Race 10 - Day 25
Crew Diary - Race 10 Day 25: Seattle to Panama
25 May
As in most things we do, we are all capable of fulfilling many functions, but typically gravitate to those things we enjoy or are good at. Life on board the Pink Panther is no exception. For example, I enjoy being creative, working with my hands and working with people so it's no surprise I like working in the cockpit managing the lines and working in the sail repair team.
I have started to more usefully identify and define the roles and jobs which appear to be common on board...
Helm hog: no surprise this is a popular role on any watch. A little like animals gathering at a waterhole you will see the potential helm hogs up on watch early gathering in the creche at the rear of the boat, fingers crossed, standing up straight hoping to be selected for this key role.
Log hog: this role generally suits our more analytical crew mates. They like to complete the mandatory hourly log in the navigation station and get there good and early to monitor and peruse all the instruments, often poised like a coiled spring from 10 minutes to the hour to fill in the latest chart information.
Tiger mamas: a very important role any day. Cooking for 20 people is hard enough but since Nano introduced the Mother Of The Leg awards competition to provide the most creative and exciting meals this has really inspired some of our mothers to seriously raise the bar (mentioning no names....Kathy and Maz!). Mother popularity can be swayed by a poor cook having an excellent playlist or being a master baker!
Heads Hero: this person takes pride in cleaning the two toilets on board ensuring that these rather basic facilities shine like the top of the Chrysler building. Seriously, this is heroic!
Bilges whisperer: this role generally involves the person to be laid with their backside in the air leaning into a deep and smelly hole in the floorboards, holding a bucket with one hand and a sponge or bilge pump in the other. The bilges cheat however will just make the noise of the bilge pump (a little like that lady in that old coffee ad) then shouting 'done!'
On deck safety clipboarder: a very important role, this person will enjoy walking the deck from fore to aft, tugging at lines, and kicking things like a prospective car buyer. A good clipboarder will always have electrical tape and a screwdriver in hand even if they never actually use them.
Media snoop: a role that involves capturing your sleeping (and therefore vulnerable) crewmates in a variety of poses and locations in the boat, generally at their most attractive. A good media snoop will always stalk their prey waiting for the perfect open mouth snore or trail of dribble to appear. Patience is key in this role.
Snooze-master: clearly there will always be opportunities for a tired crew member to take a wee nap when the watch is quiet, but where are the best spots?! Fortunately the Pink Panther has employed the excellent services of a crewmate who is very competent at testing for the perfect locations and conditions.
Premium wooller: a thankless task, wrapping strands of wool in metre intervals around a wet sail the size of a tennis court. This person takes pride in cutting wool strands to the correct length and then tying them around their crewmates hands as they hold the sail in place. Must be good at knots and not getting items like stray Crocs trapped inside the sail.
Imaginary wildlife spotter: This role is both exciting and frustrating often randomly squealing 'Whale!' or 'Dolphins!' to create a frisson of excitement on deck where crew members will dash to where the spotter is pointing and frantically (and fruitlessly) search for said imaginary wildlife. Pam was especially talented at this until she cleaned her glasses.
Gurner: often accompanied by a heavyweight grinding session where the grinder is engaged in low speed. Typically the gurner will be pulling a variety of hugely attractive facial expressions as they feel lactic acid take over their arms and sweat drip of their nose. This is often accompanied by a 'click' from the media snoop's camera.
And finally Pink Panther has developed a new role. Kung Fu bosun: a unique role fulfilled by a unique person. The Kung Fu bosun is responsible for keeping all the stuff attached to the deck in good working order. We are fortunate on Pink Panther to have this filled by someone who, resplendent in his coolie hat (no joke!), is always on hand to fix everything we break and provide irrefutable logic and words of wisdom to keep us straying too far from the path of true enlightenment.