003-10:00

Brandy Meisner at Kaena Point near Waianae, Oahu!

Nice lava rock formations on the west coast of Oahu. We walked and hiked up and down the shoreline to find great tidepools, naturally cut holes through the shore rock, and good hiding spots for fish and crabs.

These photos were taken on February 7th, 2010 by Christopher A. Miller and Brandy Meisner. We were taking a Sunday hike, as it will probably be the last Sunday on land for awhile. We are taking the F/V Jenny from Honolulu to Saipan and scheduled to leave this coming Wednesday!

This area is at the end of Farrington Highway, which is at the very west end of Hawaii Interstate H1, past Ewa Beach, Kapolei, and Ko' Olina.

Feel free to comment on this post!

~ Christopher A. Miller

F/V Pacifica Back in the Water

2010-02-03T20:02:00.005-10:00

F/V Pacifica - Placed back in the Water from 2010 Drydocking.

A sunny Wednesday afternoon in Barbers Point, Hawaii, on the west side of Oahu, when the fishging vessel (F/V) Pacifica was placed back into the water after being drydocked for a few weeks getting her underside maintained.

Chris Miller riding the F/V Pacifica with Phil Westbrook and crew.

About to be placed back into the water!

Feel free to post comments regarding this post!

~ Christopher A. Miller
tunashack@gmail.com

Jeannie in a Bottle

2010-02-02T00:26:00.003-10:00

"Jeannie in a Bottle"
Lyrics and Music by Christopher A. Miller
Copyright February 2010

She took my blues away
She made things right
A Southern Comforter
On cold, cold nights

She kept her promises
She told no lies
I fell in love with her
More than most guys

I've lost my Jeannie in a bottle
The whiskey washed her away
Now I'm livin' day to day

I've lost my Jeannie in a bottle
Shoud've give her up long ago
But with that Jeannie, you just never know

Beach Walk and Lava Rock

2010-01-29T09:08:00.005-10:00

Barbers Point Hawaii. There's a stretch of beach that runs east of the Barbers Point Channel where we can access through a hole in the fence. There is a lot of cool coral pieces broken up on the lava rock and sand there and by law, we can harvest up to a gallon-sized container of broken coral a day. To take live coral from Hawaii is against the law.

Everyday while at the shipyard we see this beach, just 100 feet from where the F/V Jenny is drydocked.

Feel free to comment on this post.
~ Christopher A. Miller

A $10 Bathtub

2010-01-20T08:28:00.004-10:00

Walmart! Where else are you going to find a huge plastic tote for only $10? I may have actually paid $11 for it, on sale, ofcourse, because the lid was missing. But that's okay, because I wanted it strictly for using as a boat bathtub.

Here's photos that Brandy took of me testing our new "Boat Bath Tub"! Don't look too closely, unless you're over 18!

This was aboard the F/V Jenny while it was drydocked at Phoenician in Barbers Point, Hawaii. Bathing on deck in January, it's a beautiful thing!!! Thank you Hawaii weather!

Feel free to comment on this posting...

~ Christopher A. Miller

Angel Fish or Sun Fish?

2010-01-20T08:13:00.002-10:00

I've heard these fish called by both Angel Fish and Sun Fish names. They are a very strange looking fish. Their body is nearly all bone, as if they are ALL HEAD. They flip their top and bottom fins in opposite directions often.

This one was caught on a 'short-line' (a line less than a nautical mile long with up to 150 baited branchline hooks connected to it and set with floats on each end, so that it drifts and fishes the surface to about 200 fathoms). The F/V Pacific Star caught this in December of 2009, near the Hawaiian Islands.

It was just Brandy and I on the boat while we were fishing the shortlines and caught this fish. We were targeting Bigeye Tuna and Yellowfin Tuna, and this fish was a by-catch.

Feel free to comment on this posting...

~ Christopher A. Miller

Let's Go Coconuts!

2010-01-19T17:14:00.003-10:00

Wanna Go Nuts for Coconuts!

It's not easy to take the husk from a coconut. After peeling one, you can see that it takes a certain technique to shell a coconut. After you peel away the very strong fibrous husk away from the coconut, then you have to figure out how to crack it open without losing all good coconut milk that's inside.

