D-Day Minus One

Ever wonder what the “D” stands for? My first thought I thought it was for “Deployment”, then I was thinking how it was used in the U.S. Air Force and it was more like the first day the plan is executed.  This is the day everything starts. Though I can understand the reluctance to call it “E-Day” as in Execution.

So, I think it just becomes “D” as in Day.  Meaning on this day, “D- Day” something is going to happen/begin.

You would think I would know. Why, you wonder?  Well truth be told, I was in war plans for 4 years. Puzzled face? What does that mean?  It means, I was responsible for writing the section of the war plan that dealt with weather support.  I worked with my Air Force counterparts, each of us in a critical specialty and we figured out how shit would get done.

Sadly, you had to know this did not turn out well, it was only during my second two-year assignment that I discovered that was plans was very bad for your career.  But I actually knew this going in, I did not care, I loved the “Plans Shop”.  All the thinking people in the military were there, pilots, logistics, special operations, personnel, etc.  We were the nerds of the USAF.  I met a lot of great people, some of the most intelligent and interesting (because they had actually done stuff and knew stuff) people I ever worked with.

Though even worse and truly tragic was the fact that the Air Force (and probably all military) having had people assigned to look at a particular problem, region, country and countless different factors and scenarios pretty much 24/7 since time began and then develop a “Plan” that would actually be successful.  But then, when they really needed the Plan, would then totally ignore it due to “political” reasons, by both military and civilian leaders.

And we all know how well that turned out, from Vietnam thru Iraq.

But now we have nothing to fear, but fear itself.

So I’m eating a cookie and drinking a glass of Claret in my cabin.

Just goes to show you how discombobulated I feel. I never eat nor drink in my cabin, that’s almost as bad as eating in the bathroom!

But the boat is as disorganized as ever since the work in the Engine Room is still not 100% finished!!!, therefore the two hatches are still open in the salon. Coupled with the fact, that the boat gets very cold every night, it’s only 56F outside, so the shed is like 57.5.

Even my Claret tastes like it just came from the fridge; well the steady coolness of Dauntless does have its advantages, at least I don’t have to keep the mayonnaise in the fridge.

I just came back from Waterford, having eaten in the best southeast Asian restaurant in Northern Europe (no, that’s not an exaggeration).

Tomorrow we, Dauntless and I, go into the water for the first time since October.  Am I nervous, why else would I be eating in my cabin? And that is not to mean eating in bed. I never eat in bed. I think I did once, only to discover that you had to then sleep with the crumbs.  Forgetaboutit.

Also, having gotten past the interesting, but short lived, period of the food and sex combination, I am quite content to keep everything in its place.

Now, if I only had not taken it out of its place in the first place, then everything would be in its place.

Tomorrow, it’s sink or swim with the big boys.

You can track our progress or lack thereof at https://share.delorme.com/dauntless.  This will give you the location of Dauntless every 10 minutes until the end of time or I stop paying the bill, whichever comes first.

Author: Richard on Dauntless

I’m an eclectic person, who grew up in New York, lived overseas for many years and have a boat, Dauntless, a 42 foot Kadey Krogen trawler yacht. Dauntless enables me to not only live in many different parts of the world, but to do it in a way that is interesting, affordable, with the added spice of a challenge. Dauntless also allows me to be in touch with nature. As the boat glides through the ocean, you have a sense of being part of a living organism. When dolphins come to frolic, they stay longer if you are out there talking to them, watching them. Birds come by, sometimes looking for a handout; sometimes grateful to find a respite from their long journey. I grew up on the New York waterfront, in the West Village, when everything west of Hudson St. was related to shipping and cargo from around the world. For a kid, it was an exciting place of warehouses, trucks, and working boats of all kinds: tugs and the barges and ships, cargo and passenger, they were pushing around. My father was an electrical engineer, my mother an intellectual, I fell in between. I have always been attracted to Earth’s natural processes, the physical sciences. I was in 8th grade when I decided to be a Meteorologist. After my career in meteorology, my natural interest in earth sciences: geology, astronomy, geography, earth history, made it a natural for me to become a science teacher in New York City, when I moved back to the Big Apple. Teaching led to becoming a high school principal to have the power to truly help kids learn and to be successful not only in school but in life. Dauntless is in western Europe now. In May and June, I will be wrapping up the last two years in northern Europe, heading south to spend the rest of the year in Spain & Portugal. Long term, I’m planning on returning to North American in the fall of 2017 and from there continuing to head west until we’re in Northeast Asia, Japan and South Korea, where we will settle for a bit. But now, my future lies not in NY or even Europe, but back to the water, where at night, when the winds die down, there is no noise, only the silence of the universe. I feel like I am at home, finally. View all posts by Richard on Dauntless