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Athena of Southampton - Blog 1 - Wed 27th November 2012 - 0430 hrs.



Athena (of Southampton) Blog 1 – Wed 27th November 2012 – 0430 hrs.

                                                                                                            

At last time to sit and begin our blog. Following 4 frantic days of work before we left Las Palmas, we’ve finally settled down into a routine and sitting now out in the cockpit under the stars we’ve started our story.

Athena is a solid Ocean Star 56.1 and with a good wind can sustain a very respectable speed for her weight and rig. So far we’ve had some decent wind at times but mostly not enough to get the best from her. Just now we are sailing gently at about 5 kts under a patchy sky with some stars and the occasional glimpse of the moon.

 

Our crew are Irish and the skipper is Welsh, what a combination, all are experienced sailors. We are sailing under the blue ensign of the Royal Welsh Yacht Club, no less!  For three of us this is the second ARC, for the skipper it’s his 36th crossing and all but one has several ocean passages under their belts. We are already working extremely well together and the final days in Las Palmas proved that among us there is the variety of skills and temperaments needed to make this a successful ARC.

 

So what defines a crew, what blends them into a team, how best do they build morale and camaraderie? In our case it’s definitely music and singing. It’s the least you might expect from an Irish crew with a Welsh Skipper! Philip brought his guitar and 6 Athena songbooks, Brian is an accomplished musician and singer and of course our skipper has a voice that Wales can be proud of, and that’s saying something from a nation of great voices! The rest of the crew, Liz, Myles and John are carried along in the singing by the others and what they lack in skill they make up for in enthusiasm!

 

Yesterday afternoons cockpit concert was a good example of this. Philip arrived on deck in the afternoon sun clutching his guitar and the Athena song book and sang as we sailed along clocking off the miles.

From this we soon agreed on the Athena song and we have provided the words here so you may join us singing in St Lucia when the opportunity arrives!

 

Brendan’s Voyage (Music and words by Christy Moore)

 

A boat sailed out of Brandon in the year of 501, ‘twas a cold and dreary morning, Brendan’s voyage had begun

 

Tired of thinning turnips and cutting curly kale, When he got back from the creamery he hoisted up his sails.

He ploughed a lonely furrow to the North, South, East and West, of all the navigators Brendan was the best.

 

When he got low on candles he was forced to make a stop, He pulled into Long Island and put America on the map.

 

Did you know that Honolulu was founded by Kerryman, Who went to find Australia, then China and Japan

 

When he was touching 70, he began to miss the crack, So turning to his Albatross, says he, “I’m heading back”..

 

Chorus:

Is it right or left for Gibraltar?

What tack do I take for Mizzen Head?

I’d like to settle down near Ventry Harbour, St Brendan to his Albatross he said!

 

Thanks to Brian for the words of Christy Moore’s song, he seems to have a full songbook in his head and the guitar skills to match.

 

So far, and it’s not been that far yet, we’ve sailed along very comfortably in this capable boat with a capable crew.  The sunny days, the cloudy days and the star filled nights have been magical and surely this is what the ARC is about. Surging ahead on a deep blue rolling sea as each wave lifts our stern as if to help us along. Watching the occasionally another ARC yacht rise and fall between those long waves and the silhouette of a tall ship against the sunset, we realise, is why we go sailing across oceans. To see all this, to stand at the wheel and feel the surge of a powerful boat and the sound of the bow wave rushing along the sides as we surge forward driven only by the wind; this is why we are here.

 

We may get robust weather, encounter unforeseen problems and calms but now we know we can rely on ourselves to solve most things and this boat to carry us across the seas to St Lucia. We have become a united crew and a happy one.

 

John.

 

By the way the next two verses of the song will be included free with our next blog!

 

 



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