Nearly there
Itchycoo
Wed 5 Dec 2018 15:45
Only about 155 miles to go and we can taste the rum already.Looks like we will be arriving during dark which is a pity but Ross assures he knows clubs that are open all night however having experienced the sort of clubs he frequents in Mindello it has disaster written all over it.These last few days the crew have become very competitive and hand steered 24 hours a day to wring the last bit of speed out of the poor old lady but we have now recorded a top speed of 14 knots so A if they are steering they cant get into trouble and B it keeps them happy. The new game is to now watch the various sheets and leads from the spinnaker ping all sorts of equipment overboard the latest being our forward navigation light.. Now if only I knew someone in the lighting business who could get me cheap lights?? Overall Itchycoo Park is in good shape although most of her is packed into boxes ready to be refItted on arrival!! however she does look somewhat like a students bedroom after Freshers week - sorry Ann.
The inmates, sorry crew, are looking forward to release, sorry landfall, and are even talking about opening the Itchycoo Spa to spruce up however if anyone is planning on welcoming us I would advise standing upwind and a manly handshake rather than a full embrace but whatever you decide do not stand between crew and first drink it will be carnage.
We shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves still a long trip to do but so far it has been interesting experience. I use the word interesting in the same way that Hitler was an interesting bloke or having a frontal lobotomy would be interesting, root canal surgery with no anaesthetic could be described as interesting so yes it has been an interesting trip however incredibly proud of the good ship Itchycoo Park who after 15 years of being thrashed up and down the South coast has finally had the chance to do what she was built for. She was never built to be a greyhound (despite Ross’s attempts to make her so) but as a marathon runner she has been superb we have turned her over, under, sideways, down , over waves, through waves, sideways onto waves (that was fun!), she has waddled surfed and flown and suffered all sorts of abuse but at no time have we ever felt danger - that came after eating the dodgy pork two nights ago which we all survived. She has earned a deserved rest now for a couple of months until the next planned trip which will be to follow a couple of games on the England cricket tour in March. Itchycoo park you really are too beautiful !!!
Steady on there in danger of becoming a bit serious and schmaltzy about the second love of my life! Anyway i have just been jolted back to reality by the Vegetable Turner/Bilge Bitch who has just opened a cupboard to be covered in 22 empty tupperware boxes, two bowls of chillies and the remains of the coffee percolator - excellent that has perked the crew up no end who really are a sadistic mob. I have to apologise to Andrea (Mrs vegetable Turner) for picking on her husband so much but its just sooooo easy. As I type he has decided to round up all the remaining veg and fruit into one hammock and in doing so has just dropped half the apples overboard - see you couldn’t make it up all this just whilst writing this blog - and is currently staggering around the saloon with a dried up orange suspended in the remains of a hammock looking not unlike Grandpas ball sack (the orange that is not VT.) I now have to negotiate with him for the remaining apples for apple crumble tonight - have to up the stakes in the Itchycoo Park Master Chef stakes. However i am struggling for a variation on day 15 with the basic components of meat, potatoes, onions carrots butIm sure I will think of something.
I suppose I should say nice things about the crew but think i will wait until we actually get there as if Im too nice now they will expect me to buy the drinks In St Lucia - if you think running a boat is expensive keeping the crew happy is extortionat. So thats all for now and hopefully will report back tomorrow with news of Land Ahoy]
Itchycoo park
its all too beautiful