Race 5 - Day 15
Crew Diary - Race 6 Day 15
06 February

Travels of Morris the mango

06.02.2020

Alex Cass

This trip had been making me feel, amongst rather a lot else, well travelled. That was until yesterday when I met a mango. I was eating a packet of the dried fruit my parents had brought to me in Airlie Beach, all the way from a London supermarket by way of Fremantle, Brisbane and Sydney.

Reading the back of the packet, I can see that it got to that Waitrose shelf (I am presuming Waitrose – it’s that sort of snack) having been packed, for some reason that is beyond me, in Co. Armargh, Northern Ireland. Prior to this it had been grown in none other than the Philippines. So in order for me to have this snack a few days before I arrive in the home of dried mango, where they are all apparently grown, this packet has travelled halfway around the world and back. Rather puts my log book into perspective which only has one half turn around the planet.

Now we are half way I’ve started noticing how much people have developed since we left London - particularly circumnavigators. People who a few months ago were uncomfortable moving around the boat now scramble around like goats regardless of the angle. Aser, nicknamed “Stevie Wonder” for her driving skills in training, is now one of our most competent helms. Danny Lee, despite never having sailed before Clipper, practically bleeds seawater and spends hours teaching new joiners. This creates a slight problem for me as this used to be my job, so I have increasingly found myself in Mike Miller’s role, standing at the stern chatting, napping and reading the back of packets of dried fruit.

Not only have the crew developed as sailors, but we have graduated from playing hours of backgammon to hours of chess. Here at least I seem to have the edge on Danny, for now, although he does hold the distinction of having checkmated our skipper in two moves… perhaps Ian was too busy thinking about bigger things.