[Rhodes22-list] Cruise Ship Security
Bill Effros
rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org
Thu, 15 Aug 2002 14:06:26 -0400
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Roger,
Was there any security on your ship?
Cruise ships have been targeted in the past. Is anything being done to =
ensure it won't happen again?
Bill Effros
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Roger Pihlaja=20
To: rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org=20
Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2002 11:25 AM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Roger & Deb's Excellent Caribbean Adventure
Hi Everybody,
Well, Deb & I are back from our Caribbean cruise to celebrate our 25th =
wedding anniversary. We sailed on Royal Caribbean's newest ship, the =
"Adventure of the Sea". The Adeventure of the Sea is 1020 feet LOA with =
a top speed of 22 knots. With 19 decks, an unbelievable variety of =
amenities, & a crew of about 1400 to serve about 2500 passengers, this =
type of vacation is all about getting spoiled! The Adventure of the Sea =
had 3 swimming pools, 2 children's wading pools, 6 hot tubs, a water =
slide, inline skating track, rock climbing wall, running track, =
shipshape exercise center, day spa, 3 huge formal dining rooms, a couple =
of "theme" restaurants, a couple of buffet or cafeteria style =
restuarants that served food 24/7, a library, a shopping mall, the =
"Casino Royale" gambling casino, a couple of theaters, and many bars. =
One of the theaters did Broadway quality musical &/or improv comedy =
shows almost every night. The musical shows had all the fantastic =
costumes, lighting, live orchestra, sound sytem, special effects, & =
elaborate quick-change stage sets that you see on Broadway. The other =
theater was set up to do an "Ice Capades" style figure skating show & =
also features fantastic costumes, lighting, sound system, elaborate =
special effects, & stage sets.
Our stateroom attendant was like some kind of ninja. We hardly ever saw =
her. But, nearly every time we returned to the room, no matter how =
briefly we'd been gone, she'd been in our room cleaning, changing the =
bed linen, delivering fresh towels, turning down the sheets & putting a =
chocolate on the pillows, etc. Every evening, returning to our =
stateroom after dinner, there would be some sort of new "sculpture" made =
from towels either on the bed or hanging from the ceiling - everything =
from towel swans & fish to little people wearing my sunglasses & Tilley =
hat! She was very creative.
The cruise itinerary went like this:
Aug 4th: Depart From San Juan, Puerto Rico @ 10:00 PM
Aug 5th: Port of Call, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
Aug 6th: Port of Call, Philipsburg, St. Maarten
Aug 7th: Port of Call, St. Johns, Antigua
Aug 8th: Port of Call, Castries, St. Lucia
Aug 8th: Port of Call, Bridgetown, Barbados
Aug 9th: At Sea
Aug 10th: Port of Call, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Aug 11th: Stayed an extra day ashore in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Aug 12th: Depart from San Juan, Puerto Rico at 3:10 PM & flew home
Deb & I toured some Ports of Call together & also did some things =
separately. I got my PADI SCUBA diving certification on this cruise. =
The cost to get SCUBA certified on the cruise was very competitive with =
the cost to get certified locally here in Michigan. Of course, the dive =
sites are simply incredible!
