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Enterprise - Designer Sailing



44.15.711N 009.53.379W
1930 hrs 12 June 2012
 
Going below on a yacht pitching and yawing at sea is an experience. First you have to negotiate the companionway steps which must be done with speed but not haste, lest you are pitched into the saloon below, Inevitably you will hit one of those beautifully rounded, but very hard, mahogany corners. the impact on your body which you have honed to perfection by years of desk work will be painful, and provide another lasting memory.
 
Then you have to remove your lifejacket which is like one of those old parachute harnesses you see on fly boys in the old war movies. Ours are fully equipped with a whistle, a knife, a strobe light and an automatic gas cylinder. The crutch straps have to be stepped out of, So you gingerly shift so you are on one leg, while at that very moment the yacht pitches and you fall on to the seat - you cleverly arranged that fall based on previous experience.
 
Next, you must remove 3 layers of clothes that are crafted and engineered to remove sweat from your honed masterpiece. These clothes are of course expensive and have nice labels on them like Musto; Gill; Henri Lloyd and Dubarry. Jaz and I have rather less upmarket gear. Not for us the designer chandlary, or the outlet mall. No, we have the more "ma and pa" versions. Still functional, but they have probably seen too many spin cycles. After this Biscay adventure I have promised Jaz she will be treated to one of the big name labels. I wonder if they will be warmer, more waterproof, or whether I will sweat enough to live up their formidable credentials.
 
The Bridge
Enterprise



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