Brandy peeled this one. We actually found the coconut floating in Honolulu Harbor and decided to peel it and see if it was good, and it was!

Feel free to comment on this posting...

~ Christopher A. Miller

Squid & Brandy Meisner

2010-01-18T19:40:00.004-10:00

A squid jumped onto the boat during some large waves. Brandy took some good photos of the squid on the F/V Pacific Star. These squid are used as food and as bait for catching other larger fish. They are usually caught commercially by jigs and nets.

Look at the squid's tenticles! And the body shape...

I've eaten many squid caught on jigs by my previous filipino crew on the larger Ahi boats. They call the squid "Pusit".

When the squid are first caught, they glow with a variety of colors going throughout their flesh.

You can see the size of this squid compared to Brandy's hand.

Feel free to comment on this post....

~ Christopher A. Miller

Brandy Meisner & Mahimahi

2010-01-18T04:30:00.003-10:00

Brandy catches her first Mahimahi aboard the F/V Pacific Star. This was on the crossing of the Pacific from San Francisco to Hawaii, prior to the Emergency at Sea where we were picked up by the Princess Cruise Ship Golden Princess. You can see the beautiful weather. This was 3 days before the storm where we abandoned ship.

Brandy catches her mahi-mahi on a 'tuna clone' jig trailing from the back of the boat.

Notice the nice colors of the Mahimahi fish when it's fresh!

The meat of the fish is a white meat and makes great fish and chips as a battered and fried fish.

Feel free to post a comment.
~ Christopher A. Miller

F/V Pacific Star Wheelhouse

2010-01-17T10:53:00.002-10:00

The wheelhouse of the F/V Pacific Star. These photos were taken prior to the Princess Cruise Rescue by the M/V Golden Princess in November of 2009. The weather coming across was okay up until we encountered the storm.

Here many hours are spent watching the boat go a maximum speed of 6 knots (about 6 miles per hour).

Please post a comment.
~ Christopher A. Miller

Aku - Skipjack Tuna

2010-01-17T10:30:00.004-10:00

Skipjack Tuna, or also known as "Aku" in Hawaii, flock to the surface and make the water 'bubble' by the frenzy of school feeding. You can catch Aku while they're in this feeding frenzy state by simply placing a blank hook in the water. This one was caught aboard the F/V Pacific Star while we were crossing from San Francisco to Hawaii, and just a few days before the cruise ship rescue. We caught it on troll jigs dragging behind the boat.

Islanders love fresh Aku! The meat is very red and they cook the head into soup.

Please post a comment.
~ Christopher A. Miller

Akilah - Husky Dog of the Pacific

2010-01-17T03:58:00.004-10:00

Akilah! Here are photos taken of Akilah on the same voyage as the Princess Cruises Rescue on the F/V Pacific Star. These were taken about 4 days before the terrible storm that forced us to abandon ship 500 Northeast of the Hawaiian Islands. You can see the tight quarters that we had aboard with Akilah. She usually napped and kept to her 'spot' either near the fish hatch (as shown) or right under your feet while doing wheelwatch.

We were uncertain that the dogs were going to be rescued also, until the Captain of the M/V Golden Princess informed us that if we had life jackets for the dogs (which we did!), then the cruise ship would bring them aboard too. Before knowing that, we thought we were going to have to leave the dogs aboard the vessel until we came back out to rescue them!

Feel free to leave a comment.
~ Christopher A. Miller

Flying Fish

2010-01-17T03:04:00.005-10:00

Fish that fly! These are photos of an actual flying fish. It had landed on our boat, the F/V Pacific Star while we were crossing the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Honolulu. These fish fly by kicking their tail fin really fast and pop out of the water, catching the wind and spreading their very long wing fins. They then glide above the surface of the water for up to 500 feet, depending on the wind. They can also catch the wind and 'fly' as high as 30' above the water, which is how they accidentally land on the decks of boats. Many times, they use this 'flying' as an excape from predators such as Mahi-mahi, Wahoo (Ono), and other fish that are trying to catch and eat them. Many lures are made to look like these fish, as they are a big part of sought after bigger game fishes diets. These photos were taken by Brandy Meisner.

