Tugboatguy's VirtualTourist Home Page
| Page Views: 11,922 | Welcome to My World, 2009 will be a Great Year! by Tugboatguy - last update: Aug 7, 2009 |
The Incredible Magic of Flight! | Scrutinized by Two Earlier Pilots |
Give a warm welcome virtual visit to Maria250 living in Germany, my 10,000th Home Page visitor. Congratulations Maria!Come fly with me, come fly, come fly away! What is more free than the power of flight? A magic flying carpet-a dream realized. The ability to literally get above it all, and away from worldly cares. Be awed by the perspective of altitude, and looking down on our world from afar. Flight is empowering. Flight is exhilarating. Flight is the realization of Man's dream to emulate the birds. Learn to fly-you will never regret it, and the accomplishment is almost overwhelming. You can do it, if you want it enough. I dreamed of it, I wanted it, I did it, and 43+ years ago (11 July 1966) I passed my flight test checkride with the then Federal Aviation Agency, now called the Federal Aviation Administration. A lifelong pride awaits you with the accomplishment of personal flight! I'm standing outside the Wright Brothers Museum near Dayton, Ohio at Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport. A couple of earlier pilots are looking me over!
I had a nice VT meet in Alaska in August 2007 in a flying vacation, a good weather time to go. Remember, Alaska B4UDIE! Please see my Anchorage pages. I have a NEW ANCHORAGE TRAVELOGUE. This past July and August 2008 I flew 3,800 miles so I have new Fort Collins, Springfield and Albuquerque pages and my Oshkosh page is about complete, with Dayton and Springfield also now complete! |
|  | M/V 'SEEKER' Some VTers have asked about my VT name, and whether I work on a tugboat. My Sundowner diesel tugboat 'SEEKER' is a pleasure tug design for recreational cruising with 600+ nautical mile range. I imported her direct from Kaohsiung, Taiwan builder shipyard in 1988. Here 'SEEKER' is coming right at you on the Pacific Ocean at full speed ahead! SEEKER could sleep five people in her three cabins; but the ideal boat entertains six, feeds four and sleeps two. And, it gives you wonderful freedom to chart your own course of travel. I'm getting away here from that infamous yellow/brown California SMOG! Click on each picture for enlarged view. |
M/V 'SEEKER' with 'FINDER' Here is 'SEEKER' with dinghy 'FINDER' (my little harbor joke) on a very rare, calm Pacific Ocean day. Picture was taken from a flybridge boat, hence the downward angle. 'FINDER" is a PUFFIN fiberglass dinghy, made in the state of Maine. My true nautical love still lies with my past sailboats, also named 'SEEKER', but 30 years of skin Cancer has caused me to 'come indoors', hence the sheltered pilothouse tug design suits me to a "T". I love to read, and 'SEEKER' has bookshelves in every cabin, and a cozy fireplace in the saloon. | | | SEEKER-Calm as Your Bathtub. |
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| | Most 'Bristol' Boat 'SEEKER' has won the Ventura Power Squadron's Commander's Cup Award for three different years as the "Most Bristol Boat". Here I am docking 'SEEKER' to receive her third Commander's Cup Award. We currently have about 208 members with about 100+ boats, power and sail. I was a Naval Aircrewman during the Korean War and have indulged in boats and airplanes all my life. I have been in Channel Islands Harbor since 1967, and live just an eight minute walk from the boat on the beach. |
Coming Home from the Sea 'SEEKER' is faithfully bringing me home in a nasty 30 knot wind with small craft warnings from an extended cruise. I have cruised between San Diego and Santa Barbara including our eight offshore Channel Islands. Shown nearing my marina dock at 5 MPH harbor speed and waving hellol! to all of you from this home page.
'SEEKER's CREDO' *
'The World is a Book, Every Passage a Page. But the Seeking is more Rewarding than the Finding, And the Voyage Dearer than the Port' | | |
| 'SEEKER' Visiting Santa Barbara Harbor |
| | 'SEEKER' on Cruise-Guest Slip In June this year I took the boat on a short cruise and stopped for a while in Santa Barbara Harbor upcoast. Here is 'SEEKER' drying out the shower towels in a guest slip at 7:am. SB Harbor is a older city-owned harbor but lively and colorful, with walkways on only one side of the slips and squat, fat 'SEEKER' was a very tight fit. I keep the rope ladder down in the water while anchored or in a slip to more easily get back on board after falling in. Don't laugh, it's happened twice to me, and getting dunked in saltwater accidentally (with your clothes and shoes on) is not fun. |
Golden Rules for Living 1. If you open it, close it.
2. If you turn it on, turn it off.
3. If you unlock it, lock it up.
4. If you break it, admit it.
5. If you can't fix it, call in someone who can.
6. If you borrow it, return it.
7, If you value it, take care of it.
8. If you make a mess, clean it up.
9. If you move it, put it back.
10. If it belongs to someone else, get permission to use it.
11. If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone.
12. If it's none of your business, don't ask questions.
13. If you want it, go for it legally.
14. If you love it, show that you do.
15. If it loves you in return, cherish it and keep it.
LATEST WEATHER REPORT, What's Your Weather Like?
