blewis@oz.net writes: >BTW, Tristan Jones passed away in Thailand a few years ago. His >books were >great reading They still are. I am presently halfway through "A Star to Steer Her By" and enjoying it very much! George of Scaramouche, Lake Ontario, Canada

Hello List, I just read Practical Sailor's PocketMail field test on the Sharp TM-20 and the BackFlip/Palm III and would like to obtain one or the other system for myself. If it's not too much of a bother, could someone who actually used it tell me about their experience with PocketMail. I would love to hear from anyone who is or was using the system. Since I live on my boat on Lake Ontario, Canada (near Toronto), I would of course dearly like to hear from anyone in that neighbourhood. TIA - George of Scaramouche

tom@clements.net writes: >I use one and my experience has been good. They now cover the U.S. >and >Canada with toll-free numbers. You can use any wired phone or an >analog >cell phone. Tks for your input. I take it, you're using the Sharp TM-20?

spike@starrstuff.com writes: >We are high above Lake Simcoe and >getting a good enough signal for email on the cell phone. I am collecting info on e-mail (PocketMail) in particular including via cellphones. Could you give me some details on your setup, please. Especially your experiences in Canada: Hardware, Software, ISP? TIA - George of Scaramouche, Lake Ontario, Canada P.s: I don't do www stuff, e-mail only.

tobyboat@erols.com writes: > You might try the Ebay auction pages Call me stubborn and or oldfashioned or old and grumpy, but I refuse to set myself up with web access for the sake of one item that I later will use ONLY on e-mail. When I buy something, I like to walk into a store, touch and feel the item, get a demo if possible and walk out smiling, knowing that what I came in for is now in my hands, ready to use. And yes, I'm willing to pay a bit extra for this if I have to..... Ciao - George, 64, retired and practising 'grouchiness' ;-)

arider@bellsouth.net writes: >What is the lists opinion of the proper length of the oars for an 8' >dinghy? At the price of new oars these days - $100.- without oarlocks - the proper length for me is whatever comes with the dinghy :-) :-) :-) George of Scaramouche who has an old fibreglass dink and even older oars to go with it. Both came with an ancient wooden boat I boat five years ago....

JKG97@prodigy.net writes: >For the future? I will be cutting an access hatch in the >salon/saloon floor >right above the genset so that future repairs/impeller replacements >can be >done from above. And I thought sailboats were tight for space.... Mine is so bad, that I have to hire a 3 ft contortionist midget with superior mechanical ability and no fear of claustrophobia to lubricate my shaft bearing and or tighten the stuffing box. Since there is a shortage of said contortionist midgets around here and I am too big to get my creaking body through the lazaret opening, standing on my head or otherwise, I too have decided to mangle my floorboard to cut an access hole for the stuffing box. Since said access will have to be through the cockpit floor, I have an additional quest: to make the new hatch cover waterproof - but that's another story and part of the coming winter-projects. My water pump incidentially is located right in front of the Diesel and I can fiddle with it sitting crosslegged on the saloon floor (carpeted and padded with comfortable cushions) with beverage next to me and friendly jazz emanating from the surround-sound music machine. Just thought I had to throw this in ;-) ;-) ;-) George of Scaramouche, presently mastless and pretending to be a troller/trawler (not quite to WTP standards -more winter-projects to come).

pjr13@home.com writes: >but I've also spent 34 years in >computers and that tends to make me cautious... Phil, so did I since 1965 with Honeywell, mainframes of course. Where did you serve your pennance? George of Scaramouche - now retired and liveaboard on The Great Lakes in Canada.

This message should have been private, not gone to list. Sorry, plse ignore & delete. Gg pjr13@home.com writes: >>but I've also spent 34 years in ....... >>>snip<<<

>KARL BRANCH wrote: > >> We are about to make an offer on a Trawler that has no holding >tank but >> does have a Lectra/San. Since we are planing to take the great >loop tour >> next Spring we are concerned about "No Dumping Zones" along our >rout. >> Can any one shed any light on this subject? Since we are new to >this >> type of traveling we usually have more questions then answers and >this >> board appears to be an excellent place to get answers. >> Thank you >> Karl & Phyllis >> Soon to be owners of our own Trawler. The Great Loop Tour includes, I believe, some sections of canals. Some of these won't let you enter unless you have a holding tank and your Y-valve is permanently plugged. I believe the Erie Canal is one of them. perhaps someone who has recently done this trip could advise? - George of Scaramouche