August 2007 Our First Guests: Millie's First Whale !

Our frantic refit was completed a few days late despite our very best efforts and we were then immediately joined by our good friends Millie and her daughter Charlotte.

Millie had done a competent crew course with Mags around 18 years ago and had been studiously swatting up prior to joining. This always presents something of a problem to an incompetent skipper as invariably you are asked questions the answer to which has long been forgotten and the inability to answer does nothing for the skipper's standing or the new crews confidence.

That said we managed to get through this phase without resorting to "because I say so" in a stern voice so that was positive!

Millie and Charlotte were a delight to have on board and quickly adapted to the cruising life, which, considering Charlotte had never been on anything smaller than a channel ferry, was very impressive.

We had a relaxing week's cruise from Marbella down to Estepona, then La Linea, Gibraltar, Smir (Morocco) before returning overnight to Marbella.

It was Millie & Charlotte's first night sail and although they viewed it with some trepidation when it was first suggested it was a thoroughly enjoyable overnight thrash with the wind on the beam most of the way and the Silver Fox making 8 knots for much of the time.

Just as the sun was setting Millie shouted "WHALE" at the top of her voice. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of the damage a collision with a whale would cause. I was also puzzled as I was unaware of any whales in the Mediterranean. My anxiety quickly subsided when a more detailed look at Millie's whale revealed, at best, a very modest porpoise!

It's a mistake anyone could make and we all agreed to spare Millie's blushes and not mention it again. (Nuffin said about bloggin though!)

Our cruise concluded with our return back to Marina La Bajadilla, Marbella . We arrived in the dark at 4.00am well ahead of schedule and in good spirits. Rather than end our cruise with a whimper we decided it was time for a beer and a reminisce which lasted until dawn - Wonderful!

Come back soon...


Post Script

We had a couple of unusual experiences during the week.

The Masthead "Volunteer"

On arrival in Estepona we were greeted and assisted by a very helpful (if not a tad overpowering) couple with a couple of children on a nearby boat. In conversation we revealed that we had a problem with a masthead wind speed unit. In a flash they volunteered the services of their 12 year old son who "regularly climbed masts for 10 Euros and loved heights".

The following morning the team arrived and a somewhat tense young man whose climbing skills clearly had been oversold by mum and dad was tied into a bosun's chair and a second safety harness and hauled part way up the mast by "dad". Dad it turned out wasn't ideally matched to the task in hand either and ran out of puff before his son and heir was winched to the masthead so I took over.

Once at the mast head junior tried to reach the masthead unit only to slide out of his bosun's chair, which "dad" hadn't tied correctly but fortunately the lad was held safely by the second safety harness. Clearly frightened he was screaming at the top of his voice to be lowered. Equally loadly "dad" was shouting "Don't panic, and get back into your harness you are OK"

At this charged moment "Mum" arrived and began to scream at her husband, me and anyone else to "Lower him now"

I had the thankless task of lowering the young lad slowly but surely, checking that he was safe at each stage, whilst receiving shouted conflicting advice by both parents and anyone else who felt I would benefit from their advice. Tense moments that ended safely but not happily. Mum proceeded to tear dad off a strip for jeopardising son, humiliated him further by showing him how to tie a bosun's chair in front of the gathering throng, she then glared at me and before leading her family off the boat never to be seen again - but equally never to be forgotten.

Walking the plank!

When I first started sailing it was common practice to carry a plank to use as a gang plank or fend the boat off piling when moored alongside a dock. These days the humble gang plank has been largely replaced by the much posher - but no safer - all aluminium passerelle!

It is very easy to spend one's liveaboard days in an alcohol fuelled haze and we met several couples doing this. The occasional bath following an unintentional fall from the plank seemed to slow them down not at all. We saw one beautiful swallow dive in Gibraltar by a 70 year old who, thankfully, was unharmed by the experience.