Saturday 21 March 2015

Three men in a boat, by Caroline

There is something very comforting and friendly about three men in a boat particularly if you are the girl lucky enough to share it with them.

We are hours away from completing our Pacific Crossing and again it has proven an uneventful journey. I say this not that because it was in any way boring but it was ‘event free’ which in sailing terms means no major (or even minor) disasters.
Sailing with the three men has been a delight and a rich experience born of the fact that we have all been friends for over 15 years. It has enabled a relaxed and charming existence which has allowed each of us our own space, but with regular ‘shared’ time around the three mealtimes. The chat is the easy conversation of shared history, familiarity with each others families and the fact that we are all pretty much the same age so music discussions are relevant to us all. I have been wonderfully looked after by all three and as they each have a good ‘girlie’ side, lack of female chatting company hasn’t been a problem.

Paulus and Andrew are the perfect crewmembers; they have plenty of sailing experience between them but are very happy to be 2nd/3rd in command under Frewie’s captaincy. They clearly hold him in high regard, respecting his extraordinary sailing knowledge and recognising that the fastidiousness and perfectionism that comes with him, is why Juno is the way she is – better than a new boat, with everything functioning properly having been tried and tested over 30,000 miles. If anything goes wrong he has the answer (and the necessary spare part!) and the knowledge to fix it.

The Juno Slaves (as we like to call them) have excelled in their boat duties. They have not only provided Frewie with excellent yachtie skills and intelligent discussion around tactics on the top deck, they have morphed into perfect Mothers below decks. Mother means you have to make all the meals for the day, clear up (obviously!), and look after the children (ie. play Banagrams with Caroline). The standard of fare coming out of Juno’s galley has risen day by day, with each of us taking on the challenge of making the most delicious food possible at an angle of 45 degrees with frequent rolls through 180 degrees to the opposite side. Our provisioning has been amazing; we ate the final fresh fruit and vegetables with our supper tonight, and since the Marquesas insist that we throw out all fresh fruit and veg before we arrive, this has been very satisfying. Andrew has always been happy in the galley singing along to his tunes as he gets out every ingredient he can find, but now Paulus has become a challenger to the crown tackling complicated recipes and producing some wonderful dishes (Frewie is excused Mother duties as he is the boss and lives top deck).

What I like about three men and a wench on board Juno, is that when it comes to the actual sailing of the boat my job is to simply stand behind the wheel and keep an eye on things as the three men balance on the foredeck doing all the jobs that require a bit of grunt. They work brilliantly together under Frewie’s clear instructions with every manoeuvre carried out efficiently and with good humour, (they do of course return to the cockpit absolutely knackered and out of breath; because did I mention they are ‘three old men in a boat’!).

So another chapter in Juno’s story concludes with our arrival in Hiva Oa. Another ocean crossed and we enter French Polynesia for real, not just from the old Club Med Brochures of Bora Bora we used to drool over when we were young. Hooray!

2 comments:

  1. Great blog,Caroline! Really enjoying Juno's fascinating travels while I lounge around being pampered in my pyjamas! Keep 'em coming Frewie! Much love Katie & Naylors all xoxox

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  2. Another great blog Caroline. - sounds very harmonious on board. Well done all four of you.

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