Another highlight of the trip for me was crewing aboard a 12 Meter, =
America's Cup sailing match race in St. Maarten. Up to this point, I'd =
never even seen an America's Cup boat up close, to say nothing of =
actually crewing aboard one during a match race! The boats were from =
the 1987 cup defense in Perth, Australia. Dennis Conner's crew aboard =
"Stars & Stripes" beat the Australians in four straight match races to =
bring the America's Cup back to the USA. But this time, the America's =
Cup went to San Diego, CA not New York. One of the boats racing that =
day was Stars & Stripes. The other boat was "KC-2" from Canada. We =
chose up teams on the dock, just like it was some sort of pick-up =
softball game in the park. I ended up on the KC-2. Each boat had a =
professional skipper & 2 other professional crew to call the trimming of =
the genoa. After the teams were choosen, crew positions aboard each =
boat were assigned based upon experience, physical size, & brawn. My =
20+ years of sailing experience landed me the job of mainsail trimmer, =
controlling the mainsheet. I had command of two really big guys manning =
the coffee grinder winch that provided the power for me to be able to =
trim the huge mainsail. The boats were rigged with 135% roller furling =
genoas & loose footed mainsails to simplify sail handling for =
inexperienced crews. In addition, there were no triradial spinnakers to =
fly on the downwind legs. But, all the other gear was as it was during =
the actual America's Cup races. The race course was a shortened =
windward/leeward type course with timed start. Each leg was 1 nm & =
there were five legs for a total of 5 nm. The starting & finishing legs =
were to windward. The weather was perfect for sailboat racing: partly =
cloudy, about 80 deg F, 20 knot winds, & 3 - 5 foot seas. KC-2 lost the =
start to Stars & Stripes by about a half a boat length. However, Stars =
& Stripes failed to cover us on the upwind tacking duel & choked on a =
couple of tacks as well. By the end of the 1st windward leg, KC-2 was =
about two boat lengths in the lead. At this point, we found out why =
Stars & Stripes took the America's Cup in four straight races. With a =
building sea breeze & an opposing tide, both wind & tidal current =
favored the nearshore route on the downwind leg. I couldn't believe it =
when Stars & Stripes didn't cover us & gibed onto the offshore route at =
the 1st windward mark! However, when we met again at the leeward mark, =
Stars & Stripes was about a half boat length in the lead. Stars & =
Stripes choked when when they rounded the leeward mark & KC-2 pulled =
ahead. The 3rd leg was another furious tacking duel. But, KC-2 managed =
to cover Stars & Stripes & we were about one boat length in the lead at =
the end of the 3rd leg. Both boats rounded the windward mark cleanly. =
But, this time, Stars & Stripes choose to cover us on the nearshore =
route on the downwind 4th leg. They simply rolled over the top of us & =
there was nothing we could do about it! By the end of the 4th leg, =
Stars & Stripes was about two boat lengths ahead. But, then their =
mainsail trimmer screwed up the gibe around the leeward mark. >From my =
station aboard KC-2, it looked & sounded (much cursing & swearing!) like =
their mainsail trimmer allowed an override to develop on the winch drum, =
it jammed the mainsheet, & they couldn't trim in the mainsail for the =
windward leg. KC-2 rounded cleanly & we were about two boat lengths =
ahead by the time Stars & Stripes got its act together. We tried to get =
Stars & Stripes into another upwind tacking duel, but they were having =
none of that. We split tacks, headed for the favored side of the =
course, & drag raced for the finish line. Stars & Stripes took us by =
about 1 foot at the finish line. Arggg! Stars & Stripes definitely had =
the boat speed on KC-2. The only reason the contest was even close was =
because we'd sailed a much better race, made better tactical decisions, =
& made many fewer sail handling mistakes aboard KC-2. After the race, =
the professional helmsman let me drive KC-2 back to the harbor under =
sail. Even with a steering wheel, the helm was responsive to the point =
of being squirrelly. Everything was very taut with absolutely no slop =
in the steering system. What fun! It was an experience I'll remember =
all my life.
Despite being located in the tropics, many of these islands are only =
green & lush near their coastlines. As soon as you head inland, they =
have a dry, semi-arid type of climate. Two notable exceptions are =
Puerto Rico & St. Lucia, which both get sufficient rainfall to have =
tropical rain forests covering their mountains. =20
On St. Lucia, Deb & I took a tour by boat & bus to a "dormant" volcano =
called Mount Soufrie're (Soo-Free: A French word meaning "sulfur air"). =
Apparently, at some point in the not too distant past, Mount Soufrie're =
exploded like Mount St. Helen, sending several cubic MILES of rock up =
into the atmosphere. Today, you can drive into the volcanic crater =
where there are bubbling sulfurous hot springs, steam vents, elemental =
sulfur deposits, & the air is foul with the smell of hydrogen sulfide =
gas (smells like rotten eggs!). We stood in the bottom of the volcanic =
crater & looked up at the rim of the crater towering 200 - 300 feet =
above us. Then, I looked to the west, where about 1/3 of the crater & =
mountain were simply "missing" & tried to imagine the immense explosion =
required to create this landscape!
