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Skyelark of London - 3. Birthday Kite



3. The Birthday Kite

'Fish'. 'Fish' Went the excited cries. Having not got off watch until 6am,
I jerk awake and quickly bend double to get out of my bunk, no mean feat,
and rush on deck to see Dan reeling in another tuna! Dan is 36 today (12th
January). Dan is a mature, quiet, safety conscious man but there are times
when the little boy within is apparent - this is one of them; he must have
been a very engaging, possibly quite demanding, toddler! He was literally
bouncing with joy. It promised to be a memorable day.

The fish was duly gutted and cleaned and with our breakfast bacon and egg
sandwiches in hand, we sit down to discuss the day. The wind is behind us at
12 to 16 knots, the sea is relatively steady, the sky is over cast and the
temperature a perfect 28 degrees. A good days sailing beckons.

It is perfect 'kite' weather. In Cape Town, Dan and Em had ordered a huge
new spinnaker. It has been made to a computer generated design to suit the
needs of Skyelark - and is gargantuan, at 200 square metres - roughly the
size of a tennis court. All had not gone smoothly though as Dan and Em had
wanted it to be of dark, Skyelark, blue, white and with a touch of yellow to
add pizzazz. They only had a light blue and no white - so substituted grey.
It also had to fit! There are some concerns.

It is decided to give it its first airing - its birthday. Lines are fitted,
the foresail is furled and the moment comes for the birthday kite to make
its first appearance. With a crinkly whoosh it erupts from the safety of its
chrysalis, like those toads that blow enormous bubbles, to fly, billowing
magnificently over Skyelark's prow. With the odd bang and rustle, as the
birthday kite wraps and unwraps, it impressively settles into its new home.
The colours are stunning - if not exactly what was ordered - and immediately
add two knots to our speed. The only problem is that we are not going in
quite the right direction; a controlled gibe will be needed later to get us
back on track.

Lunch, provided by Dan, is a seared fresh tuna nicoise - with all the
important bits of lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, boiled potatoes, olives -
and a glass of white wine. A feast - and all are on deck as the hazy sun is
not beating down too fiercely. A huge sea bird circles the Skyelark three
times and then dips its wings in birthday greeting, as if from one ocean
traveller to another, and heads off towards the vastness of the Southern
Ocean.

Skyelark speeds merrily along to some of Dan's favourite songs, Dire
Straits, Elbow, Eric Clapton with JJCale. Music runs in his blood as it
does his father's - in fact in the quiz that day where Skyelark is the
question master, a brilliant rendition of Mad, mad world was played by his
Dad, obviously a talented man, is sent across the airwaves for the rest of
the fleet to guess which film score it was from - Donny Darco.

But an amazing smell is coming from the galley. Sjaak is baking a birthday
carrot cake. This is to be the best carrot cake ever eaten. Served warm,
with one candle to represent Dan's 36 years, it is moist, a good colour and
not too carroty. Happy Birthday is sung as champagne, supplied by Sharon,
is gently consumed. The odd card is opened. Skyelark speeds on. The issue is
that to maintain a full sail our course is restricted - and we have to gibe
to make the best track for St Helena, now only about 450 miles away.

A gibe is always a tricky manoeuvre, probably being the cause of most
accidents in sailing. But that is not the issue. The real challenge is
that to gibe we have to take down our billowing tennis court, not letting it
get wet, repack it into its special bag and then hoist it again. We had done
it with the smaller kite the day before but this is a whole new ball game
(tennis court - ha ha). All set up, Skyelark is being kept stable. Dan and
Sjaak are up front, Em looking after the lines in the cock pit, Hermann,
Sharon and I are standing on deck by the hatch to receive the birthday kite.
The order is given. All goes perfectly. Down the hatch it goes, me with it
like a flounder in a net, filling the saloon. Repacking a big kite correctly
is crucial. If wrong, like a parachute, it can have dire consequences. You
have to follow the red, blue and white borders and attach the corners
correctly. With three of us we do it. Back in it bag, back on deck, once
more aloft - and all after the gibe - smooth as clockwork, Skyelark is now
on a starboard tack and on a better course.

The birthday dinner that night - roast lamb, roast potatoes from me with
Em's courgettes in tomato and garlic - nearly ends a perfect day, not just
for the birthday boy but for Skyelark and all its crew.

As dusk falls, the last task is to lower and repack the spinnaker. This
time we know what has to be done. After an exciting first day, the birthday
kite is safely in bed - and so soon is Dan!




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