There is a 'well-known' ARC
legend, of a skipper who entered his boat into the ARC a
few years ago, and having got his yacht and crew a fair way out into the
ocean, got up one morning, calmly walked to the stern of his boat and threw
himself overboard.
His crew dutifully recovered him - only for him to
chuck himself off a further 4 more times.
I seem to remember that this
erratic behaviour was attributed to schizophrenia and a lack of adherence
to taking prescribed medications.
I however, based upon the last 24 hours of sailing,
would like to submit a new possible reason for why this experienced sailor
would want to hurl himself headlong into the depths of the Atlantic
Ocean.
He just couldn't bear to listen to his sagging,
windless spinnaker flap and snap any longer.
I write this controversial hypothesis as someone who
is currently part of a crew who have become highly experienced
flap-and-slap listeners. The sound of a spinnaker (or any sail)
filling briefly with wind, then collapsing with a rustle, then re-filling
(only briefly of course) with a huge bang, is officially one of the worse
sounds a sailor can endure. This sound is the sound of frustration, of going
nowhere, of ruined sails, broken dreams and is only slightly better than
the official worse sound ever on a boat - the words 'we've run out of
gin'.
We've had days of this (the flapping sails - we are
never going to run out of gin, that would be a school boy error) - as no doubt
have most of the other ARC participants, and frankly, it is sending us insane.
I'm not one to make light of mental health issues, but a swim in the quiet,
non-flappy, non-slappy ocean sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered right
about now.
Has anyone seen my armbands?