Deciding that avoidance is the better part of valour, the whole Jamestown Ships gang decided to throw Hank's going away dinner on Friday night as far away from the Hampton Coliseum, and thus Phish, as possible. So we ended up in Gloucester which was good since Hank was leaving out at 3:30 in the morning from his parents house up there. That's Hank there when he was bosun on the HMS Rose - and in fact, I got that picture from their website with Hank's good wishes. He's off to work on the Spirit of Massachusetts.

Funny to think how long I've known Hank - or how long I've known most of the current and former crew of the Susan Constant, Godspeed,and Discovery. We're some of us all spread out across the world now - but those of us who worked together between 1989 and 1993 or so formed some kind of strange bond that has outlasted so many similar friendships. Let's see, Homer and Jim are of course still with the Foundation as are Todd and Steve. Jim is now in charge of the entire educational program which includes the sailing program! Wow!

Jeanne, Rieger and I work at Ye Olde Boat Museum, Anneliese is in the wilds of Colorado with her hubbie Greg, Clare the wonderchild, and a herd of Jack Russells, Bob is a computer god (as well as Homer's brother-in-law and daddy to Collin!), Melanie is a reporter/actress in D.C., David is a violin teacher as well as a musician with The Virginia Company, Rhett is a lawyer, and Stephen has apparently made a name for himself as "Sam the Prairie Dog." We don't all see each other very often - and some have kinda fallen out of the group, but many of us do try to keep in touch, however sporadically. And Hank is the biggest and bestest sailor of the bunch. I am so proud of him! Be sure to look for him (complete with fake sideburns) in the Patrick O'Brian movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

On Saturday night, we had our annual Twelfth Night Party. Yes - I know that it was only Tenth Night, but who wants to go to a party on a Monday night? It was a very laid back party - but we had bean cakes and more paper crowns so what's not to like?

Unfortunately I came down with a cold and am now at home missing out on a whole host of meetings I should probably be at. But hey - I have to learn to trust other people to do what's right - so why not now? Besides, my voice isn't exactly working, so I would squeak my way through the meetings which would be fun for some, but not for me.