~\~So that you Know, before you Go- For your current weather and 5-day forecast ANYWHERE in the world, open Wunderground and enter your place. (This also first brings up the weather in my place, lol) Set your preferences, including language, time zone, units and more. Wunderground's page also has a direct link back to VT. Virtual Tourist is a sponsor of Wunderground! Can you find it? Enjoy!~/~
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((-: A SMILE FOR YOU :-))
Smiling is infectious; you catch it like the flu
When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin
When he smiled I realized I'd passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile then I realized its worth,
A single smile, just like mine could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected
Let's start an epidemic quick, and get the world infected.
Keep the smile going be sending this on to a friend
Everyone needs a smile!
Now, please, and thanx! because smile, and the world smiles with you; frown, and you frown alone.
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| 1929 Waco ATO Taperwing landing Runway 22 |
| | 1929 Waco ATO TAPERWING Biplane This beautifully restored rare 1929 Waco ATO TAPERWING is hangared at the Santa Paula Airport in California & is regularly flown. I have taken many pictures of it that are on my external aircraft picture site. (Click on my External Page to see near my Home Page photo above). Registered as N9553, the aircraft has had an engine upgrade to a larger radial Jacobs R755B of 275 horsepower. Only about 100 of the ATO model were ever made by Waco, which stood for the Weaver Aircraft COmpany. The company had 40 distributors and 150 dealers in the US, as well as representatives in Canada, China, Australia, Mexico and South America. By 1934 25 countries of the World were covered.
A particularly beautiful biplane with gracefully tapered wings, (as opposed to the more common 'straight' wings), & an aileron on each of the upper & lower wings for great maneuverability and tight turning radius, the circular tail shapes perfectly complement the rest of the design. This model was a very successful racing plane in its time, advancing the name & reputation of Waco. Speed contests in flight gripped our Nation after Charles Lindbergh's successful non-stop non-refueled first-ever solo transit 1927 flight over the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris created a national frenzy about the possibilities of flight by Man.
The Waco ATO had a large following by the sportsmen of the era, including famous aviators such as Tex Rankin, Jimmy Lund, Art Davis & Joe Mackey who won many speed contests flying the Waco ATO with its original Wright J5 220 horsepower radial engine. The accompanying picture shows N9553 just before landing touchdown on Runway 22 at Santa Paula Airport. The plane was flying with two pilots, one of whom was doing takeoff & landing practice on a nice warm Sunday August afternoon.
Utterly gorgeous airplane! Please also see more beautifully restored classic & other aircraft in my VT albums, including many other vintage aircraft, a particular interest of mine.
Private General Aviation aircraft are probably the ultimate personal transportation, be they antique or classics or personal jets. Many GA aircraft can be rented from fixed base operators with qualified pilot to take you where you want to go, when you want to go & into far more world airports than are served by the scheduled airlines.
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{{ I have Added a THANKSGIVING Greeting!!, also edited for greater legibility & changed some pictures in my beach, neighborhood & aviation albums. There is an important timely addition to my Santa Paula Travel Page, Santa Paula Travelogues. In one Travelogue, I discuss my copyright of most of my aircraft pictures, & reference an aircraft picture, articles & forum website.}}
Remember when almost no one bought flight insurance because chances of an airliner crash were almost infinitesimal? Now people are buying flight or trip insurance because the chances of an airline filing bankruptcy because of fuel costs or cancelling prepaid flights are almost astronomical.
~\~Cute Travel Alaska Advertising Campaign~/~
On bold yellow 'license plate' billboards with blue letters in Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Seattle- Alaska B4UDIE (before you die).
More info: Alaska Travel Industry Association's tourist advertising campaign-ClickAlaskaB4UDIE
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Thank you for looking at the Tugboatguy Home Page, my Albums, Travelogues & Travel Pages. I appreciate your visit. If anything has informed, enlightened, astounded, amused or confused you, please leave a comment so that I can thank you properly for your comments & ratings on my pages. I've now got a MUSICAL tip: hint: it's a restaurant. See if you can find & hear it.
***I have just added a new Travelogue of Postcards from worldwide friends. See my recent Wunderground weather Travelogue as well*** |
 Tugboatguy's Albums | | | |
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 Comments for Tugboatguy | | | | |
chocolatecake Thu Oct 22, 2009 14:15 UTC
Hi, Doug, TQ for the compliments. I shall eat more and taste more from A to Z to update my 'Food Paradise' to make VTers like you 'hungry'! :0) Have a great 'flying' or 'sailing' day! | deecat Wed Oct 21, 2009 06:37 UTC
Hi, Doug. Long time since we've been on at the same time. Hope all is well with you. Things are pretty good here. | allikat Mon Oct 19, 2009 20:10 UTC
Thanks Doug, and it's great to hear from you. Hope you are keeping well! We are loving parenthood, our little man is a real joy :-) | allelli Mon Oct 12, 2009 16:46 UTC
Doug thank you so much |
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