Gilbert H. Mackin, a New Englander, was a reserve officer on active duty in the US Navy from 1962 until 1966. After sea duty on USS Terrell County (LST-1157) he served for two years as intelligence officer for Underwater Demolition Team Eleven. He holds three degrees, a BS from Trinity College, Hartford, a Masters from the University of Massachusetts and a PhD from the University of California. The author is a sailing enthusiast with experience single handing a fifty foot ketch along the Pacific coast. He now resides in Maryland and sails a Cape Dory Typhoon on the Chesapeake Bay. He has written an unpublished play in three acts and other short stories to be published in a second collection. Readers are encouraged to send comments by email to 2012setsail@gmail.com where the author maintains an account dedicated to this collection of stories and poems under an alias. They may also leave messages on his facebook page and be assured that they will be read with interest.