chuckle

chuckle

Friday 17 July 2015

Lost measages

The follow entry's since monday did not get through from my mobile so here they are i hope below as one long one

Now its story time. Anchored off holy island. Non eventful motor down here into a weak wind on the nose. Saw some dolphins. Walked the beaches here bt loved it, picked some mussels for breakfast.
Well for our second night afloat we r doing na bad. We r getting better at it but by no means is it easy, its hard work. There are so many things to remember oh yes that reminds me must close sea cock..... Done. Sleeping at anchor is no easy business for the skipper comes with some anxiety but its a fair forecast. We all have our jobs amd rolls and thankfully more is gradually being done by the crew and not just daddy. Today when we changed course near to holy island fergus did not want the engine off and sails up when the wind was finally up a bit and off our nose. But jenny was in a foul mood with the engine noise. I kept it simple and did not put up the sails. There was no winning only frustration, and this breeds resentment and it goes on. Living in this little wooden shell afloat is an intense lesson for all of us in how to get on with it dispite our differences. Is it fun is it challenging is it frustrating its everything from one moment to the next thank goodness we have no choice but to love one another and it.
We r still afloat. I was sleeping very well as we approached high water, until fergus woke us all in his voluntary anchor watch capacity. "Daddy the anchors dragging" he screamed in a death cry. "Listen whats that noise". Yes there was a noise of the anchor chain rumbling over the sea bed, it was straightening out. The evening before after asking jenny to run the boat astern as i went forwad and lowered the anchor and chain the day before on returning to the cockpit i discovered she had not known what to do and fergus had stepped in and swung the boat round astern in the opposite direction. Hense the chain i new would be in a big pile on the sea bed. Well it was gently layed out last night by the wind and tide working together and the noise was amplified by the chain attached to the post on the foredeck over fergus' head. It did sound like an anchor dragging but i knew from my little experience that in this light wind and tide and that chain and anchor we were going know where. Fergus' has every right to doubt the skipper, i guess confidence and the appropriate lack of it comes from experience.
I make to see the world
Making helps me see
The detail not found
Any other way

This boat i did not make but i keep her
Learning the detail as i fix her and maitain her

Chuckle is her name
She is one of the family
But better behaved than the children
More like a granny
Someone you can rely on

She floats and we now sleep within her
Riding on the anchor we dream with the water tickling her clinkers
Making her chuckle
The melody of the wind waves tides at holy island
Drifting through our senses.

No other time and place will be like it.
We wont forget it a proper adventure
Some weeks to go now
Where next hook up tomorrow then eyemouth

Back to home waters then beyond again to new shores
What is it we r chasing
Something in the wind the air the water forgotten
Hummm! Kissed another boat as the forgiving dutchman put it while at anchor early this morning. Fergus once again had me awake to let me know the squeaking noise was us hit them. Freyja jumped ship with them the nice duch folk in there go fast catamaran and left us to get to grips with sailing cats. We did find her again in eyemouth. We however left our anchorage later to find choppy sea and no wind and the skipper forgot to fill the fuel tank. So having herd the engine near stop i switched it off and filled it up. Well only half full because chuckle are wee boat was rolling about so much it was so tricky to pour the fuel in the funnel and not on the deck. From then the engine would not go for long without near coming to a holt so i used up all my sea legs in the rolly polly sea with my head in the engine compartment to try and bleed the obvious air in the fuel line. I Was not in the best of spirits by then, woosy would discribe it. Jenny however dispite the short chop layed on smoked salmon cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches. Much revived dispite the frequently near stalling engine the wind picked up and we could sail without engine power to eyemouth. Freyja had had a lovely time in her newly acquired, crewed, catamaran eating dutch cheese and flicking through dvd's in her socks.
The kids fell easily to sleep this evening. And furgus having had first shout at jumping ship and declining will think faster next time. Or perhaps he is the wiser of the two. I know who got to eyemouth in style.

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