26-May-2006 -- Proceeding southeast along the Mexican coast towards the Panama Canal this morning we visited 16N 99W. The Confluence is about 58 km offshore, but due to the high mountain range which attains an elevation of up to almost 1,900 m (6,100 ft) the coast is well visible.

I am not sure to which state it belongs, the nautical chart is not giving the exact boundaries between the Mexican federal states, it is either Guerrero or already Oaxaca. The closest major town is Acapulco, to the NW. The coast can be seen best towards NW, North, and NE.

My office on this ship is well equipped with files, and my living room is equipped with a TV, a DVD player and a CD player. Seen the high technical level of this arrangement and my absolute ignorance in handling it, it is no wonder that the screen so far remained dark. The previous captain tried to explain me its use, the procedure of synchronizing the channels and loudspeakers and what else, and handed me over four remote controllers, of which I have immediately forgotten which one belongs to what machine.

Yesterday evening I tried to watch a movie on a DVD which I brought with me from home ("Of Human Bondage", after a novel of Somerset Maugham with Bette Davies and Leslie Howard). Nothing. The menu always said: "Insert disc", although I was absolutely positive it was already inside. But on the other hand, as "justitia aequatrix", the loudspeakers played some Cha-Cha-Cha or Lambada from a local Mexican radio station at maximum volume, and I did not find the button to mute it. This drove me completely mad. No wonder, I thought, this shit cannot be compatible at all, when the TV is a "Hitachi", the DVD is a "Koss", the loudspeaker machine is from "Aiwa" and the VHS machine is from "Sharp". :-(

Then I inserted another DVD, a Russian one with the recently released movie "Master and Margarita" after the novel of Vladimir Bulgakov. Display said: "This DVD region code is no good!" :-(

Later I will call the cook. Maybe he can fix that. Crew told me he is excellent not only in handling pots and pans, but multimedia equipment as well. If he succeeds, it's okay, if not, never mind, too. Then I continue reading books, as I did the last 30 years at sea. Thanks goodness, at least I am familiar with the operation of the coffee machine. :-)

In the ocean, but with a view of land.