Average temp. 2ºC
Despite the booze from last night most people were up and about for breakfast on the Picton Castle and moving in started immediately after muster at 8. People emulated human tennis balls as they bounced backwards and forwards from dock to dock moving bags in many cases almost as big as the person carrying it. The salon was awash with plastic bags, clothing and general stuff as people slowly organized their belongings in their bunks and lockers. Mini bunk hammocks were bought, mini shelves fabricated and hardware shop runs carried out to make the most of the small spaces each one of us had been allocated.
The captain briefed us at afternoon muster on what we were to be doing that afternoon in his normal light-hearted manner. It continues to surprise me how softly spoken both he and the first mate are. When talking to the group they seldom look at us in the eyes preferring instead to glance distractedly at the mast or the deck and their voices are very soft, especially bearing in mind we are outside and they are explaining things to 40+ people. However, having heard them yelling orders from the quarterdeck they are obviously men of extremes, as their voices in that scenario are incredibly clear and loud as they glare at the person they are yelling at!!!
After everyone had settled, the afternoon’s antics consisted of “Bracing the yards”, now, this might sound like something you do in your back garden in a strong breeze, but out here it means moving the large wooden beams that hold the sails up, forwards and backwards! We learnt terms such as “haul starboard main brace” this meant that 3 people had to all grab a line and pull as hard as they could until the first mate yelled “that’s well”. The wind was biting and despite the physical effort everyone was cold so at 4.30 we were discharged,…
Since flowers had begun to wilt as I walked past I decided I needed a shower, and since Picton only has cold showers at the moment I had to walk to the warehouse,.. The tan I thought I had acquired over the last few days working in the great outdoors washed straight off!!!!
As it was Saturday the evening entertainment consisted principally of the Trivia quiz; we kicked Canadian arse,.. even “crazy Dave” (who is the local trivia god) couldn’t get close to us and we scored a record 82 out of 100! Since The Grand Banker’s prices are extortionate we retired to the zebroid batcave to reminisce and finish of the remainder of the 3 cases of beer bought earlier… the “I’ve never ever” game ensured that we are all now aware of each other’s dirty little secrets and some quite legendary catchphrases were uttered (and noted down much to everyone’s dismay the next morning). At a blurry 3am, we retreated to the Picton, endeavoured to find our bunks and the lights went out!!
Quote of the day: “Anybody can sail around the world, but only a real sailor can do it drunk!”
Post a Comment