Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Ships Passing in the Night

The Mannens got back yesterday from Tasmania (the photo is of their orignal arrival last week) and as one ship came in, the other left. OK - they took the plane, but bear with me for the sake of metaphor. Mungo, unfortunately, ended his six week run here in Sydney, setting sail for Nelson, New Zealand on Wednesday afternoon.

Before he left, however, we were fortunate enough to have a day together on the boat. The dozen or so crew memebers on the Adix asked family and friends yesterday for a ride around the harbor and out past the heads. The wind was blowing at about 11 knots inside the harbor, enough to put the sails up, but died down once we got out into the Tasmanian Sea. So, our promise of full sail was stifled somewhat, but a fantastic day nonetheless. You really get a sense of the massive scale of this 210ft, three-masted yacht when all of the sails are up and it begins to really run. Seas were not very rough at all and only one of the 40 or so guests on board turned green.

I got to help out a bit, but spent most of my time hiding behind a camera lens. They would often yell, 'trim the yankee!', but I soon realized they were not talking about me, instead a type of sail. I did however, get to put some work in holding a rope and looking very officially a land-loving moron in doing so. It all seemed quite regal, sailing aboard a billionaire's yacht. Beer and nuts were served at 5pm as we were kept in a holding pattern, waiting for a massive 10-story cruise ship to leave the harbor before we could enter. It was good to forget about school for a few hours and get to breathe some fresh air on some stranger's 10 million dollar vessel.

Mungo is in good hands (that's him hauling rope), with a crew that gets along together and sees the world like no one I know. The comradere amongst the half-dozen twenty-somethings that he works with is quite present, they're all full of vim n' vigor. They remind me of a college fraternity with their captain serving as the headmaster. Being that there are only two women on the boat serving as stewardesses and cooks, but it is a pretty masculine affair overall. I was invited for what could have been a luxurious lamb and mushroom caps dinner, full of antcedotes and amusements, instead feeling more like an animal troft with all of the grunting and huffing going on. They take the luxury for granted a bit. But at twenty-one years old, what didn't we take for granted?


They work quite hard in short bursts, then find twenty minutes here and there when the sails are up to sneak up to the bow for a smoke. Many climbing up and down masts, reeling in sails and tightening wenches. Their hands and feet are all full of callouses from walking around barefoot and handling rope for months at a time. I could see the enjoyment and intrigue as a salior is poking around the coastline, seeing famous sights and going in and out of port - everything still seems to be in context at that point. But when they're at sea for a number of weeks without seeing land, the isolation could get a bit creepy.

Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow, we were fortunate enough to recieve a care package from our San Diego cousins, full of decorations and supplies for the big day. We're having about a dozen or so Americans (not a single Aussie!) over for this traditional feast. The Mannens stuffed their luggage with cans of pumpkin and cranberries to suppliment the somewhat obscure Australian food supply. Yes, we are getting a turkey. Although, our fridge is free of cockroaches, it might be a a bit tiny for a big 12 pounder. So alas, we had to purchase parts of turkey instead of the whole. Maybe we'll try to glue one together with Durkin sauce. Pics to come.

posted by ncawthon at 7:52 PM