"Go West" July 14, 2023

[Cindy N]

Finished the grid, had the mechanism but stumbled into a rabbit hole anyway. A gentle reminder and I extricated the right solution. Whew!

[Momo]

So I have 5 and looking for the hidden sixth. It cannot be a rabbit hole all though my hubby says it is. I need my MIL, she was great at word searches. Hopefully I’ll be lounging on the beach soon.

[Jarrod]

Ashore! Working off of a phone screen made it difficult, especially after a .PDF fail to save! Will have to be better prepared in the future. Recommendations for working it in other ways - PDF editor, app?

[debbierudy]

Good Friday muggles

An interesting challenge from Mr. Gaffney. Currently we have 5 on the ship and 154 on the shore.

I believe that a solid case can be made for either of two answers. Others believe that there is only one answer but that is why they have the horse race.

And one last question for a knowledgeable muggle. I am writing this in the middle of a significant thunderstorm. Growing up we were warned not to swim in a thunderstorm for fear of being electrocuted if lightning strikes the water. If this is the case, why aren't beavers electrocuted if there is a lightning strike on the water?

Wasn't 100% sure of what I submitted this morning, but on reflection it seems like there is a confirming clue embedded in it - so now I'm up to 99.9.

About lightening strikes on swimmers: I was 9 years old and my sister and I were swimming off our summer cottage dock as a thunderstorm rolled in. I thought it was hilarious that her hair began standing on end, and we were laughing and pointing at each other, until we both suddenly got spooked, climbed out and ran into the house.

[Nlobb]

Ashore!

[woozy]

Good Friday muggles

An interesting challenge from Mr. Gaffney. Currently we have 5 on the ship and 154 on the shore.

I believe that a solid case can be made for either of two answers. Others believe that there is only one answer but that is why they have the horse race.

And one last question for a knowledgeable muggle. I am writing this in the middle of a significant thunderstorm. Growing up we were warned not to swim in a thunderstorm for fear of being electrocuted if lightning strikes the water. If this is the case, why aren't beavers electrocuted if there is a lightning strike on the water?

Who says beavers aren't? I imagine whenever lightening does strike a river everything including the beavers are electricuted.

Swimming in a thunderstorms is nothing compared to sailing in thunderstorm for fear. You are on the water. Your 20 foot mast is the highest point on the water surface. You are in a tub covered in salty water-- a most excellent conductor... so "um, what can we do about it". "Nothing. If we get hit we are all fried". "Um, can we do anything to lessen the chances?" "Nope. In fact if any lightening does strike lower, it *will* hit us sooner than anything else [see above about the 20 foot mast]." "Um, so why are we out here". "It wasn't thundering when we left". ... "Well..." "It sure is pretty though, isn't it?" "Um, yeah. It kind of is"

[Tom Shea]

Declaring myself ashore.

Not particularly happy with the answer I got though.

[Tom Shea]

Regarding lightening strikes in the water --

I live near the seacoast of NH (mostly). Back in the day of metal zippers on wetsuits, there was at least one report of severe burns (straight down the back) of surfers getting struck by lightning. Since the waves are only really high when there is a storm coming through (or immediately after), the hardcore surfers head to the beach to be lightning rods. Not so much with plastic zippers now.

[Ergcat]

From DISCOVERY.com::
“ lightning does strike the water sometimes. Why doesn't that kill fish by the thousands? Physics has the answer. Like metal, water is a good conductor, so it encourages the electrical current to travel over its surface rather than delve underneath, the same way a Faraday cage protects its contents from harmful shocks. If a fish surfaces at the wrong moment, it can certainly be hit by lightning. Luckily, most fish spend the majority of their time underwater. People don't, however, which is why you should immediately get out of the water if a storm is approaching.“ …. I suppose that holds for aquatic animals too. beavers, otters, etc. “know” to get deep or in their den or out of the water when a storm is around. Well, most anyway!

[Ann]

On the shore!

[Bonnibel]

Made it to the beach yesterday morning. Enjoyable but not as fun a ride as most.

Hot here, will be having ice water for the moment. Cocktails on the water later...

[Steve_S]

Ashore! I only found one possible solution, so didn't have to decide which to submit! Be curious to see Monday what the second one was. Looks like another "low-odds of getting mug week" - unless I'm the only one with the correct third answer!!!

[DianeA]

Stuck at the bar with Isaac. I see nothing with this meta...guess it's not in my wheelhouse. There's always next week....

[JAQT]

Ashore! It was in one of my typos, so it took far longer than it should have.

I only see one answer. I'll be interested to see what others have spotted.

[seahawks_seashanty]

Either I am onshore or still flailing in shallow waters. I guess we'll find out which on Monday!

[Alvibu67]

Ashore!

No-doubter for me, once I figured out what I was looking for. Crowded

I’ll have a screwdriver, please!

[HayleyfromtheBlock]

I have the theme, but cannot get the 6th answer. Anyone offering DM clues tonight?

[lbray53]

On shore after a very late start fishing with these girls last week. I have an answer and that is good enough for me. I have an eight puzzle backlog. The good news is that spoilers are available for most.

Edit: I could not help myself. I had to go back and look again. There are two good answers. Which one is best depends on your definition of hidden.

[Cbaudhuin]

Safely ashore.
Cold Hamms in a frosty glass.
( And a big bowl of popcorn while I watch Star Trek Next Generation!)

[Nlobb]

I think the mug should come this way as my last name is in the grid…