LETTERS to poo and pee. 4) Antonia claimed that people hated her, but they probably just found her obnoxious — and for good reason, if her portrayal of her and Peter's behavior is accurate. Although often tolerated, boors are seldom welcome. 5) Why did they kill the turkey, the only sentient being who would drink with her? If she's not careful, she'll have to start wearing a porkchop around her neck. Again. 6) Some folks travel to expand their experience and understanding, others to confirm their prejudices. Why does Antonia travel? 7) If the couple don't care for New Age interests, why did they go to San Marcos? Would they go to Las Vegas and complain about the gambling? They could have stayed in San Pedro or Pana, where the atmosphere is more attuned to their antics and perceptions. 8) As a self-described novelist, is Antonia writing the Great American Novel or the great Ugly American novel? Will it contain ripped bodices and heavy cherry-tipped breasts? Or the integration of poo, pee and thee? Sounds like a title. I also thought the article about the Philippines a few months before by the owner of the catamaran Cadence was full of B.S. too. Nonetheless, thanks for the excellent magazine. Although I'll be walking through Southeast Asia for the next year, I look forward to returning to the United States to get a boat and go cruising. Allen Sneidmiller Chico

Photos courtesy of Pelagic Expeditions

We do it to get you there We push for new ideas, new materials and new ways to design sailboat hardware that works beyond your expectations every time. Our goal is to produce products perfectly balanced between function and performance so sail handling is flawless—vital when your ports of call are staffed by penguins. Skip Novak’s

company Pelagic Expeditions offers sailing expeditions to high latitude destinations like Antarctica, the Falklands and Iceland. The sailing vessels are built to operate for long periods in the most remote oceans of the world. Sails are trimmed and furled by hand. Service facilities are nonexistent, making smooth running, reliable gear a necessity. That’s why Skip chose Harken furling, winches and Battcars. “A smooth-running

system is a must for Pelagic Australis. We often operate in 30-knot winds where reefing easily in big seas is critical to our safety. When I think back on my bloodied hands, the Harken Battcar system is a dream come true.”

— Skip Novak, Pelagic Expeditions www.pelagic.co.uk

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS

SEE US AT STRICTLY SAIL PACIFIC 1251 E. Wisconsin Ave., Pewaukee, WI 53072, Tel: 262-691-3320 Fax: 262-691-3008, Email: harken@harken.com, Web: www.harken.com

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Latitude 38

• April, 2007

COURTESY SEREIA

mast track

Allen — Thanks for the kind words, but we have to admit that you've really thrown us. For when it comes to contributors, we think Frank Ohlinger, the skipper of Cadence, and Antonia and Peter of Sereia are among our very best. They are both terrific observers, and their writings have always made us laugh out loud. In fact, Antonia is particularly hysterical. If you haven't checked out Sereia's website at www.svsereia. com, you're really missing something. One of the things we like about both Antonia and Frank is that they get right in there and mix it up with the local people, poking their noses into everything and, in Antonia's case, even being a little obnoxious. And just because they don't suffer from the progressive disease of necessarily assuming that primitive cultures are the most advanced, they obviously have an affection — no matter what Antonia might It's obvious that Peter, Antonia's husband, have written tongue-intakes life much too seriously. cheek — for the people they'd been around. Even those who prescribe pee to cure the sick. (By the way, Antonia is certainly a better person than we are, for if we heard someone telling others that they could cure HIV by drinking pee — or by having sex with virgins, as is common in Africa — we wouldn't be so circumspect. We doubt that we'd be able to stop ourselves from delving into what would no doubt become a heated discussion about the nature