Have you ever seen a fish fly?

Flying fish are not very good for human consumtion.

They are boney and small, but other fish and birds love them!

Please feel free to post a comment to this post.
~ Christopher A. Miller

Pirate's Stew

2010-01-16T19:37:00.004-10:00

To make Pirate's Stew:

Ingredients:
(1) 5-gallon Bucket
(1) 'Slacker' on the Ship
(1 or more) 'Ship Crew Members' (Not including the 'Slacker')

Directions:
Step 1. A "Slacker" aboard the ship is not cutting it, not making the grade, a burden to the other shipmates, so... Step 2! The other crew members are sick of it and want to get even with the "Slacker". They all decide on the "Pirate's Stew" Treatment!!! The angry shipmates then find the 5-gallon bucket (another, easy to carry, easy to crap in, and easy to throw container will work as well), They all piss in it and crap in it, maybe spitting or even vomiting in it for at least a few days (The longer it sits, the BETTER!!!), maybe adding some old dead fish or other rotten food to the mix also. Step 3. Stir as Needed! Step 4. Await the "Slacker" on the ship when he/she's least expecting this, and from an advantageous position, DUMP the Pirates Stew atop the "Slacker"!!! Argghhh!

* * * * *

NOTICE: This is posted a joke and is not meant to be used. That would not be appropriate at all!!!

All COMMENTS are welcome!

F/V Jenny & F/V Pacifica Propellers

2010-01-16T17:52:00.005-10:00

Here are photos of both the F/V Pacifica and the F/V Jenny's prop conditions on January 16th, 2010.

The condition of boat propellers.

The prop zinc on the Pacifica seems to be in good shape.

You can click on any image to get a better view of the picture.

Feel free to post comments on these photos...

Inspect the stern conditions of the vessels.

All comments to this post are welcome.

F/V Pacifica in Drydock

2010-01-16T17:38:00.003-10:00

These photos are taken of the F/V Pacifica while in dry dock at Phoenician in Barbers Point Hawaii on January 16th, 2010.

They are placed here to show a comparison for hull inspection in contrast to the F/V Jenny.

Notice how much better the hull of the F/V Pacifica looks.

Was it a difference in the bottom paint used?

See the difference in the hull conditions?

You can click on any image to see a blown up view of the photo, thus getting better detail view.

Feel free to comment on these photos...

F/V Jenny in Drydock - Part 2

2010-01-16T17:24:00.006-10:00

Here are some more images of the F/V Jenny's Hull condition. Taken on January 16th, 2010.

Is it pitting?

Look closely at the areas where the paint completely came off of the previous grinding jobs.

There are many areas of bare steel showing. Why?

What is the solution? Grinding again, or a good sand blast?

In comparison to the F/V Pacifica, maybe the paints and coatings used were not up to a high standard, as the F/V Pacifica's Hull does not look like this, as shown on the F/V Pacifica page...

F/V Jenny in Drydock

2010-01-16T17:02:00.007-10:00

Does this need sandblasting?

It appears that the last time it was grinded and coated, the the coating has peeled off completely from the steel.

How often should a steel boat hull be sand blasted?

Photos below are taken of the F/V Jenny while in Drydock at Phoenician Shipyard in Barbers Point, Hawaii. The photos show condition of the hull below the waterline.

These photos were taken on January 16th, 2009

F/V Pacific Horizon

2010-01-14T13:13:00.004-10:00

This photo was taken on New Years Eve 2005 while I was in Honolulu, HI and running the fishing vessel F/V Pacific Horizon. It was a 70 plus footer longliner. I had run this boat for 2 trips targeting Bigeye Tuna. I had a Filipino crew of 6 men, which was very nice, as they took care of everything!

If you have any tuna recipes, you can post them in comments below! ~ Christopher A. Miller

Salmon Trolling

2010-01-14T13:05:00.003-10:00

Salmon trolling commercially off the coast of Oregon and Washington aboard the F/V Howard H., a 46' vessel out of Westport, WA. The photo shows Christopher A. Miller with a huge King Salmon, caught in the wild of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oregon in the spring of 2006.

