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!
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