Life Onboard
Oldnick
Thu 19 Dec 2002 14:38
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It's been almost 3 weeks of living onboard Old Nick
now - how time has flown! This trip has meant different things to each of
us and we've all coped in our own way.
Unsurprisingly, our lives mainly revolve around the
watch system. We've tried a new approach this time by splitting the day into two
12 hour periods - day and night. The day period is split into four 3 hour shifts
and the night period is split into eight 1.5 hour shifts. So we each get one 3
hour shift during the day and two 1.5 hour shifts during the night. At the
moment we have the day period running from 0600 to 1800. The order of
the shifts is Craig, then me (Karyn), then Mick, then Rog. At this point, we are
keeping the ship's time on GMT to make things easier. So far it is going really
well and everyone is very happy with it.
Meals onboard have been of quite a high standard.
Every morning at around 0830 Rog prepares everyone a breakfast of orange/fruit
juice, muesli with tinned/dried fruit, followed by a coffee - a fantastic way to
start the day. Lunches are mostly made by me, sometimes by Craig. We've been
having things like tortillas with various fillings (cajun chicken/tomato/cheese,
tuna/corn/onion/mayo, ham/asparagus/cheese, etc), toasted sandwiches with
various fillings (ham/cheese/tomato, cajun chicken/bacon/tomato, etc), flavoured
rice/pasta, burgers with various fillings (hamburger patties made with fresh
beef mince, tuna fish cakes), tinned fish (kippers, smoked mackeral) on rivitas.
Dinners have been made on a rotation basis by Craig, Rog and I. Some of the
meals we've had are: Chicken Tikka Masala w rice, Chilli Con Carne w rice, Tuna
Mornay, Courgette Quiche, Cottage Pie, Smoked Salmon Pasta, Chicken/Bacon
Cabonara Fettucini, Corned Beef Hash, Chicken Black Bean Stir Fry, Chicken
Thai Red Curry, Pasta Bolognaise, Ranga's Chicken Casserole, Ratatouille w
pasta. Our fresh meat and veges lasted well into the second week which was nice
- the larger fridge Craig had fitted is an absolute godsend. Preparing and
washing up after meals can be a bit of a trial though with the heat and the
movement of the boat.
We all get along very well and spend any spare
moments stirring each other and participating in social things such as the Quote
Competition which was originally started by Craig and has been running for
far too long now. To explain slighty further, it's something about how the
North Atlantic is angry and the South Atlantic is serene and trying to make it
sound quotable. Make sense? Doesn't to us either.
Each of us have our own things we enjoy doing every
day... Craig, Rog and I have been reading a fair bit - Craig
has finished Diana Gabaldon books #3 and #4 and has started #5 "The Fiery
Cross" now. I have read 4 books so far (including "Treasure Island" and
"The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy") and am now reading a very interesting
book "The Water In Between: A Journey At Sea" that is one man's account of his
sailing adventures - thanks to Stokie, Ju, Airlie and Amber!!! Rog is reading
"The History of Submarine Warfare: First and Second World War" which as you can
guess is a non-fiction piece of about ohhh 850 or so pages. Pretty heavy stuff -
it's managed to keep him really busy so far! Craig has been much
entertained by his worldband radio and BBC World Service programs
(apparently the BBC World Service is 70 years old today) and also has been
listening to his favourite music - Leonard Cohen - amongst others.
I've been learning Spanish via audio cds and have made it halfway through the 8
cd course so far - I've found it a very good way to learn. The Latin Jazz
mixes I've been listening to amongst other things, have been really good
and add another dimension of Spanish language too. I've also listened
to the first Chronicle of Narnia "The Magician's Nephew" which is quite good -
only six more to go. Rog has been listening to various smooth jazz mixes and his
accompanying whistling and humming have been the subject of much
discussion.
Of course there's the odd bit of sailing we do in
between our gruelling daily schedule. It mainly involves putting the
spinnaker up & taking it down, putting in reefs and shaking them out,
and trimming the sails. Helming isn't even mandatory - the self-steering takes
care of that!
