Brian is a very naughty boy...... 27:21.91N 35:55.77W
The Return of Irene III - 2018
Louis Goor
Sat 9 Dec 2017 19:54
Most evenings, thanks to auto-helm technology, we dine en-famille. A typical
menu choice would be: beef tagine or chicken & mushroom in a white wine with
pasta and fresh spinach, followed by a fresh fruit salad, served with
vanilla ice cream, chocolate honeycomb shavings, topped with a slash of
'Miel de Palma', a syrupy caramel tasting Canary Islands' liquor. This
gourmet delight was accompanied with a light but cheeky red wine, also
originating from our last locale.
If family members are in any way inclined to anxiety about our wellbeing on
this voyage, then worry that we will return as six jolly barrel bellied
sailors!
Not so, says our ship's doctor, John Hunter-Holmes, who like John Egan
doesn't like to see uneaten food go to waste. Although we are unable to jog
around the deck, due to the tangle of sheets and safety lines, we are all of
us exercising during every waking moment we're aboard the boat.
That's because of proprioception - a physiological term for what is
effectively our body's internal gyroscope. Every day in our land-based
lives, hundreds of muscles in our bodies work in unison to ensure that our
eyes remain level with the horizon.
As Irene III rolls and pitches with every wave, all of our muscles, many of
them which have remained unperturbed - in some cases for decades - are
working overtime to keep us level and steady in the boat.
It's on that basis that Johnny & Sabine have been medically certified to
continue producing culinary masterpieces for as long as their imaginations
and energy holds out.
A few nights back, once the dinner table was cleared, there was time to
watch a movie! With the aid of a remote control, a flat screened TV rose as
if by magic from behind the banquette in the saloon. Without need for
debate, Monty Python's Life of Brian was chosen and everyone but Sean Boyle,
who was seeing it for the first time, began anticipating their favourite gag
lines.
This wild Atlantic air is both invigorating and tiring at the same time.
Long before we reached the scene where Brian's mother declares to the
gathered masses, that her son cannot address them because he has been "a
very naughty boy", each of us had retired to our bunks or returned to the
cockpit to cover the night watch.
Our skipper, Louis Goor is generous to a fault, except when it comes to
water, whereupon he becomes quite parsimonious. Notwithstanding his
investment just a few months ago in a state-of-the-art fresh water maker,
Louis uses just two tooth mugs of fresh water every morning to wash his
face, teeth and hair. And in leading by example, he has set quite a low
water mark for the rest of us.
In this regard we have proved to be a disappointment to our great leader.
Sean and John E were the first to crack by taking their first showers
(separately) after 48 hard working hours at sea.
Sabine, John HH and even let it be said Johnny Frey, succumbed after 72
hours. But Louis held tight, happily enjoying his daily toothmug and flannel
'wipe down'. That's a sea change for the Squire of Coolboy, who's usual
morning ablutions commence with a full-immersion bath at home in County
Wicklow.
NEWS FLASH: After six days at sea, and having been doused by endless waves
of sea spray on the foredeck, Louis finally relented and had his first
shower (cold) yesterday.