> > What made you join? It looks like a lot of work and stress is involved (physical and mental). . .
>
> Umm, I tend to ask myself that very question quite often sometimes. Let's see. Here are some possibilities: pick your favourite.
>
> 1) I like physical and mental stress
> 2) I'm stupid
> 3) I want to help people, save lives and make a difference in the world
> 4) The chance to drive a very, very fast boat, use high tech gadgetry, and ride in helicopters
> 5) My aunt said it was a good career ... the uniform, the low slung stun ray holster, the mindless tedium ... (whoops, couldn't resist putting in at least one Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy quote)
> 6) I'm part of a bizarre religious cult which is opposed to sleeping, eating and having spare time
> 7) It's cool and I always wanted to do cool things
> 8) I love boats and the sea. I mean I really, really love them. Perhaps obsessed would be a better term
> 9) Deep down I know that teenagers on jet skis are evil and must be stopped
> 10) I genuinely enjoy spending my evenings doing mathematical exercises calculating compass headings for variation and deviation, taking into account tidal stream, leeway and heeling error, until my brain explodes
>
> Brunnen-"if you can think of any other good reasons I'd quite like to know them"G

Why do I feel like I'm evesdropping on a private conversation? Gosh, Brunnen G, you live the kind of life every kid dreams of! When I was a teenager, back mid-century, I remember:
1. looking at the "Crash Boats" at the US Coast Guard Station in Fort Pierce, Florida and thinking that was the life for me. It seemed like a great alternative to being drafted into the army as a dog soldier.
2. reading a book set in New Zealand and thinking that was where I'd like to live.
3. seeing movies about sailing vessels and dreaming about sailing on one. Ironically, I have sailed on craft ranging from a cruise ship all the way down to a canoe, but never on a sailing ship under sail. I did fly in a sail plane once and I imagine its a similar sensation.
4. watching a sail boat race and dreaming of competing in the America's Cup. (That dream was a little more recent than mid-century.)
Howard