19:06.21S 000:35.93E We are Family, All My Brothers, and Sisters, and Me
Irene IV - World Adventure
Louis Goor
Sun 22 Jan 2023 17:38
Well, I am happy to inform you that our SSB radio is up and running again!
All Giles' twiddling made the difference. Lively conversations with Fabian
on Infinity, with his lilting German accent, and Ed on Black Lion, with his
easygoing American intonation, are enjoyed twice daily. We have been
exchanging our positions, our weather, and any general happenings onboard.
Infinity sang a rousing "Happy Birthday", auf Deutsch, to Bonga. Albeit a
couple of days late, Bonga was overjoyed.
Yesterday we had our halfway party! We took a bottle of Prosecco from under
the floorboards and chilled it in the freezer. Don't tell Louis! In fact, we
did him a favor. The metal cork holder was corroding and the cork itself was
beginning to disintegrate. We saved the contents of bottle from certain
"alcohol abuse" - a favorite expression of Louis'! At 16:00 we had TimTam
teatime, at 17:00 we had halfway cocktail hour, and at 18:30 we had
suppertime with a delicious roasted vegetable lasagna from Giovanni's Deli
in Cape Town. Not a bad day all around! Rob found it hard to stay awake for
his watch from 19:00 - 22:00! We were a soporific bunch!
Back down to earth today! All heads (bathrooms) were cleaned, decks were
given the once over and the fishing rod put out. The instructions for the
fisherman are, no tuna, a Mahimahi please, and let's use vodka to kill it
this time! Watch this space for updates. Either way it is fish and chips for
supper tonight!
Irene IV continues to gently move us closer to our destination. The wind,
mostly from the southeast, pushes us along on a run or a broad reach, with
an average speed of 6.5 knots. This morning we had some light rain, which
helped in the deck cleaning project and a few squalls which helped our speed
average a little. Wildlife has been few and far between - some flying fish
scurrying out of way, and the occasional sea bird skirting the waves. It has
been a time for quiet, for practicing presence, or for planning the future.
We played an exciting game of "Quirkle" last night - always a good team
building plan.
Regarding team building, I am always disappointed to hear that other boats
have very little together time. Most boats meet for dinner, but that is it.
We have built a culture on Irene IV that promotes "hanging out" together as
a group. We eat our meals together and the "hang out" venue is the communal
cockpit. Crew are encouraged to chat or just be together, rather than
spending alone time in their cabins. It makes for a lovely sense of family
away from home.
The members of the Irene IV crew are generally glass half full type of
people. Our levels of happy hormones, serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine are
high. If happiness, as biologists assert, is largely determined by our
biochemistry we are operating from the right side of the coin. Coupling our
biochemistry with a subjective sense of wellbeing and a purpose to our
lives, (in this case, getting the boat to Salvador in good shape by 6th
February, to meet Louis and George, and enjoying lovely sailing along the
way), I would say we are some of the luckiest and happiest people on earth!