Buses
Norman G III
Fri 17 Jun 2011 04:55
our position today Friday 17th at 0615 is
40.46.96N 12.27.56E
Ive had the 3-6 watch and its been difficult because im excited. Our estimated arrival time is 1100 today so every minute seems a lot longer. Skippers taken to sleeping in the cockpit with me when its my watch-- I dont think he trusts me alone
Once an accountant said to me "dont worry too much about tripping up over a bucket its the buses that get you" i never really understood what he meant-- until yesterday
my watch was 0900 to 1200 and when i got onto watch it was bright and sunny and yes we were only 10 miles from land the southern tip of Sardinia. It was beautiful the sea was calm land in sight etc etc oh and most beautiful of all ---a full 5 bar phone signal with 3g coverage. oh how i miss my phone when we are offshore. anyway skipper appears, looks at the radar looks around and asks are you ok for half an hour on your own? really its pretty damn insulting- i snort at him and remind him how many years experience I have etc etc so he goes below. im good for half an hour - my concentration span is just about this long. i scan the horizon ( obviously i have to pretend to be a u-boat commander or else i tire quickly) look at the radar walk round the yacht and when he pops back up again all is under control and i can name every vessel on the radar and state its destination speed course and possible collision likely hood. There is only one vessel to worry about a passenger ferry 345ft long speed 16kt heading for cagliary on sardinia and likely to hit us in about 20 minutes if neither ship takes action. Hes got right of way ( at sea the vesslel with the other on its right hand side gives way and avoids crossing ahead) so i tell skipper ill take appropriate action at a predestined time.. i can see hes impressed and says ok for another half on your own.- now im getting a little cross with his attitude so i dont even answer and raise my binoculars in a military manner to my eyes and turn away.. Back downstairs he goes like a marmot into its hole.. 5 minutes later i feel a very very welcoming sensation in my pocket--- the vibration of the latest touch screen phone in my pocket waiting for action. amazing 5 days nothing and within 10 minutes of a signal im back in touch.. its le grande fromage(LGF) checking on how much money ive spent( thrown away in his words) and when im coming back to the real world. All of a sudden im back in the real world. A lovely email from Big Brother arrives( really hes my little brother but hes so commanding i call him Big Bro) and im thinking of London and his city life. Another email from Golly trying to establish if im ever going to reappear in the office or should he just sell my desk and chairs and then the vibration again- the worms from my bank. oh how they annoy me-- can i sign for this have i got a passport photo for that when am i going to sign the other-- i havent shouted at any one for a while so I take the opportunity to begin an argument with the worm. Obviously this is fair sport so i assume a rather relaxed pose in the cockpit ( now my office) and lean back in my swivel chair and start a discorse on good banking and the collapse of the economy being wholly the fault of poor lending. Just then I hear the rustling of feet and without looking up from giving my monologue i assume it must be Isable from my office ready to make me a coffee- "Ill have 2 sugars" i say just as skipper rushes up the stairs. "Not again" i hear him cry as he takes the wheel and throws the boat over to the right to try to avoid us getting run over by the ferry id forgotten about. We can smell the diesel from her enormous engines and see the bubbles rising in the water around our yacht from her massive 4 bladed propellors as it "easily" misses us by 200m --- skippers actually sweating.
Maybe now im understanding the implications of the buses!!!!
weve been 19 days at sea and spent only 4 on land- should arrive in less than 5 hours-- I think im ready for my desk
todays mention is to Mario in Italy hope your dad is ok and see you soon
until tonight from dry land
have a good day wherever you are and look out for the buses-- ignore the buckets
Marshall