Friday, September 29, 2006

The Monster from the Deep

26deg21.178S 155deg30.471E

One day we're going to arrive in Brisbane, a few days ago we thought it would be Saturday, yesterday with the light (non existent) winds we realised it would probably be Sunday. Who knows it may take us another 3 weeks.

Light winds, hardly any swell, beautiful sunshine - now this is what I call a passage. People at work you'll see me sometime.

Vegetarians - don't read on.

It's been a day of wildlife, we've seen dolphins and a dolphin/whale creature with quite a square head. I know Janet B will know what it is. Then at sunset we caught a fish. A MONSTER FROM THE DEEP. I've never seen such a huge beast. It was freakin enormous. I swore quite extensively (which is what salty sea dogs do). Captain Freddie started bellowing orders - get me deadly knives, get me deadly hook. It's a fish he knows as a MahiMahi, it is sometimes called a dolphin fish or dorado, personally I think MONSTER FROM THE DEEP says it all. "We" got it up on board, and I tell you what I had my work cut out I had to avoid getting my dress splattered with blood, as well as keep the buckets of water coming. Blood everywhere. Off went its head and it was still the width of the cockpit. MONSTER FROM THE DEEP, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP. Sorry I'm hysterical.

Anyway Freddie cut off two enormous fillets and then we fed the rest to our resident brown birds. Tonight for dinner instead of having cabbage and onion, we started off with sashimi (yes there is wasabi on board), followed by chunk-of-monster lightly fried. The rest of the monster is in the fridge (yes we're allowed to turn the fridge on which means there is now champagne chilling). Tomorrow is declared national day of monster eating. Rock on!

***
For the kids
This story is for my young friends who like a story. Especially if it is a true story and ESPECIALLY if it is a true story written by red light (which it is). And the reason for the red light - at night when you're sailing you switch the lights to the special red setting and it means that it won't spoil your night vision.

Anyway last night when I was on watch, I was doing my usual check to make sure there were no boats about. There weren't. The moon had just set and that meant that the phosphorescence started. I don't really know what phosphorescence is - the best way to explain it is that when there are no other lights around (stars are ok) suddenly anywhere where there is movement in the water gets beautiful sparkling lights. Some places are sparklier than others and some nights are sparklier than others. This was a very sparkly night.

Later that evening I went to the toilet (on a boat it is called a head). There isn't a button to flush the toilet, you use a handle to pump sea water through. Anyway as I was pumping, I pumped a sparkly light down the head. It was most unnerving. Kids I think I flushed Tinkerbell down the toilet. I'm not sure whether she lived or not, but it makes me think we should rename the story Peter Bedpan. Then I started wondering about who the Lost Boys were and then I realised I was getting very rude and should stop.

xxx Jen

PS Maybe she's now Tinkersmell.

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi,
now that you are almost there what will happen to Maiken?

Take care,

Martina

3:23 AM  

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