Thursday 27th Jan 2011
12 days at sea and we still laughing non stop.
The other day André and I were busy re packing one of the front sail
lockers, Kev and Rob were asleep. Suddenly an alarm went off; now we have
had a slight backwash into the bilge so the bilge alarms go off periodically
and we have all got used to them; It screams until the water has pumped out
then stops; but this alarm didn't stop.
Andre and I looked at each other and at the same time said "Iridium" and he
ran to the back to the cabin. There is a bit of history to that too as we
have missed a number of Iridium calls from the race organizers because we
didn't recognize the sound and when we did we couldn't get to it in time
before they rang off.
The phone sits in a bracket attached to the wall above the navigation desk.
So the race was on. He screams along the deck and flies into the saloon only
to find Rob in his undies, bleary eyed, on tippie toes pushing the green
button on the phone saying "hello" "hello" and at the same time trying
desperately to get the phone out of the bracket. Andre joins in so there are
now 4 hands trying to push the green button and pull the phone out of the
brackets with Rob and Andre now saying "hello" "hello" trying desperately
to get their ear near enough to the phone to hear something. I stroll in
asking what's happening and by now Kevin has joined the group at the phone
and they all realize at once "its not the phone".
I check at the helm and see on our chart plotter the picture of a man waving
desperately in the water and the screen is flashing "Man overboard". Knowing
non of us are in the water I look around curiously for a second wondering
where this person is. I shout down tot he guys "its showing man overboard"
and they all come out laughing and we cancel it.
What had happened is when Andre climbed down into the locker, the man
overboard alarm he was wearing on his wrist must have lost the signal and it
takes 2 mins or so to go off. So by the time he was out and we were walking
back the alarm went off.
This loses lots in the telling but Kevin says the picture of Rob and Andre
on tippie toes both pushing buttons frantically saying "hello" "hello" into
the phone was a classic.
Now every time and alarm goes off someone just have to say "hello" to send
the boys off into laughter till they crying with it.
Sigh what am I going to do with them . :)
Weather fantastic all going well.
The rat catchers.
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