If you want good Salmon, make sure that you eat the 'wild' caught salmon, as there are too many farm raised fish on the market as well, and they do not have the flavor that the wild salmon have. The price may be more for wild caught, but remember that the fishermen pay huge expenses to go out and catch these fish.

They are great for smoking!!! A Northwest Favorite!

8th Grade Graduation Party

2010-01-14T11:39:00.006-10:00

This photo is taken in 1981 at my 8th grade graduation party. We were all attending Marcus Whitman Jr. High, located in Crown Hill / North Ballard area of Seattle, WA. In the photo are my best friends at the time, Greg Starosky, Eric Vennes, Tony Carhee, and others from the gang back then. Eighth Grade was a great time for us as we listened to Back in Black from AC-DC, The Journey Escape Album was released, and we all had a fun time. My girlfriend at the time was Michelle Rudisell. I am right in the center of the pile of guys in the picture. ~ Christopher A. Miller

Sephora

2010-01-14T08:47:00.004-10:00

In 2008, while I was working at Aurora Family Grocery on 90th and Aurora Avenue North, I met Sephora Andresen. She would come in to use the computers and Internet connection there at the grocery store. In time we became friends, chatting about life and etc. Sephora and I had some of the same friends from our Fremont Hall Clubhouse. She suffered many illnesses from her previous drug addiction which did years of damage to her body and health. She always seemed sick from one thing or another. The photo was taken when her and Robin, another girlfriend from the store came over to my new apartment to help me clean. We cooked some dinner and had some fun, the three of us. Last time I saw Sephora, she was in the hospital, afraid of dying and I tried my best to counsel the grief and fear in her. She was a Christian, so I reminded her of Jesus' promises to us. I heard, not long ago from another mutual friend of ours, that Sephora had passed away. God Bless you Seph and your kids and your family. Rest in Peace.

Romeo - Pug of the Pacific

2010-01-13T20:51:00.004-10:00

See the photos here of Romeo on a fishing boat out of Newport, OR in July of 2009. He's a good shipmate and he always runs around the boat and barks at, nearly anything, birds, buoys, seagulls, dolphins, and even things he 'thinks' are there in the water. He believes that he's 'gettin em'. He is the same Pug Dog that was rescued in November 2009 by the Princess Cruise Ship - Golden Princess with another dog named Akilah!

Chance

2010-01-12T13:45:00.003-10:00

Here's some pictures of Chance, sent to me by Becky. He was born in Utah in December. Becky is his mother.

Rescue at Sea

2010-01-12T01:10:00.000-10:00

Here is a link to some of our rescue photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princesscruises/sets/72157622797111890/

Brandy and I had left San Francisco 2 Weeks prior to this rescue. We were on our way to Honolulu, a 2,100 mile trip. During a bad storm, we had to fire off the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicator Radio Beacon) which relays our current position via satellite to Emergency Crews standing by, either Coast Guard or whatever. It goes to a National Emergency Agency, who is alway monitoring for such distress signals. Within 3 hours of setting off our EPIRB, a US Coast Guard C130 Plane was flying over head. We were nearly 500 miles northeast of the Hawaiian Islands. The plane stayed with us and hovered all night (It was 3am when they first arrived). We were getting battered by waves and had been for days. It was a relief to have a plane overhead, as we had been in a stormy tempest, and in near darkness during this storm, save the dim boat lights. I'll blog more about our story later... Stay tuned...

New Guitar

2010-01-12T00:53:00.000-10:00

A happy day is January 12th, 2010. At midnight, I purchased a used $100 classical guitar from a man named Trent off of craigslist. The guy is a photographer and his website is www.XerxesPhotography.com. The guitar plays well and it's nice to have a guitar that actually will stay in tune, rather than the one we bought at Savers in Honolulu for only $17. Thank goodness for craigslist.

We are going to take the F/V Jenny over to Saipan soon from Honolulu, HI and it is an essential to have a guitar for the voyage.

Brandy was asleep while I made the deal for the guitar. I hope she likes it too! I will be playing many songs for her with it.