Ahem…..
…….
…Ahhhemm!
 |
Which one is the squash? (hint - none of them, its a carved Halloween melon
Ask Barb) |
.........
Testing…testing one, two, three….. four.
Hmmm, well it still seems to work….
……
Well, Hello!
Some of you may have been wondering where is Cress's voice
in all of this on the blog. Where is the Captain!?
Indeed, maybe you haven't noticed, and that's okay, but I
certainly have been wondering!
You see, I am the lone man on a boat load of four. All three of
our crew are, shall we say, 'mature' women, each quite practiced in being in
command all on their own. And taken together on a boat? Well, they practically
don't even need a captain!
 |
| Ellen, Barb, Irena, left to right |
They are impressive. They show up for watch at every ungodly
hour and in every kind of weather, on time and in good spirits, dressed
sensibly no less. Like a trio of Broncos they hang on and steer without
complaint while the salt water runs down the back of their jackets and the boat
bounces through the short Mediterranean chop. They take sailing orders without
complaint or question, and learn quickly which of the endless ropes to cleat,
release, pull, wrap, coil, etc… And -- this is what separates them from the
more macho crew we have had the pleasure of - they also clean, tidy and
organize below until the boat is in Bristol shape. And each meal from their
galley is a feast fit for any time or place. They plan and shop up all the food,
organize it in our fridge and freezer, and serve it up each meal with wine and
we practically eat off white table cloths, almost.
And they get along. They stand watch together, cook
together, clean together, do their toe nails together, talk, talk, talk, even
sleep together (well not in that way of course, but you know how much more
comfortable women are bunking in together). They flow. Doubtless you have
pondered how seamlessly a school of fish cohere and move as a singularity, or
the wondered at the way a flock of birds fly together, as if a single
intelligence. And so we have it on Conversations. I suppose it helps that Irena
and Barb are sisters, and that Ellen and Barb go way, way back, and that all
three then share a common life history of Winnipeg winters and Whiteshell Lake
cottage summers. They practically finish
one another's sentences! And, they are, perhaps, the best crew I have ever had!
.jpg) |
| Can one man manage? |
 |
| Wuat's a guy to do? |
So boys, a new standard has been set. Lyle, Mitch, Willie, the
bar is high. The challenge formidable. When we go from an all-woman crew to an
all-male crew to sail across the Atlantic in December from the Canaries
Irena
will be there to witness our glory or our ignominy. Let’s show them how men!
