I agreed to crew on a yacht and I ended up
Sailing Into The Unknown
It was not what I signed up for or expected.
I had just finished college and was trying to find a full time summer job in the interim I had agreed to crew for someone on a large cruising yacht over a holiday weekend. Plan was the owner with three crew members would sail the yacht on a four day Cruising Club sail.
It was one of those warm sunny days when I arrived at the marina with a weekend kit bag in hand I had been given a pass code for the gate into where the yachts were berthed and its berth number.
Took me about 15 minutes to find 'Temptress', I knew it was large but it must have been over 45 feet with a 50 foot mast and 10 foot beam, it was the largest boat on the pontoon.
The owner was on deck he was in his mid to late fifties wearing white shorts and matching deck shoes no top as I walked towards him he recognised me from the photograph the crewing agency had sent him and waved, then came down onto the pontoon and introduced himself.
"Shane my name is Sir Richard Roper but call me Dickie everyone else does."
We exchanged first time greeting as you would expect his yacht got the highest reviews from both of us. Niceties done he invited me on-board to stow my gear and offered me a coffee which I accepted; suggesting.
"As it is such a nice day why don't you dress down?"
"Okay great where can I get changed?"
He pointed in the direction of a large forward cabin.
"Just in their, that's also where we will all be bunking."
I was about halfway through getting changed when he came in with a mug of black coffee, at that point all I had on was my black G-string. As I glanced round I noticed out of the corner of my eye he was eyeing me up, I felt a little uncomfortable as he suggested.
"Let's enjoy coffee on deck in the sun."
Bit lost at to what I should do quickly pulled on my shorts after retrieving them from the bottom of my kitbag and followed him up on deck. We sat down together at the large 6 foot diameter old world type wooden spiked wheel which was very impressive; as he said.
"I have just had word from the crewing company that the two other crew members have had to pull out due to unforeseen reasons.
Although I prefer to be over crewed this yacht is geared for single handed sailing which I have sailed single handed many times. If you are up for it I propose the two of us take it out for the weekend as the weather forecast is light winds, smooth sea, sunny and hot.
It will be a challenge leaving the marina given our size and our 9 foot draft which means we need to leave on the early morning high tide to clear the harbour bar.
What do you think?"
"Okay I am happy to do that if you tell me what you want me to do."
"Great finish your coffee and I will give you a tour of the Temptress and her workings."
We headed up onto deck both wearing only shorts and deck shoes which are a must for working on deck given the number of hidden deck fittings, I had completed my induction on the engines, deck workings and sail layout.
Being fitted out for single handed sailing everything had its place and was simple to work.
Finished with the induction we returned to where we had our coffee this time we settled on cold beer and sandwiches out of a packet which was very welcome as I had been traveling all morning to get here.
Dickie explained he was the outgoing CEO of an Oil and Gas company and that he was ousted in a recent Board Room debacle over selling off re-drilling rights. He sounded very unhappy about it.
However he managed to retain his position as Chairman of the Oil and Gas consortium, a political pressure group that wielded a lot of pressure both in industrial and governmental circles.
Inherent in this position he was also the Chairman of a charities commission who managed charitable funding from the Oil and Gas industry. This weekend's bash was for a blue water cruising club's first flotilla meeting of the year.
Originally plan was the crew would have a get to know each other meal in a local pub, although we had already done the get to know each other, we were still going to have a meal in the pub.
After we cleared everything away including checking everything on deck and below was securely stowed and the alarm set which is quite sophisticated given the value of the equipment on board.
We chatted as we walked over to the pub still only wearing our shorts and deck shoes but had taken our shirts with us for when we went into the pub to eat.
Dickie explained he knew the bar owner from their days together in the Royal Navy, he was a Commander responsible for Fleet fuel logistics on a large fleet replenishment ship and Colin the Senior Steward Chief Petty Officer. The ship was old and surplus to requirements and was being paid off as were the crew.
Dickie joined an oil company in West Africa with its head office in London, Colin took a tenancy of a bar in London near Dickie's office. Later Dickie managed to get him backing to buy a pub and they meet up when they can.
Dickie never said why but he was very upset about how and why he was ousted from his CEO position other than it was because of something from his past in the Navy and not being prepared to sanction one of his co-directors friends of a friend receiving a re-drilling contract.
I shared with him that I recently had my life's plans upset's too, although I had passed all my exams something that happened in my past may block me going to University next year and possibly force me to re-sit two of my exams.
It was now with the examination board for their decision which was not due for a couple of months, either I get to go this year or take a year out and go back packing until I could re-sit my exams.
By the time we arrive at the bar we were ready for our beer and burger, we sat outside in the warm evening sun and chatting about our past's but did not touch on our current woes.
Dickie saw his friend Colin appear behind the bar, excused himself as he went up to see him and get more beers. I was sitting there alone watching the sun go down over the marina and the remaining beer in my glass evaporate away.
I was awakened out of my beer trance when a fresh beer appeared in front of me, I looked up as a voice said.
"For you; you don't remember me do you?
"Sorry no."
"Possibly it's you don't recognise me with my clothes on."
It came crashing back to me like a thunderbolt of guilt.
"Yes I do now; thanks for the beer."
At that point he walked off as Dickie came back and asked.
"A friend?"
I was never very good at winging things.
"I don't remember his name but I think he was a guest speaker at one of the business class lectures I attended."
