Sea story: Judges and schoolteachers in Mogadiscio (1982)

Posted on 27-Dec-2014 @ 14:00 by JT Hine

In 1982, the capital of Somalia was still spelled in Italian. Today it is spelled Mogadishu, but it sounds the same. USS Coronado, a large amphibious ship painted white, dominated the harbor as she moored to the pier downtown. The flagship of the Commander, US Middle East Force was making her semi-annual Swing around the Indian Ocean, showing the flag and maintaining relations with the local governments. We did not know that it would be our last Swing: before long, the Iran-Iraq war would grind to a halt, but not before the US Middle East Force would be absorbed by the new US Central Command. By the end of the decade, the US Fifth Fleet would dominate the waters between Suez and Singapore, and the Middle East Force would join the Sand Pebbles and the Mediterranean Squadron in the pages of naval history. But not yet. Continue reading →

Cross-Border Checklist

Posted on 20-Dec-2014 @ 16:15 by JT Hine

Trip update: Since returning to Charlottesville, I have been working (editing and translating), preparing for Christmas, and moving material around in the house. I have promised my son, Daniel that I would clear out the entertainment/TV room and the porch before I leave. Continue reading →

Trip update VIII: The end of the Northern Trek (2014)

Posted on 13-Dec-2014 @ 14:00 by JT Hine

We headed north on 8 October using US 1 and ME 88 to reach Brunswick, where my cousin Rook lives. Autumn was rapidly bursting into color. I was also looking forward to intercepting the new charger for my computer. The charger was stolen off his porch, so I was back to square one on my search for a solution.

Continue reading →

Trip Update VII: Nova Scotia, formerly (but still) New England (2014)

Posted on 6-Dec-2014 @ 14:00 by JT Hine

Tuesday morning, 23 September, M/V Blue Puttees moored in North Sydney. The sun was shining on the calm water. We rode 60 km to Louisburg to visit the French fortress that anchored New France in the 17th and 18th Centuries. It was a fascinating visit. I wished that I had bought two 1-lb boules in the King’s bakery instead of one. Continue reading →

Trip update VI: Western Newfoundland, blessings in the storm (2014).

Posted on 29-Nov-2014 @ 14:00 by JT Hine

Burgeo once had a population of 2000 and a thriving fishing industry, but today has only half that number, and its main purpose seems to be to connect the ferry with the TransCanada Highway.

Burgeo

We landed not looking forward to the prospect of riding the Barrens in worsening weather. Highway 480 was the main road through town. We decided to stop at Sharon’s Diner, which looked like the last restaurant, to bulk up on hot food for the trip. Sharon herself waited on us. As we ate our fish and chips, we asked about how we might get a ride to the T.C.H.

“I’ll call my son,” she said. “He knows everything.” Continue reading →

Trip update V: from France to the isolated communities (2014).

Posted on 22-Nov-2014 @ 14:00 by JT Hine

On Saturday the 13^th of September, the Marystown Taxi Service took us to Fortune, about 62 km south on the east side of the Burin Peninsula. From there, we took the ferry Cabestan to St. Pierre, one of a pair of islands in Fortune Bay, belonging to France. Under the Peace of Paris in 1783, France gave up all her possessions in the Canadian Maritimes. However, St. Pierre et Miguelon (SPM) were returned to France along with French historic fishing rights. France retained fishing rights on the Saint Georges Bank and in Newfoundland waters until 1904. Today, SPM is a charming tourist mecca, and still an active fishing port.

Continue reading →

Trip update IV: To the end of the New World (2014)

Posted on 15-Nov-2014 @ 14:00 by JT Hine

On Monday morning, the 8^th of September, Atlantic Vision sailed into Placentia Bay and made port in Argentia. The ferry pier is at the former US Navy seaplane base from World War II. Like many of the dozens of US bases built during the war to win control of the North Atlantic, NAS Argentia, with its long runway, remained in service for the Cold War. Continue reading →

The Freewheeling Freelancer Stands Alone!

Posted on 13-Nov-2014 @ 21:15 by JT Hine

A big shoutout and a public thank you to you all for following this blog. After more than one year, it is clear that this blog is here to stay. This week, I purchased a domain name for it.

Tell your friends to remember this simple URL: freewheelingfreelancer.com.

Stay tuned as the adventure continues and we continue to learn together.

Smooth roads and tailwinds,

Jonathan

Trip Update III: Cape Breton Island to the Atlantic (2014)

Posted on 8-Nov-2014 @ 14:00 by JT Hine

The next morning, I cleared my email, while Cheryl studied the instructions for her SLR camera. The cable from the power supply for my computer had been fraying at the hard, sharp plastic nipple where it entered the power supply, and I was unable to reconnect the wires when it finally broke. I packed up my tablet after it ran down. Cheryl did not have cell coverage, so I resigned myself to being without a computer until we returned to civilization and found a Wifi spot, where I could order a new charger. Continue reading →

Trip Update II: into the Maritimes (2014)

Posted on 1-Nov-2014 @ 14:00 by JT Hine

New Brunswick was so different from Québec that I almost went into culture shock the first night. We had dinner at a Thai restaurant, and I had to keep cutting myself off to keep from speaking French. Continue reading →

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