Sailing with Merchant Marine
Sometimes the conversation tops the sailing. Such was the case with Chris and Cheryl Wolf of Jacksonville, recently of Philadelphia.
We set sail along the York River on a sunny morning of rising winds that eventually died down. As we got to talking about backgrounds, Chris said, “I was the creative director for the Fox O&O in Philadelphia” 
“The local Fox stations don’t reflect the same right-wing coverage that Fox network does. But it’s hard these days because the reporters are so inexperienced. They don’t follow up with the hard questions.” We talked about the future of newspapers.
That led to a spirited discussion about other flaws in today’s media, namely the emphasis by media corporations on the bottom line vs. community coverage. “Sometimes I just want to throw my shoe at the TV,” Chris said. I told him I throw my slippers.
Sailing with Merchant MarineCheryl took the helm reluctantly but turned in a good job. On a lighter note, she said, “Our son-in-law Josh is a captain for Maersk line. He graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Island. He’s currently en route to the North Pole to resupply a mission there. They need a Coast Guard icebreaker to get in.”
Chris picked up the thread. “Josh is stationed in Greece with Maersk. Then when he goes out of the Med he turns right to go to the North Pole and left to go to the South Pole.”
Speaking about accidents, neither had any update on the freighter that T-boned the Navy guided missile cruiser in the Indian Ocean. “I’ll bet Josh knows something,” Cheryl said, adding, “We were in Philadelphia when the barge hit the duck boat,” which killed several people.
“Josh’s brother joined the Coast Guard and is now in Australia. They talk about meeting for beers down there. Josh is 32.” The Wolfs enjoyed the history narrative about the Battle of the Capes and the Siege of Yorktown. Next, they went off to the new American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

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Sailing with Merchant Marine

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