Istaboa's Waypoints

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Health, happiness, prosperity, and peace...

Friday, December 30, 2011

Making preparations... for the New Year and Next Adventure

Crew Istaboa has not put any plans in stone as of yet and we probably won't. We enjoy being a bit fickle about our cruising objectives. Freedom's just another word for not sticking to plans. (sorry Kris)
But, we've been busy making preparations for a move. One reason for going to Fort Myers was to find out what'd stopped working since our return from the islands last year.
There weren't many.
One of our original GPS transducers had finally gone on the blink. Circa 2002
Our VHF antennae seemed to have put on fur coats. So those had to be replaced. Also almost 10yrs old
We've decided we need to finally add that Isolation Transformer we've talked about for years... and If anyone has any thoughts or ideas along those lines, please send us an email or comment. Istaboa@gmail.com
When we get back, an autopilot calibration is in order. Loaded on new versions of, both, Nobeltec and Coastal Explorer and they aren't speaking the same language as the autopilots.
Been tinkering with the WiFi bridge aboard in hopes of speeding up throughput. Mainly because we've hooked up an Apple TV system for downloading movies... I know, I'm a geek... Mel tells me daily. I want my HDTV!
Also gonna try out MacENC just to see how the Apples handle the navigational tasks... Probably very well.
Going through our inventory to be sure we have the spares required when visiting the islands.
Rule #1: When in the islands, if you don't have it, you probably can't get it. Unless you pay a fortune to fly it in.
Rule #2: Read Rule #1.

Talked with our old buddy Captain Spooner and it looks like he's flying in from Baltimore to spend a few days with us... That's gonna be a lot of fun, so we're looking forward to going home. We miss all our friends at Sunset Bay. (Actually, Jeff and Cathy from C Dock, did come by our house in Memphis for drinks and dinner... That was nice. They were also kind enough to transport my new guitar back to Stuart.)

So plans.... Maybe not the islands and go up to the Northeast instead? Never done that past the Chesapeake. Maybe go to the islands and do some more WiFi work? Maybe both? Who knows?

We'll see...

A Happy New Year Video (you have probably seen) Cute...

better ... Happy New Year

Adios,

Istaboa

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Cheetah's death a hoax?

Is everything bullshit?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/28/cheetah-the-chimp-death-hoax_n_1173404.html

R.I.P.... Cheetah

I loved watching this guy on Tarzan. My favorite was, "Tarzan goes to New York", when Cheetah uses the telephone.

Cheetah the chimpanzee, who acted in classic Tarzan movies in the early 1930s, died of kidney failure Saturday at Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, a sanctuary spokeswoman said.
Cheetah was roughly 80 years old, loved fingerpainting and football and was soothed by nondenominational Christian music, said Debbie Cobb, the sanctuary's outreach director.
He was an outgoing chimp who was exposed to the public his whole life, Cobb said today.
"He wasn't a chimp that caused a lot of problems," she said.
Cheetah acted in the 1932-34 Tarzan movies, Cobb said. Movies filmed during that timeframe starred Johnny Weissmuller and include "Tarzan and His Mate" and "Tarzan the Ape Man," according to the Internet Movie Database.
Sometime around 1960, Cheetah came to the sanctuary from Weissmuller's estate in Ocala, Cobb said.
In the wild, the average chimp survives 25 to 35 years and at zoos chimps typically live 35 to 45 years, she said.
Cheetah, the most famous of the sanctuary's 15 chimpanzees, liked to see people laugh.
"He was very compassionate," Cobb said. "He could tell if I was having a good day or a bad day. He was always trying to get me to laugh if he thought I was having a bad day. He was very in tune to human feelings."
Ron Priest, a sanctuary volunteer for seven years, said Cheetah stood out because of his ability to stand up – shoulders tall, back straight – and walk like a person.
Cheetah also stood out for another reason, Priest said: "When he didn't like somebody or something that was going on, he would pick up some poop and throw it at them. He could get you at 30 feet with bars in between."
It doesn't appear Cheetah had any children, Cobb said.
Cheetah put a lot of thought into his art, though if he was tired he would give up easily and not play with it much.
He wasn't into watching animal shows on television, but he enjoyed watching all the color and movement when football appeared on screen. Cobb wasn't aware of whether Cheetah had any favorite teams.
"I couldn't ask him that," she said. "I'm not a chimp psychic."