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Ode to Eight Bells

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Sea Trac
Master Marine Consultant

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Vanuatu
1357 Posts

Initially Posted - 09/19/2003 : 16:26:54

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It’s been a long two weeks, so here I am awaitin’,
Keepin’ a real close eye on my sailboat Swatch,
In barely controlled anticipation,
for the eight bells of the first dog watch.

My Genny’s in the back seat,
Waitin’ for me to come,
I’m talkin’ about my fores’l,
Not the naughty thoughts of some.

Almost time to go, almost time to fly,
Time to put down the top and crank it up to eighty,
Fall’s in the air, so keep one eye on the sky,
But it sure is a fun run, since I eBay’d this ’86 Audi.

Gonna be a great weekend, get to singlehand an Allied ketch,
18 tons displacement for ocean cruising that’s dreamed about,
Have to do the length of the lake, a winding twenty mile fetch,
No hope of the motor’s assistance, her shafts been bent right out.

The bending of the shaft, now there’s a yarn to tell,
Come along one evening just about a fortnight ago,
Some lessons there were to learn on that night from hell,
That started out all right, under the moon’s brilliant glow.

Full suit of sails up…jib, main and mizzen,
Beam reachin’ due North there be a point bearin’ down,
On the puffs, the old ketch , she had been a sizzlin’,
But to our great luck, just then she started slowin’ down.

Our buddy on the helm insisted he could make it ‘round,
While everyone else wondered from where he took his clues,
Suddenly a scrape and a bump, and he’d done run us aground,
And from that point forward, all hell broke loose.

At the last possible moment, was heard upon the foredeck clear as glass,
Come about NOW, so instinctively hauling across the jib is what I recall,
Now, I won’t repeat Skipper’s next words, but take a shot at his &$$,
Was what crossed my mind next, ‘til considering his position, what he’d let befall.

So, “start up the motor”, “JB take the helm”, “all hands far forward to the bow”,
“Reverse her hard”, “all hands jump up and down”, “we must dislodge her skeg”,
“Not like that, you scurvy dogs, like frogs leap off logs, all together in a row”,
Finally dislodge her, but that’s not the end, for there’s still a harrowing leg.

In deep water and shifted to neutral, time to return was everyone’s thought,
The Skipper shifted to forward, and not soon thereafter the motor dead stopped,
For during the grounding the jib sheet had flogged, with no stopper knot,
So, after not long that sheet found the prop, wrapped ‘round real tight and POPPED!

You should have seen us, in the water with our knife in our mouth,
Taking turns diving down, hacking at line, afore morning’s dawn,
We looked like the suave Pirates of the Caribbean down South,
Awaiting the stunningly beautiful, young Miss Elizabeth Swann.

Among the lessons from this story, here’s the one from my own culpability,
When crew or even just a guest, don’t be afraid to embarrass or irritate,
Because I saw those jib sheets before we ever left and ignored sensibility,
I knew not to let them go, but out of “respect” I never tied the figure eight.

Now I’ve spent up my wait, but typing this ditty up just right,
I’ve tried real hard to entertain and to not be too bore some,
However, eight bells approaches, so fair winds to all, to all a good night,
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I sure do enjoy being part of this forum.

dingding dingding dingding dingding
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Edited by - Antares on 09/19/2003 16:28:11

Edited by - on

Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 09/19/2003 : 16:37:04

It is never boring, my dear friend
A sailing story, rime or not
Even when in the bitter end
It all revolved around a simple knot.

<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>
250WB#618 Lady Kay on the Chesapeake
<img src="http://www.woodenshoemusic.com/Images/familypics/Forumshots/sunglitter.JPG" border=0>

Edited by - Oscar on 09/19/2003 17:06:01