After careful deliberation involving minutes of
effort, I have constructed a survey to give further insight into our lives
onboard Old Nick.
1) Reason for the Trip?
M: It's the end of a long chapter of my life
involving Old Nick (Ed: Mick was the previous owner of Old Nick with
Craig). It's a challenge after my illness. I
had to do it - I couldn't sit at home whilst all my friends were doing
the trip.
R: First and last chance to cross an ocean while
I'm still reasonably fit so I couldn't say no when asked. Having done a fair
amount of sailing before (mostly racing), this is a different kind of challenge
to undertake 2 long passages in a short period of time. Also being lifelong
friends with Mick, made it a special opportunity.
C: To sail Old Nick back to Australia has
always been a dream of mine. Limitations of time meant we have to
go via Capetown - but this in itself offers a rewarding
challenge. Also, the trip is a great way to finish our time living in
Europe and to start the next phase of our
lives in Australia.
K: To be there when Craig is achieving a lifetime
dream is important to me. Other than that, this trip represents a
couple of things: a personal challenge that is a test of the mind and character,
and a nice way to transition from the end of a phase of living in Europe (over 4
years) and starting a new phase of life in Australia.
2) Things you like most about living
onboard?
M: Not having to prepare my own meals or drinks!
(Ed: nothing but the best for our first class passenger!)
R: We all live together and get along quite well.
The comfort of routine (not the physical aspects!). Not having to make "serious"
decisions every day is a nice luxury. Kippers on rivitas for lunch - not as
tasty as pilchards but a luxury all the same.
C: Breakfasts of orange juice, muesli & tinned
fruit and coffee that Rog magnificantly prepares every morning. The watch system
is working out really well. Plenty of time for relaxation, contemplation,
reading, listening to music.
K: Simplicity of life - I'm quite enjoying it.
Constantly being surrounded by nature. Feeling the cool breeze on my face as the
sun is setting during my first evening watch every night (even better when the
moon comes out at the same time!).
3) Things you like least about living
onboard?
M: Using the heads. Tinned chicken.
R: "Numb-bum" syndrome (Ed: we've found that
teak definitely is a hard wood). Trying to prepare things in the galley
with everything on the move - trying to avoid damaging yourself and your
surroundings - and not being able to walk away from any of it. Really missing
family - especially this time of the year.
C: Sometimes it's a bit hot. Easy to get
sunburnt if not careful. "Numb-bum" syndrome.
K: Dirty heads. Having long hair.
4) Best moment so far?
M: Same as Rog.
R: The 2.5 days sailing from south east of the Cape
Verdes with spinnaker up, sun out, good downwind, lots of marine life around,
going like a train. Great stuff.
C: Same as Rog.
K: Mother Nature's shower on the foredeck,
surrounded by amazing looking waves (as in the photo from the doldrums a couple
of posts earlier), feeling the heavy drops of cool rain and the feeling of
freedom (and cleanliness!).
5) Worst moment so far?
M: First 3 days of severe sea-sickness. Worst I've
ever been.
R: Whilst dancing around one-footed attempting to
put my jocks on, the old rogue wave hits again. Whilst having both hands
grasping my jocks, my head went sailing towards the bulkhead resulting
in serious contact. Is having the varnish embedded in my forehead serious
enough??
C: The very humid 2 days when we were on a close
reach around the equator when all the hatches were closed. It was very difficult
to get any sleep down below.
K: On a hot and humid day, having a pint of peach
syrup and lemonade cover me from head to toe after a seemingly innocuous
wave hit the boat! Then seeing it sloshing around on the galley floor - and I
was still thirsty!!
6) First things you'd like to do upon arriving in
Rio?
M: (Ed: Mick has spent most of the
trip thinking about this one!). Have a swim in a swimming pool, have a
drink in an air-conditioned bar, then check into a hotel for a couple of days
(with air-conditioning, a pool and good-looking maids of
course!).
R: Shower, find a bar with a very comfortable
armchair, long cold drink.
C: Shower, cold beer.
K: Go for a run, have a long shower, then
enjoy a succulent medium-rare steak someplace nice.
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