Hello ARC,
The Rhythm of the Ocean
Hello all the Jolly Jackie’s and Jack Tars of Chantana have been making excellent progress in the wake of all the treasure galleons and adventures of the past.
As we reach past the half way point on our journey to the Azores and the rhythm of an ocean passage settles over Chantana it is good to reflect on how individual crew members spend their time.
The watch takes eight hours and sleep takes a few more but what of the rest.
Terry our Skipper reviews the sail plan and weather routing constantly but always is dreaming of cottage pie with a cheese crust and lots of green vegetables. When on the SSB chat the topic was favourite dinners the description Terry gave was worthy of the prose of Charles Dickens.
Iain is our racing sailor and is really handy for points of sail and weather routing. His real mission though is to read the 1184pages of The History of Christianity a book provided by his daughter to keep him occupied. Steady progress being made though we have to keep him at it to make daily quota.
Katrina,super fit,downloads additional weather reports,always useful,and reaches out to the world,there is one still out there we believe,while always maintaining morale.Katrinas great interest is time to go to Horta. Always a good game and played by most. While skipping about the boat Katrina seeks to maintain her fitness with exercise. Crossing an ocean in a monohull is a bit rocky and rolly so moving about is a bit like par our,it’s a workout all the time.
Dean is a sailor but new to ocean passage making. Challenged by mal de mere when we left the BVI he won his gold star and brave soldier award for not flinching. Now a fully fledged dentin of the deep,Dean is recording epic video which would put a Cecile B De Mille sword and sandal epic to shame. Dean has also been challenging the fish to come aboard for tea but so far only Sargasso weed has sought to join in.
Jon who joined Chantana in Grenada is achieving his objective of storing up visual memories and crossing the track of a previous crossing. Ensuring a regular ration of previously cooked and frozen meat and potatoes has kept the crew vaguely happy and to boost morale occasionally he lets them have pasta. Determined to make the one remaining packet of digestive biscuits last to Horta he says Tea is too wet without one.
Off watch Jon is a busy boy what with his written journal,video diary and magnificent crossstictch of the voyage the does not feel there are enough minutes in the day. On watch he tunes into radio stations on his shortwave radio and then regales the crew with the stories he hears. Father Jerome of the Vatican Temporal Time Team from 2058 has been the best phone in conversation,it was a full moon. The detail on that story of course is for another time.
Jon is continuing to follow the Milky Way home to a new horizon,a new beginning.
Jon Boon and the Crew of Chantana Mid Atlantic.