In Puerto Rico, Deb & I rented a car & drove up into the Caribbean =
National Forest, known locally as the El Yunkee Rain Forest (Yung-Kay: =
Also the name of a 3494 foot elevation mountain top within the rain =
forest). The Caribbean National Forest is the only tropical rain forest =
in the US National Park system. The vegetation is dense almost beyond =
description. Walking around, we could typically hear perhaps a dozen or =
more different birds, insects, tree frogs, & other critters. By the =
volume of the sound, they had to be no more than 10 - 15 feet away. =
Yet, the plant growth was so dense that we never saw a single critter =
the entire time we were in the rain forest! I was surprised to see =
familier northern hardwood species of trees like oak & maple growing =
alongside of palm, banana, & bamboo trees. Everything was covered in =
vines & moss. It rained hard on the drive up into the park. We were =
lucky that it stopped raining for a little while when we were in the =
park. But, it was late in the afternoon, we didn't have the right =
equipment to go hiking on the steep, slippery, muddy foot trails, & it =
looked like it was going to start raining again any minute. So, we =
stuck to what we could see from the main paved roads, which was still =
pretty spectacular, especially the waterfalls!
Rummy take note - Bacardi Rum has its largest & newest rum distillery =
open for free guided tours near San Juan, Puerto Rico. They give FREE =
samples of all their products! As a chemical engineer, I enjoyed seeing =
the process of making various types of rum scaled up to an enormous =
world-scale size. =20
Puerto Rico & St. Thomas were the only two islands, we visited, which =
had any significant middle class. The other islands were very much 3rd =
world with the vast majority of poverty stricken "have-nots" living in =
the shadow of the opulent estates of the relatively few fabulously =
wealthy & politically powerful "haves". Everywhere we went on these =
islands, the natives tried to aggressively sell us their handicrafts, =
things like bead necklaces, conch shells, & carved wooden ships models. =
A lot of it made Deb & I feel pretty uncomfortable. It made us feel =
guilty of conspicuous consumption. We felt sorry for them, & yet we =
really didn't want to buy a bead necklace or conch shell. Despite all =
this, we didn't see anyone who was starving, homeless, obviously in dire =
need of medical care, & apparently the literacy rate on all of these =
islands is in the 95+% range. Everyone was basically pretty friendly. =
After 500+ years of colonial rule by the Spanish, French, Dutch, =
British, & the United States; the culture & architecture on each of =
these islands was an interesting mixture. Each was different from the =
others. Most of the island tours concentrated on the colonial history, =
most of which is very well preserved & on display.
With me not working, Deb & I hestitated to spend the money on ourselves =
to take this cruise. In the end, we decided that the Dow Chemical Co. =
had virtually nothing to do with our 25 years together & we weren't =
going to let a stupid corporate decision to downsize me ruin this =
important occasion. Yes, it was expensive, but I'm glad we went!
Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Roger,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Was there any security on your =
ship?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Cruise ships have been targeted in the =
past. Is=20
anything being done to ensure it won't happen again?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Bill Effros</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----=20
<DIV style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A=20
title=3Dcen09402@centurytel.net =
href=3D"mailto:cen09402@centurytel.net">Roger=20
Pihlaja</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=3Drhodes22-list@rhodes22.org=20
href=3D"mailto:rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org">rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org</A>=
</DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, August 13, 2002 11:25 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> [Rhodes22-list] Roger & Deb's Excellent =
Caribbean=20
Adventure</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Hi Everybody,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Well, Deb & I are back from our =
Caribbean=20
cruise to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We sailed on =
Royal=20
Caribbean's newest ship, the "Adventure of the Sea". The =
Adeventure of the=20
Sea is 1020 feet LOA with a top speed of 22 knots. With 19 =
decks, an=20
unbelievable variety of amenities, & a crew of about 1400 =
to serve=20
about 2500 passengers, this type of vacation is all about =
getting=20
spoiled! The Adventure of the Sea had 3 swimming pools, 2 =
children's=20
wading pools, 6 hot tubs, a water slide, inline skating track, rock =
climbing=20
wall, running track, shipshape exercise center, day spa, 3 huge formal =
dining=20
rooms, a couple of "theme" restaurants, a couple of buffet or =
cafeteria=20
style restuarants that served food 24/7, a library, a shopping mall, the =
"Casino=20
Royale" gambling casino, a couple of theaters, and many bars. One =
of the=20
theaters did Broadway quality musical &/or improv =
comedy shows=20
almost every night. The musical shows had all the fantastic =
costumes,=20
lighting, live orchestra, sound sytem, special effects, & elaborate=20
quick-change stage sets that you see on Broadway. The other =
theater was=20
set up to do an "Ice Capades" style figure skating show & also =
features=20
fantastic costumes, lighting, sound system, elaborate special effects, =
&=20
stage sets.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Our stateroom attendant was like some =
kind of=20
ninja. We hardly ever saw her. But, nearly every time we =
returned to=20
the room, no matter how briefly we'd been gone, she'd been in our room =
cleaning,=20
changing the bed linen, delivering fresh towels, turning down the sheets =
&=20
putting a chocolate on the pillows, etc. Every evening, returning =
to our=20
stateroom after dinner, there would be some sort of new "sculpture" made =
from=20
towels either on the bed or hanging from the ceiling - everything from =
towel=20
swans & fish to little people wearing my sunglasses & Tilley =
hat! =20
She was very creative.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The cruise itinerary went like =
this:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Aug 4th: Depart From San Juan, Puerto =
Rico @ 10:00=20
PM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Aug 5th: Port of Call, Charlotte =
Amalie, St.=20
Thomas</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Aug 6th: Port of Call, Philipsburg, St. =
Maarten</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Aug 7th: Port of Call, St. Johns,=20
Antigua</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Aug 8th: Port of Call, Castries, St.=20
Lucia</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Aug 8th: Port of Call, Bridgetown,=20
Barbados</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Aug 9th: At Sea</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Aug 10th: Port of Call, San Juan, =
Puerto=20
Rico</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Aug 11th: Stayed an extra day ashore in =
San Juan,=20
Puerto Rico</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Aug 12th: Depart from San =
Juan, Puerto=20
Rico at 3:10 PM & flew home</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Deb & I toured some Ports of Call =
together=20
& also did some things separately. I got my PADI SCUBA =
diving=20
certification on this cruise. The cost to get SCUBA certified =
on the=20
cruise was very competitive with the cost to get certified locally here =
in=20
Michigan. Of course, the dive sites are simply =
incredible!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Another highlight of the trip for me =
was crewing=20
