Race 4 - Day 12
Crew Diary - Race 4 Day 12: Fremantle to Sydney
14 December
A Clipper Christmas Carol
By Roy Hubbard
Twas a couple weeks before Christmas, and well into our trip,
The crew working merrily with the exception of Skip.
See we'd been heading to the south pole through an ocean so swelling,
In hopes of seeing Santa and his Mrs in their new summer dwelling.
Over the waves and through the wind our faithful pink boat kept pushing,
The crew skampering about on deck while ole Lance kept on mushing.
''We'll have this spinnaker up in no time,'' Skip hollered, ''We haven't a choice!!'
''If we want to make Christmas we must make this hoist!''
''Rick and Elvis get to that halyard and get ready to sweat,
This will give us 25 knots I'm willing to bet!''
Then Claire shouted, ''Is it rigged up just right to be flown?"
Skip shouted back, ''Of course it is you scoundrel, I did it me own.''
''Yah!! Yah!! Nano, JV, Mikey and Greg keep that bearing!!'
That goofy knitted hat on his head he was wearing.
''The quicker this is done we'll be at a mooring,
Then all you lads can escape Frett's snooring!''
''Paulie, Dodge and Stevie are we ready over there?''
''Aye aye cap,'' they shouted back, ''We'll grind like a bear!!''
''Then hoist! hoist! and then hoist some more!!!
If you dont get it up there I'll throw you ashore!''
And with that the big baggy sail shot right up out of sight,
Straight towards the sky, like a rocket in flight.
The Snaps begin to pop and the sail started to fill,
Then all of a sudden our poor code one began to look ill.
Sagging and flapping out there in the breeze,
The poor little sail just couldn't appease.
It continued to unfold out and put up a good fight,
But still the sail just couldn't bite.
''Roy and Red, what the hell did you two do?''
They looked at each other without even a clue.
''Skip we didn't run anything on our old kite,
We've been downstairs on Mother and haven't seen light!''
The crew looked up to see what had happened,
Then it became hard to grin without laughing.
A clew clipped to the halyard and sheets tied to the head,
It was clear at that moment that nothing correctly was led.
Skip sat their puzzled scratching his noggin,
As the mishapen sail sat out there flogging.
But he didn't have to wait long to figure out just what to do,
Because just at that moment the tackline had blew.
''Ahah! Yes! Right! I know just how to fix this whole mess!''
And with that skip went below and got a whole good night's rest.
Now the boat is run by Jamie that scruffy Cayman Hunk,
While Skipper just stays below huddled up in his bunk.
And now when the whole crew stays up all night just to dance,
They all laugh about the sail that took down poor Lance.