E-mail from NSW Foundation

Mission Road Frog

On a recent family vacation to Maui, Don Zub (TC 91) received an e-mail from the UDT Assn. It was in regards to a memorial service being held in Honolulu. he service was for the SEALs that were killed in Afghanistan, June 2005. After reading the e-mail, Don told his wife that he was leaving town for the day. She looked at him and "What!" He replied ‘’UDT" and was off

It has been 25 years since Don has done active duty Team PT. However the decision was a no brainer. It was his duty. The service sobered him. It pissed him off. But most of all, it made him proud to be standing tall, with fellow teammates and the families of the fallen.

Today Don is on a mission: Road Frog. He intends to drive his 1990 cherry red Mazda Miata cross-country from Coronado to Little Creek, July 4^th to July 21^st. His proposed route will be: Phoenix, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Pensacola, Panama City, Tampa Fort Myers, Miami, Fort Pierce, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Savannah, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and finally home, Little Creek.

The roadster will be raffled off Sunday night at the East Coast Reunion.

He will sell tickets, seek corporate sponsors and accept donations. All proceeds from Mission Road Frogs will go the NSW Foundation, in honor of his teammates killed in Afghanistan.

For additional info, to purchase tickets, or to make a donations to Mission: Road Frog, contact Don at:

As you already know, Columbus had 3 ships, Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, but the Nina was his favorite.

In 1988, an America engineer and maritime historian, Jon P. Sarsfield began building what was to become the first truly, historically correct replica of a 15^th century caravel. John discovered a group of master shipbuilders in Bania, Brazil who are still using design and construction techniques dating back to the 15^th century.

It was constructed in Valenca, Brazil, using only adzes, axes, handsaws, and chisels. Sarsfield built the replica using many naturally shaped timbers from the local forest. 

In December 1991, Nina left Brazil and sailed to Cost Rica on a 4,000 mile unescorted maiden voyage to take part in the filming of ‘"1492". Since then the ship has visited over 250 ports in the U.S. She is the only sailing museum which is continually discovering new ports, while giving the public an opportunity to visit one of the "greatest little ships in the world’s history. Length: 93.6 ft, Beam 17.3 ft, Sail area: 1,919 ft, Length on deck: 66 ft, Displacement: 100 tons.

Editor: I visited the Nina in port in Charleston, SC. It is sturdy but really small.

All crew slept on deck. Columbus only had a cabin which was about as big as small casket on the port side. If you have the opportunity, go see it. It is well worth it.