www.photobucket.com/passageoftime

      various "albums" on the left

I followed this little flare up and meant to speak out, but work (god I hate that four letter word) got in the way. So that everyone knows, we have 661 members of the PUP list as of today. That is Six Hundred Sixty One people here. That is no small group. A few observations and comments about our "little" list here: Perhaps the thought of many - wrongly, I think - is that you can't really post here unless you are "passagemaking under power." This list is a refinement, in some respects, of the T&T list which was meant to focus on the passagemaking feature as opposed to the purely coastal cruiser, great looper, or marina to marina part of the trawler life. Not that this is better, it is just that it is a little more focused, perhaps, than the T&T list. Now, I love the T&T list. Heck, it is responsible for a lot of the design choices for my boat. I wanted my boat to be one that will take me across oceans, though, so when I saw the PUP list, I joined - and pretty much lurked. After all, the only "ocean" I had crossed was a 26 hour nonstop trip from Tampa to the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico. Even now, I am hesitant to post because I have only added to my "ocean" curriculum the stretch between Halifax and Boston. Someone pointed out that the structure of the list may be whacky because the ones that are actually "out there" have the least reliable internet service and when they are out there, they are frequently only on their own personal blog. That is probably true, but this list is not and should not be focused only on those very few of us that are actually "out there." The subject matter is about getting, being, been, want to be, and how to get "out there." We are all qualified to exchange ideas on those subjects and I encourage everyone to do so. With 600+ members, there are obviously a lot of people here interested in the passagemaking subset of the T&T list, although my guess is that there is a decent amount of cross pollination between our list and the T&T list. Perhaps where we have erred is in the notion that to be a contributor here you must be "out there." That left a lot of people lurking to hear from those "out there" and, let's face it, most of us are not "out there." Where we have perhaps run astray is in thinking or believing that only those that are "out there" or only those that have been "out there" are qualified to post. I am as guilty as anyone. Heck, when my boat was finally finished and I pushed off from Halifax I posted to the T&T list and not here. Some of that was because I did "owe" so much to the T&T list, and some was because I think that most everyone here is also on T&T (That may not be accurate). Even I felt a little constrained to post here - maybe because this was "the big boys list." I am a little ashamed to have left out all of my PUP family when I took possession of my years long design and build project. Part of that is because I am not yet one of the "big boys." That was dumb thinking. If anyone else on the PUP list is harboring the thought, as I did, that they can't ask about or contribute to the passagemaking list because they are not actually "out there" or have not returned from "out there," you should toss those feelings into the nearest trash can. Whether you are "out there," been "out there," or just want to be "out there" some day, all of us have a lot to contribute and share on the subject of passagemaking . . . . so don't hesitate to chime in here when the occasion arises! Alan Wagner "Passage of Time" All the pictures here: www.photobucket.com/passageoftime various "albums" on the left