Over the years, the Kettenburg web site has had over 35 thousand hits!! Many people have offered articles and narratives as to their trials and tribulations experienced while working on their beloved K boats. The "Message Board" offers several examples of those seeking assistance from other boat owners. A few weeks ago, I noted a message from the owner of K-38 #31 FLAMBOUYANT. While I am not a K-38 owner, the message caught my eye because it was written in French. I confess to being a Francophile and visiting the land of wine and cheese two or three times a year. While my wife is quite fluent in French, I wasn't, until a few years ago, when I began taking beginning French lessons. I became real tired of not being able to read signs, or to be able to say "thank you"� or knowing how to say, "Please" or just plain exchanging pleasantries while enjoying their country. I soon came to learn that French is one of those languages that are not very forgiving. Everything is very precise. No matter how much you know, you are always wrong!! Even now, I continue to see my tutor weekly. I sit there with my "wrong" sentences and read them aloud "incorrectly" and use my best "wrong" pronunciation and then wait for mon professeur to beat me up and tell me just how much more terribly "wrong" I am. Even more "wrong" then I "thought" I was. My weekly hour of abuse always ends with him telling me how great I was doing (even though I knew in my heart that I was mostly terribly "wrong".

At any rate, I read on the message board that Christian had some problems with his boat, which was in Boit, France (near Nice). I was able to understand most of the issues but had questions about some of them. If you check the message board, you will see that we exchanged a few messages back and fourth during which, I made (wrong..I'm sure..) promises to help him solve his problems. After a few days, I figured out what his needs were. He was looking for detailed information as to the masthead hardware and interested in some early documentation regarding previous owners of his vessel. I contacted Steve Barber (Kettenburg Web site founder and owner of K-38's #27 and #32) and asked him if he could be helpful (of course, I set the "hook" just by saying the words "K-38"). Steve remembered that the owner of K-38 #15, Nick Nayfack was in a position to be helpful. It was then that I remembered that Nick was a fellow member of the San Diego Yacht Club and was married to Claudine, who was born in France and is a native speaker!! I was more than thrilled to receive email from Nick, telling me that he and Claudine had called Christian in France!!!! Christian gave Claudine a detailed description as to what his needs were. Nick and Claudine then went down to their boat and took several telescopic digital photos of the masthead rigging. They then contacted Paul Kettenburg, who was helpful by giving them copies of all the information he had, relative to Christian's boat. The Nayfacks have since mailed out a large envelope full of information to help this "stranger" on the other side of the world!!!

THAT'S what this web site is all about!! People loving their Kettenburg boats and caring enough to go out of their way to help a complete stranger who, like them, loves his boat!

My hat is off to Steve Barber and Nick and Claudine Nayfack for stepping up to the poop deck and helping a fellow Kettenburg boat owner. You guys (Claudine included!!!) are GREAT!!!

Thank you for caring enough to help!!

Rish PC # 16 and 63
12/10/03