aboard a 12 Meter, America's Cup sailing match race in St.=20
Maarten. Up to this point, I'd never even seen an America's Cup =
boat up=20
close, to say nothing of actually crewing aboard one during a match =
race! =20
The boats were from the 1987 cup defense in Perth, Australia. =
Dennis=20
Conner's crew aboard "Stars & Stripes" beat the Australians in four=20
straight match races to bring the America's Cup back to the =
USA. =20
But this time, the America's Cup went to San Diego, CA not New =
York. =20
One of the boats racing that day was Stars & Stripes. The =
other boat=20
was "KC-2" from Canada. We chose up teams on the dock, just =
like it=20
was some sort of pick-up softball game in the park. I ended up on =
the=20
KC-2. Each boat had a professional skipper & 2 other=20
professional crew to call the trimming of the genoa. =
After the=20
teams were choosen, crew positions aboard each boat were assigned based =
upon=20
experience, physical size, & brawn. My 20+ years of sailing =
experience=20
landed me the job of mainsail trimmer, controlling the =
mainsheet. I=20
had command of two really big guys manning the coffee grinder winch that =
provided the power for me to be able to trim the huge =
mainsail. The=20
boats were rigged with 135% roller furling genoas & loose =
footed=20
mainsails to simplify sail handling for inexperienced crews. In =
addition,=20
there were no triradial spinnakers to fly on the downwind =
legs. But,=20
all the other gear was as it was during the actual America's=20
Cup races. The race course was a shortened =
windward/leeward type=20
course with timed start. Each leg was 1 nm & there =
were five legs=20
for a total of 5 nm. The starting & finishing legs were to=20
windward. The weather was perfect for sailboat racing: partly =
cloudy,=20
about 80 deg F, 20 knot winds, & 3 - 5 foot seas. KC-2 =
lost the=20
start to Stars & Stripes by about a half a boat length. =
However,=20
Stars & Stripes failed to cover us on the upwind tacking duel=20
& choked on a couple of tacks as well. By the end of the =
1st=20
windward leg, KC-2 was about two boat lengths in the =
lead. At=20
this point, we found out why Stars & Stripes took the America's Cup=20
in four straight races. With a building sea breeze & an =
opposing=20
tide, both wind & tidal current favored the nearshore=20
route on the downwind leg. I couldn't believe it when =
Stars=20
& Stripes didn't cover us & gibed onto the offshore route at the =
1st=20
windward mark! However, when we met again at the leeward mark, =
Stars &=20
Stripes was about a half boat length in the lead. Stars & =
Stripes=20
choked when when they rounded the leeward mark & KC-2 =
pulled=20
ahead. The 3rd leg was another furious tacking duel. =20
But, KC-2 managed to cover Stars & Stripes & we were =
about one=20
boat length in the lead at the end of the 3rd leg. Both boats =
rounded=20
the windward mark cleanly. But, this time, Stars=20
& Stripes choose to cover us on the nearshore route =
on the=20
downwind 4th leg. They simply rolled over the top of us & =
there=20
was nothing we could do about it! By the end of the 4th leg, =
Stars=20
& Stripes was about two boat lengths ahead. But, then =
their=20
mainsail trimmer screwed up the gibe around the leeward =
mark. =20
>From my station aboard KC-2, it looked & sounded (much =
cursing=20
& swearing!) like their mainsail trimmer allowed an =
override to=20
develop on the winch drum, it jammed the mainsheet, & they =
couldn't=20
trim in the mainsail for the windward leg. KC-2 rounded cleanly =
& we=20
were about two boat lengths ahead by the time Stars & Stripes =
got its=20
act together. We tried to get Stars & Stripes into =
another upwind=20
tacking duel, but they were having none of that. We split tacks, =
headed=20
for the favored side of the course, & drag raced for the finish =
line. =20
Stars & Stripes took us by about 1 foot at the finish =
line. =20
Arggg! Stars & Stripes definitely had the boat speed on =
KC-2. =20
The only reason the contest was even close was because =
we'd=20
sailed a much better race, made better tactical decisions, & =
made many=20
fewer sail handling mistakes aboard KC-2. After the =
race, the=20
professional helmsman let me drive KC-2 back to the harbor under =
sail. =20
Even with a steering wheel, the helm was responsive to the point of =
being=20
squirrelly. Everything was very taut with absolutely no =
slop in=20
the steering system. What fun! It was an experience I'll =
remember=20
all my life.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Despite being located in the =
tropics, many of=20
these islands are only green & lush near their coastlines. As =
soon as=20
you head inland, they have a dry, semi-arid type of climate. Two =
notable=20
exceptions are Puerto Rico & St. Lucia, which both get sufficient =
