The Crew
Ninaofsouthampton
Tue 27 Nov 2018 06:44
First we have our skipper, James, otherwise known as dad, skip, skippy, J, DJ or J-dawg (if you hadn’t worked it out yet I’ve taken the executive decision to employ a certain amount of artistic licence on this blog). Dad brings a wealth of experience, a calm disposition (mostly) and most importantly the boat itself; it would be fairly difficult to do the crossing without him.
Next we have Alan (aka pops or the prof (with an encyclopaedic sailing knowledge)), with miles and miles under his distinctive sailing hat (not a comment on his age or his fashion sense (trust me, I’m not one to judge)). His detailed understanding of sailing and boat maintenance ensures that if anything needs fixing we have reliable and extensive information to work with.
Then there is Steve (aka Doc or Tarzan (seems to spend half his time up the mast*)), our resident doctor, who used up half his luggage allowance on the most comprehensive first aid kit I have ever seen, including an operating table for any minor surgery he needs/wants to undertake; though he did worry when he arrived that he had forgotten a pregnancy test ... a keen racer, with him on board we are able to plot a tactical course (notwithstanding the fact that we are currently heading more towards Africa then the Caribbean) and maintain the perfect trim for our sails.
Finally there is me, aka Antony, Fish, Fishy (thanks for including that in the last post dad), Deano, ship’s cat). I qualify mainly from having been on the boat before and through a healthy dose of nepotism. Key attributes I bring to the table are washing up and a loud voice. I enjoy long hot showers (we have to be careful with our water supplies and hot water is limited) and uninterrupted eight hour sleeps (we only ever have five hours off at a time). Before you start thinking that I’m bringing less to this whole equation then others, I’ve also got a yoga mat that I’m pretty certain is as key to our well-being as the Doc’s medical arsenal (no one has told me different so far). All jokes aside, I make a mean cup of tea.
So that is our crew, and it’s a little bit late to change now, so I’m afraid you are stuck with us.
*to the Heap family, I am exaggerating, we are of course keeping your son/partner/family member safe; he does have his own climbing equipment though ... so there is a limit to what we can do.