Mercury Rising suffers Flying Fish Attack

Mercury-rising
Mon 5 Dec 2005 16:22
Many ARC competitors have reported sightings and even some problems with flying fish which launch themselves from the sea and end up on the decks.
Now the intrepid crew of Mercury Rising have suffered what appears to be a co-ordinated and unprovoked attack from a pod of flying fish as this extraordinary and exclusive picture shows.
 
Luckily the crew's rigorous training and un-matched professionalism ensured that the attack was beaten off and the boat has been able to continue her passage.
Note the latest in high performance ocean racing attire.
 
The skipper has meanwhile put Mercury Rising on "race mode" which means we are no longer able to heave to at night or find little bays to anchor in. This has had serious effects on sleep patterns as the skipper has insisted that the crew keep watches. Unfortunately he hasn't said what we are watching for but suppose we'll know when we see it. Another consequence of the new regime is that our normal programe of deck games has been disrupted - deck quoits is now only every other day, and the morning is spent on changing sails until we find a colour we all like.
 
(No flying fish were hurt in the making of this picture)