REMEMBERING HOPE - NFFS readers have followed up on last week's notice about the death of HOPE BECKER. For example, FRANK J. CHOLOSKI, Class of 1995, writes: "I want to thank you for printing the article about my friend Hope Becker. It saddened me when I read it. Not too many people at Maritime may know who she was. She had been an asset to the student body who sought her advice, helped them with their homework assignments, or someone to cry over her shoulder. That's the person she was. I didn't know that a healthy and active person like her was hit with such a terrible disease ... She had worked very hard for the college in Student Support Services and Admissions. I'll always remember Hope as a wonderful person."

A staff colleague, Associate Librarian LISA LESCHINSKY, writes: "I remember Hope very well from the beginning, Winter 1992, when she started to work in the Student Support Center. Hope was so enthusiastic about students and spoke about her work and the cadets all the time. I also saw her at the library very often when I worked in the evening. Hope donated so many books to our collection. She never spoke about herself and I did not know anything about her sailing races and trophies. . I will always remember Hope (she was a handsome and strong spirited woman), her face (she did not smile too much), her voice, and what she did for the college."

WORTH A LOOK - The Alumni Association website has been completely revamped by its creator and web master, JOE TARTAGLIA, Class of 1976. Although the NFFS newsletter no longer has the prominent link that it had, it is now possible to get to many more places with just one click, including NFFS. Check out the site at http://www.fsmaa.org and be impressed. I was.

MAINE GOT THE MESSAGE - A tip from Maritime Industry Museum Executive VP, FRANK DUFFY, that Maine Maritime's training ship, STATE OF MAINE, has the school's internet address painted in yellow on its newly painted HAL blue hull, was confirmed by CAPT LARRY WADE, Master of TSSOM. He wrote: "It is a web site, the simplest, shortest one that gets people to an academy page which then allows them to look at our ship's web site and/or the entire MMA web site. It is www.mma.edu . We put it on the side of the ship about amidships. Yellow against the blue hull. Looks kind of 'spiffy.'" [BTW - Frank said that he is posting new pictures of both training ships in their new livery on the New York Harbor Lighthouse Photo web site, which also includes some of his lighthouse photographs in the customized wristwatch section (for mariners who have everything else.) Go to http://www.nylighthousephotos.com ]

BIRD'S EYE VIEW SEES BLUE -A recent visitor to New York City, NEIL MARCUS, Class of 1954, writes: "I saw Fort Schuyler for the first time in 48 years when flying to NY on American Airlines. At first I wasn't certain. I saw the pentagon, but then there was this BLUE ship. And I said to myself 'things couldn't have changed that much.' It's only 48 years. Why isn't it WHITE? "

YACHTING CLASSIC WAY OUT THERE - Earlier this month the round robin leading to the Louis Vuitton Cup races to select a Cup challenger got underway in Auckland harbor. The America's Cup races between Team New Zealand and the challenger finally commence on 15 February, 2003. There is a comprehensive Cup website at http://www.americascup.yahoo.com/section19.html