Day 25 - Land hoooooooo!
|
14:15.93N
59:34.60W
We are not a democracy on Summer Song. As Will is
fond of reminding the Skipper, he runs a 'tinpot dictatorship' based on the
'David Brent school of management'. William recanted a little after the third
keel hauling, but in essence he's right. Apart from the David Brent bit.
Nonetheless, as every despot worth his salt will know, grand gestures have to be
made every now and then, to keep the mob at bay. As the below deck murmurings
begin to echo through to the luxurious surroundings of the Captain's berth, I
realised that it was time to let off some pressure amongst the underlings. Below
is the result...
Billy 'the Bowline' Bax:
Now that we are nearing the end of
our 4 week Atlantic odyssey the skipper has magnanimously invited his crew
to communicate with the outside world and reflect upon the past 24 days.
For my part I will concentrate on crewmates: The captain - A God-like figure on
board. Prone to empty threats of keel hauling and similar punishment,
but he's done a fine job in commanding us accross this vast body of water.
First Mate - As the only member of
the fairer sex aboard, Alex has put up with three odoursome fellows
magnificently. She has never once complained of the lack of privacy and
has been magnificent gently in maintaining discipline on board, whilst
crucially keeping the captain's evil temper at bay. Her provisioning
skills were quite astounding and I am certain we will have eaten better than any
other ship in the fleet. Powder Monkey - Graham's good humour
and endless tales of past scrapes and encounters have kept us all smiling,
ensuring any threatening boredom is immediately nipped in the bud. His
spinnaker helming is invigorating in the extreme and his sheer willing to tackle
any task on board make him an excellent companion. His powder monkeying
remains untested though we are still hopeful of a prize between here and
The Barky (Summersong)
- Words could not do justice to how the good lady has looked after us. We
have experienced most of what the We have had quite a splendid time of it, a thousand times removed from everyday life. Although the thought of arrival is hugely exciting, returning to the real world and all dry land has to offer threatens to be rather overwhelming.
...and a few words from Alex: It may be a bit early to reflect
upon the trip given that we still have
1)
How
little we've eaten. Some may put this down to my draconian galley rules.
It is true that I my have been too strict with the Oreo cookie consumption
(we still have 10 packets left), but the truth is that with this heat no one is
ever hungry! Today we put the fishing line out but it soon became apparent that
no one had any appetite for fish. Even more astounding, I announced a couple of
days ago that it was now ok to have one can of beer per man rather than the
usual half. The crew however got distracted with some spinnaker incident and the
outcome was that we had no beers at all that day – we simply
forgot! 2)
How
little fresh water we’ve used. We’ve managed to get by on
10- 3)
How busy
we’ve been. I used to find 4)
The
crew’s creativity with the menus. Although we have a detailed menu plan for each
day of the week (which then repeats each week) we have hardly ever eaten the
same thing twice. Even in week 4 - amazing! The only exception is Fray Bentos
pies which we all look forward to on a Sunday. 5)
How
rested I feel and how little I miss creature comforts. The only tough part has
been being thrown around in the swell as evidenced by innumerable
bruises! 6) How much we care about the racing element of the Arc. I would usually consider myself as uncompetitive (or avoiding competitive situations) but I have been champing at the bit since the start line. Very keen to get into racing when we get back!
Graham (AKA King of the Wogs) Here we are then on the last day of our adventure - in
fact only
For my own part, I will watch the approaching finish line with a twinge of regret, as the end of our splendid isolation. It has been a hugely enjoyable trip with excellent companions. Rarely a cross word has been spoken (and even then, only by me), paying testament to the quality of the crew. Entertaining, easygoing characters one and all, and all bearing an open invitation to join us and Summer Song for future trips. Long may the adventures continue onboard our splendid vessel.
|