rainfall=20
to have tropical rain forests covering their mountains. =
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>On St. Lucia, Deb & I took a tour =
by boat &=20
bus to a "dormant" volcano called Mount Soufrie're (Soo-Free: =
A French=20
word meaning "sulfur air"). Apparently, at some point in the not =
too=20
distant past, Mount Soufrie're exploded like Mount St. Helen, sending =
several=20
cubic MILES of rock up into the atmosphere. Today, you can =
drive into=20
the volcanic crater where there are bubbling sulfurous hot springs, =
steam vents,=20
elemental sulfur deposits, & the air is foul with the smell of =
hydrogen=20
sulfide gas (smells like rotten eggs!). We stood in the =
bottom of the=20
volcanic crater & looked up at the rim of the crater towering 200 - =
300 feet=20
above us. Then, I looked to the west, where about 1/3 of the =
crater &=20
mountain were simply "missing" & tried to imagine the immense =
explosion=20
required to create this landscape!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>In Puerto Rico, Deb & I rented a =
car &=20
drove up into the Caribbean National Forest, known locally as the El =
Yunkee Rain=20
Forest (Yung-Kay: Also the name of a 3494 foot elevation mountain top =
within the=20
rain forest). The Caribbean National Forest is the only tropical =
rain=20
forest in the US National Park system. The vegetation is =
dense almost=20
beyond description. Walking around, we could =
typically hear=20
perhaps a dozen or more different birds, insects, tree frogs, & =
other=20
critters. By the volume of the sound, they had to be no more=20
than 10 - 15 feet away. Yet, the plant growth was so dense =
that we=20
never saw a single critter the entire time we were in the rain =
forest! I=20
was surprised to see familier northern hardwood species of trees like =
oak &=20
maple growing alongside of palm, banana, & bamboo trees. =
Everything=20
was covered in vines & moss. It rained hard on the drive up =
into the=20
park. We were lucky that it stopped raining for a little while =
when we=20
were in the park. But, it was late in the afternoon, we =
didn't have=20
the right equipment to go hiking on the steep, slippery, muddy foot =
trails,=20
& it looked like it was going to start raining again any =
minute. So,=20
we stuck to what we could see from the main paved roads, which was still =
pretty=20
spectacular, especially the waterfalls!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Rummy take note - Bacardi Rum has =
its largest=20
& newest rum distillery open for free guided tours near San =
Juan,=20
Puerto Rico. They give FREE samples of all their products! =
As a=20
chemical engineer, I enjoyed seeing the process of making various types =
of rum=20
scaled up to an enormous world-scale size. =20
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Puerto Rico & St. Thomas were =
the only two=20
islands, we visited, which had any significant middle =
class. The=20
other islands were very much 3rd world with the vast=20
majority of poverty stricken "have-nots" living in the shadow =
of the=20
opulent estates of the relatively few fabulously wealthy & =
politically=20
powerful "haves". Everywhere we went on these islands, =
the=20
natives tried to aggressively sell us their handicrafts, things =
like bead=20
necklaces, conch shells, & carved wooden ships models. A lot =
of it=20
made Deb & I feel pretty uncomfortable. It made us =
feel guilty of=20
conspicuous consumption. We felt sorry for them, & yet we =
really=20
didn't want to buy a bead necklace or conch shell. Despite all =
this, we=20
didn't see anyone who was starving, homeless, obviously in dire =
need of=20
medical care, & apparently the literacy rate on all of these islands =
is in=20
the 95+% range. Everyone was basically pretty friendly. =
After 500+=20
years of colonial rule by the Spanish, French, Dutch, British, =
& the=20
United States; the culture & architecture on each of these =
islands was=20
an interesting mixture. Each was different from the=20
others. Most of the island tours concentrated on the colonial =
history, most of which is very well preserved & on =
display.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>With me not working, Deb & I =
hestitated to=20
spend the money on ourselves to take this cruise. In the end, we =
decided=20
that the Dow Chemical Co. had virtually nothing to do with our 25 years =
together=20
& we weren't going to let a stupid corporate decision to downsize me =
ruin=20
this important occasion. Yes, it was expensive, but I'm glad we=20
went!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Roger Pihlaja</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>S/V Dynamic =
Equilibrium</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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