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Athena of Southampton - Athena log 3 – Monday December 2nd 2013



Athena log 3 – Monday December 2nd 2013 – 0830 hrs., 16 13 N 27 19 W

I’m writing this as the Cape Verde Islands are now far behind us with a notional waypoint entered for our halfway mark to look forward to. Just a 12 hour stop to take on diesel at Mindelo Marina, alongside the fuel berth at 20.30 and gone again in the early morning with full tanks. We had a great meal ashore on Saturday night but that another story for later.

It wasn’t so long ago that I was packing my old Musto bag for this trip and trying to leave out as much as I could to hit the magic 20 kg for the EasyJet scales at Gatwick! Aer Lingus, at Dublin, I knew would be tolerant of a couple of kilos more if I told them where I was going and why, I was not so sure about EasyJet. Two days after I left Dublin this proved to be the case and I had to stuff several books into my carry-on bag at Gatwick to get through.

So today we got to talking about books as we sat in the sun; sailing away again at last.

The books we take for a voyage like this might be an interesting subject for our log today. Whether it’s on a Kindle or in person books have a special place on board our boats. From Pilot books to fiction they are an invaluable addition. What books inspire us, comfort us, challenge and entertain us and what have our crew brought in their kit bags on ARC 2013? Our crew of 6 have the following library.

Liz’s seafaring collection starts with Sailing to Jessica, by Kelly Watts. It’s a story of a couples trials and joys while sailing around the world, inspirational adventure, aboard a 42’ sloop! Her second book is one for the grab bag called Survive the Savage Sea by Douglas Robertson. It’s a survival tale, a triumph of human resource and determination against terrible odds when their 43’ schooner sank in 1972. Lastly her third book is Voyages of a Simple Sailor, shipwreck, capsize and calms (I think I see a pattern here!). It was written by Rodger D. Taylor, who started his life of adventure aged 23, aboard square rigger Endeavour II. I think perhaps I recall seeing his boat Mingming, a junk rigged Corribee at the boat show in London – I think that was his boat last year by the ARC stand (a very interesting book which I plan to borrow when she has read it).

Philip, our “head engineer” and Liz’s husband, brought three books. He is currently deeply engrossed in Staring at Lakes, by Michael Harding. Michael has, for many years, written a column in the Irish Times. The book started out about the author’s depression, and then became a story about growing old, the essence of love and marriage and of course sitting in cars and staring at lakes! Philip also has Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan, his favourite author, a cold war thriller set in 1972. Lastly he has Colum McCann’s Trans-Atlantic, a historical novel and not about sailing or the ARC at all!

Brian brought three books too. The first, The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig is set in Austria after World War One. It tells the story of Christine a girl in her late twenties whose youth has been stolen from her by the war. Out of the blue she is invited by her wealthy American aunt (we all need one of these) to join her for a holiday in an exclusive Swiss resort. She quickly adapts to this lavish lifestyle but when the holiday abruptly ends can life at home ever be the same? (Perhaps a bit like going on the ARC then?). Next, the Ipcress File by Len Deighton, his first novel, and another Cold War classic. Deighton is one of Brian’s favourite authors. Lastly, An Baile Seo ‘Gainne (in English Our Town) a collection of short stories in Irish by An Seabhac.

Myles has four books in our library. The first, and which he is still reading between watches is The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. The first few pages have many reviews but I like the one by Alfred Hickling of The Guardian newspaper. “Joyce has an unerring ability to convey profound emotions in simple unaffected language ... An original, quietly courageous testament to the inhuman effort of being normal”!

Following that, for something completely different, he has Bear Grylls Facing the Frozen Ocean about crossing the treacherous North Atlantic. Next, The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, a precise and poignant portrait of the costs and benefits of time passing, of friendship and of love; according to the Times!

Lastly our Skipper Taff is well into a recent John Grisham paperback – Sycamore Row at this point in the passage. It’s the sequel to A Time to Kill. As you might expect it’s a legal story with wills to contest, secret fortunes and a suicide note! Riveting stuff... His next book choice, do The Birds Still Sing in Hell, by Horace (Jim) Greasley is something entirely different. Horace was just 20 years old in the spring of 1939. His war didn’t last long, taken prisoner on 25th May 1940 when he was taken prisoner. The book recounts his trek though Poland, his multiple escapes and return with all sorts of supplies for his comrades and of his love affair with a German girl.  It’s a tale of triumph over adversity.

The watch system on Athena works very well, the old tried and tested 4 on 8 off – plenty of sleep, write logs and time to read, always fresh crew when on watch!

I have two books to recommend which are classic sailing choices. People often mention The Riddle of the Sands as a good sailing book. It’s one of my favourites especially as I learned to sail aboard the authors Colin Archer Ketch (Asgard) way back in the 1970s’.  He’d received the yacht as a wedding present from his father-in-law around 1907, I think. What a great gift! Erskine Childers’ knowledge of sailing and especially of the North Sea comes across really well in this book set before the First World War. This is portrait of a different age of sailing and while it’s a spy adventure it’s also a great sailing classic.

My other favourite for a voyage like this is Sailing for Home, by Theo Dorgan. This Irish Author (of course) paints in crafted words the images and emotions of a voyage back across the Atlantic from Antigua to Ireland. On our last long distance sail from Porto Mogan (Gran Canaria) to Ireland we had a copy on board and the last crew member only finished it as the Fastnet light appeared on the horizon nearing home!

For those of us on the 2013 ARC Sailing for Home will be a book to remind us of our time on passage; for family and friends it will beautifully explain our experiences. I currently have his recent novel, also sailing based, Making Way, but you might also like Time on the Ocean, A Voyage from Cape Horn to Cape Town, I think all are available from www.newisland.ie. That completes our on-board library.

That’s it for today as we approach The Cape Verde Islands, next time I’ll definitely bring a Kindle and save those last few kilos, but then there is nothing like the feel of a book!

John

Athena of Southampton

To continue our series, here is the next verse of the Christy Moore song Brendan’s Voyage!

Brendan’s Voyage – Verse 3:

The entire population came; the place was choc-a-bloc,

Love nor money wouldn’t get your nose inside the shop,

The fishermen hauled up their nets, the farmers left their hay,

The Kerry people know that Saints’ don’t turn up every day,

Everything was going grand ‘till Brendan did announce,

His reason for returning was to try to set up house,

The girls were flabbergasted, at St Brendan’s neck

To seek a wife so late in life and him a total wreck.

 

Until next time!



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