Able Seadog Snoopy Honoured

MOST OF THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN YESTERDAY

APOLOGIES FOR LATE POSTING

Position:  34:48S 052:46W

Date:  09 April 2012

I’m sorry. I forgot to wish all our readers a very Happy Easter yesterday. I only remembered when I saw Tom hunting around, lifting up cushions and peering behind curtains. “What are you looking for?” I asked. “The little chocolate eggs. You must have hidden them somewhere”. Honestly, it’s like being in charge of a kindergarten.

We’ve had some bad news on the wind situation. The wind has now swung round to the northeast – the very direction we want to go. As you will all know by now, boats can’t sail directly into the wind but have to sail in a zigzag which basically doubles the mileage and more than doubles the time it takes to get from A to B. We are on the western edge of a high pressure system that is stubbornly not moving. So the headwinds will prevail for no less than six frustrating days. Nothing could have been done about this – we couldn’t have left BA any earlier and nor we could have left much later as we all have planes to catch from Rio. But we did allow quite a lot of latitude in time. We had planned to arrive in Angra Dos Reis 2 to 4 days before Lawrence and Tom’s plane home, so this is our buffer.

When sailing from BA to Brazil one thinks of oneself sailing north, but more than 300 miles into the passage we are still in fact south of Buenos Aires, albeit a long way to the east. Currently we are heading east out to sea, and in due course we will tack and head north at last.

Now out of the muddy fresh water of  the River Plate we have been joined by our old friends, the sea birds, including (and this still seems completely wrong this far north) Black-browed Albatross. It will be interesting if we still see any when we get to the latitude of Brazil about 60 miles north of here.

Notwithstanding the less than ideal wind situation, we’re not exactly complaining. We are cruising along at a little over 5 knots in a gentle ocean swell with a brilliantly blue sky and a warm breeze caressing our skin. I had almost forgotten what it was like not being covered in multiple layers and smashing through mountainous waves in gale force winds. Quite pleasant really.

This morning I received an email which gave me enormous happiness. I summoned the entire ship’s company onto the poop deck and ordered Able Seadog Snoopy to take one step forward. He looked a little nervous (not to mention a little warm as he has so far refused to take off his hand-knitted Falklands Wool Polarwear and it’s now 22 C). I read out the email::

By Proclamation of

The Royal Board of Naval Seadogs

In recognition of the Heroic Achievements of Able Seadog Snoopy in the field of Polar Exploration

Bringing Such Credit to All British Seadogs

The Board Begs To Inform You

that You are Hereby Accepted as a Member into the

Grand Order of the Dog Collar

And that you be promoted with immediate effect and shall henceforth be entitled

Pet Officer Snoopy MDC

Signed: Admiral of Dogfleet, Lord Kay-Nign KCDC

The little fella was pretty choked, bursting with pride up as I shook his paw and the rest of the ship’s complement threw their hats into the air and gave him three rousing cheers. Bernadette gave him an affectionate lick and I ordered the Quartermaster (Tom) to issue an extra ration of G&T’s to all hands and a special dinner to be prepared of Winalot Extra for Superdogs in celebration.

I’m sure you will all wish to join me in congratulating Pet Officer Snoopy on the honour and promotion he has so richly deserved.