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Sephina of Beaumaris - Day 22 - Meet the Sparkes'



Day 22 - Meet the Sparkes' Now if I said to a lot of people that they had to go and spend 3 weeks isolated on a 40 foot yacht in the middle of the Atlantic with their soon to be in-laws... well we can all imagine their reaction. So this is my account of such a trip.......

Now to start with, a little back story. Nothing about my relationship with my Fiancée Steph or the Sparkes Clan has been in what I would call real time. For example, Steph and I had barley been together when we got our first job together and we soon flew out to run a yacht flotilla. So from day one we were in each others pockets. But it worked. And the same really applies to my in-laws to be.
I have, between winter and summer seasons working with Steph, managed to go up to the Sparkes family home on three occasions. Usually these consist of lots of family and friends gathering to welcome Steph home. Luckily these encounters allowed them to get to know me enough to trust me with a family heirloom, so I could use it for Steph’s engagement ring. However, having been with Steph for nearly 2 years abroad, there wasn’t that same familiarity as if we had been at home. But I knew these were not going to be your average in-laws. I mean, plans to sell up everything from the past 50-odd years and sail around the world..... well, can you see your in-laws doing that?!
So when asked to cross the Atlantic with them, it was an immediate yes. Of course it was. What an opportunity this was. Not only would it be a great life experience for both Steph and myself, it would also give Steph some well needed time with her parents.
Now in the lead up to the trip, and our departure from the UK to meet the yacht. It was mentioned in passing by Ju (mother in law) that this would give us all time to really get to know each other. This got me thinking, hmmm I’ve seen this before, oh yes, first job with Steph. Can’t hide anything about yourself living in such small quarters. I knew this would be a fun experience for us all!

With only 24hours left of the journey we have come to the end of the crossing and I have had time to reflect upon our fantastic journey. It seems the comment of we will really get to know each other definitely came true. Here are just a few of the many examples;

I was named 1st mate from day one and during the prep was left with Clive (father in law) to complete tasks on the beautiful yacht. It did feel odd to start with having him ask for my advice, normally it would be the other way around but with Steph and myself being  commercially endorsed yacht masters, and working in the sailing industry, I can see why the questions arose. This really gave both he and I time to get to know each other. And as Steph and Ju says, there is a small “Bro-mance” going on. Their words not mine. One of the reasons for this, I think, is because when things start getting a bit technical, instead of it going over Ju’s day-skippers head, issues have been acknowledged and discussed between Clive & myself, often with results proven to give us that little bit more speed or better winds. I'm sure this is what every skipper wants from their crew. Plus Ju has mentioned to Steph that Clive likes having another man onbaord (aside from the cats).

One of these such “Bro-Mance” moments happened at the back of the yacht when the fishing rod started to twitch uncontrollably. Luckily, I managed to land this beautiful fish and that brief 20 minutes was a true hunter gatherer moment for both of us with Clive handing me the tools to kill/bludgeon this fish. Brilliant dinner that night.

And Ju, well I always wondered how families managed without a dishwasher in their house, I now know they must all come with a Ju installed. There is a small porthole from the cockpit through to just above the galley sink. And although Steph and I cook, no matter whether Ju has been ill in bed or has not partaken in the food, you just pass your dirty plates through the hole and wow, its done. Same goes with the clothes washing, but not through the same porthole. All that happens is I get changed in the forward cabin and next thing I know is the washing is being hung out over the guard rails. Brilliant.

AT 2am I have a tendency to sleep through my alarm. To begin with Ju would wake Steph up first to get her to wake me up when I was late, as both of us are asleep in the saloon. However, as the trip has gone on Ju is obviously much more comfortable around me as she now does a vague morse code pattern into my eyes with a torch or failing that simply shouts “matt its your watch!!” Again, imagine your mother-in-law waking you up like this....unusual to say the least! A clear indication that things are totally relaxed between us now!

As time has gone on, things have started to get even more relaxed. Particularly in the dress code area. A serious lack of trousers or shorts has happened to which Steph has been very embarrassed about. With a response from Ju saying its fine, we will be in bikinis when we get there. Just pretend we are in them now. Now I’m sure that is fairly simple, but have you ever tried to imagine your father in law in a bikini. Its fairly hard to do. Haha.

So I think I can safely say that my encounter with the Sparkes Clan has been somewhat of a baptism of fire in all respects. But that has resulted in what I would call, a pretty good relationship between the Dare-Edwards and the Sparkes onboard.

And that’s all for now folks.
Hope you have enjoyed this blog.

Friendly fisherman
Matt



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