Much as it may surprise us, GD is not the only thing. You know where we are, and we will think about you.

Yes, we're all shipmates.

Comes to all of us sooner or later.
Best wishes Comrade.

We can keep the mechanical stuff turning if you have to nip ashore Chief. ES is boning up on the hyper efficient top secret modifications you installed, so that Sqweek and the black gang don't do anything to mess it up.


We'll still be here, probably in that little bar outside the dock gates.

I do understand what you are going through shipmate. You take as much time as you need Tom. I can stasnd a few watches in your absence and also feed squeak and Eric.
Our thoughts are with you mate.

My thoughts also with you Tmac --- (From one Tom to another) I believe at our age, speaking for myself of course, we all have problems in real life, either personal, or the responsibility to others. At least we have the GD for a little levity, fellowship, and the opportunity to look back at some of the highlights in our lives fpr a few moments in the day. Stop by for a Black Bush anytime my friend - we'll make sure the header tank is topped up. :)

Indeed. Been there. The worst it can repeat is thrice. I hope yours will be a singular experience as was mine (I am not sure I would have qualified it with highlight!).

Thanks shipmates, you demonstrate the true meaning of friendship and for that I am forever grateful. It is a difficult time watching someone simply fade away and there is nothing you can do to ease their suffering. Hopefully the end will be sooner rather than later.

Your kind words and thoughts at what is a difficult time give me strength, somehow thank you seems so inadequate to show my appreciation.

Eric, Squeek and myself holding the fort down here for a wee while. Everything ticking over nicely but no one sure of how to stop the main engine but we'll muddle thro. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

If you know the words of power you will be able to control the engines but only the master understands them. I believe that if you wave a pipe wrench over the controls you will be able to effect what you want.

You can use the Shelley Berman memorial torque inverter to stop 'er but I thought we had shape-shifting propellers so we don't really need to stop them unless there are mooring ropes or jeuness d'oree swimming in vicinity.


(Do not use the Shelley Berman collision avoidance technique. Traffic islands and the geographical sort cause much the same heartache if bumped into)

Shirley Berman not well known down here but if she wants to sign on as a Donkey Greaser we will accommodate her. Little Eric would prefer Shelley Bassey.

You know, ES, we wish you injuneers would stop greasing Donkeys, they just make a mess wherever they wander. Spraying them with Teflon does a very similar job, without the cleanup needed after a Donkey Rodeo.

Fear not ES. As an honery member of the Golden Spanner. I do know the secret sequence for Starting and stopping main engines. I also have a key to the control room master panel for said purposes.
when Tom rings down FWE just rattle a glass against a bottle and I will come shut them down.

Here we are - Valparaiso -- two days only and then on our way to the Cook Islands (Been a year or so since we were there so perhaps they will have forgotten?) Shore side bar crawl at 20:00 :pint:

Valparaiso...(not to be confused with Valspar paint for your Bike)
Quite looking forward to a run Ashore Tom

Why would we confuse paint with pasta?

You run, we'll toddle along when you have found a hostelry of adequate quality for Team GD. I need to wait to make sure Sir W remembers to start a generator before killing the shaft generators along with the MEs.

(On second thoughts I suppose we don't need to leave the lights on when we're not at home or would that encourage burglars?)

I have ordered (asked) Eric and Mr McCloggie to stay on board and hold the fort until we return with some guests. There is little to steal on GD2 that is of value other than our intellect and overwhelming self esteem.
Mr V has spent many sober hours in his wee workshop building a self-esteemometer, crew for the use off, and he will calibrate it using Squeek as zero and himself as full scale deflection. We should fall somewhere in-between, probably towards the lower end of the scale. Such is life.

The Esteemieometer is not ready for release. It relies on AI and can't make up its software to measure how pissed the user is or how fast the boiler feedpump should be going. As for Self-esteem we have another problem as when steaming one's esteem can certainly be affected. That, however, is more easily measured although whether I want that logged by the IAS I am not sure.

Not sure we should be dabbling in AI on this ship. Of course we're as broadminded as the rest but we are British.

Ah, the bull in a Bowler hat. What happy days.

I think a little fuzzy logic will help the esteemeiomometer. Fuzzy logic "is employed to handle the concept of partial truth, where the truth value may range between completely true and completely false."

Yes, it should help immensely.
Question "Are we really building an esteemeiometer?"
Answer "the truth value may range between completely true and completely false."

Add in 2 of Schrodingers cats, carefully marked "Not to be opened till Christmas day" and a little quantum entanglement such as that which enables a robin to navigate, and Robert will prove to be one of your parents siblings. And you will probably have one dead cat.

Oh, and Ohio university has this to say about learning about fuzzy logic from examples.

"Error during evaluation of resource template: GET document/get/{ACCNUM}/{DISP}, SQL Error Code: 6,550, SQL Error Message: ORA-06550: line 2, column 18: PLS-00302: component 'SEND_ETD_PDF' must be declared ORA-06550: line 2, column 1: PL/SQL: Statement ignored"

Straight from the horses mouth.

Talking about "dabbling" --- What is your favourite tipple?

Of course we are broad minded -- after being at see for the last three days, it's only natural.

:big_tongue:

Three days at sea on GD2 is regarded as a FG Ocean Passage. Special entry in Discharge Book and Watchkeeping Certificate.


( BTW Mr McCluskie looked grand on TV yesterday evening).

Three days voyage in GDII equates to at least three weeks in any other foreign going vessel. TMac knows why. Something to do with that big red button on the bridge.

DON'T TOUCH IT!!!!"