Crabs and other ferals

Another blue in perspective - hey Norm, welcome in from the maroon hots. One for you, (for everyone else, this probably only works in 1960's Australia when I first heard it so if you don't get it, don't stress) - same flight deck, this time female first officer to make it Qantas, the usual 24+ round dials on the console, levers everywhere, not too many buttons. Daggy Captain, obviously ex Fleet Air Arm, scratching his scrofular regions: 'Hey Shirl - what's good for crabs then?' First Officer, wishing the old bastard would smarten up: 'Um - Captain - I've heard that methylated spirits does the job' 'Nah! Silly bugger! That kills 'em!'

Fenwick - dozy old fart in chief - kind words again but so much for the one operational grey cell - you forgot the first principle in the lesson. I'll quote you in full just to make the point:

Alex as you well know that at our age, we all walk around in a fog. but in
an emergency somthing from the past kicks in, in this case the lessons
learnt in yours and Jerry's course kicks in, so it's not a wast of time as
many think, and I have been putting that retrieval float on the boat now for
the last 22 years and that was the the first time it had been out of its
bag.
Pete you should be very proud of Sarah she was great in the emergency, I was
very proud of her.
Alex, remember you paid for my course I do and was much appreciated
Regards Allan.

Sarah is Pete's daughter. If you have a MOB retrieval sling on the back of your boat, it's a good idea to get it out of the bag every year just to make sure the ferals haven't eaten it and to get the kinks out. Your survivor was lucky. Pete will have something to say on this too - but actually, congratulations from this DOF to the three of you. Bloody well done. Did it make the papers?

Thanks to everyone who wrote about our Macca gig, especially some of you who found the website as a result. Really glad it worked - not easy from out here. We'll try to get on again every few weeks if his producer will have us. Keep writing - makes our day out here. SJ - perhaps invite her to call any time she has an empty slot.

This morning at 25.44.680 W (dd.mm.decimal mm) the wind had freed a bit and I tweaked Kevvo a smidge to the east to try to stop our drift westwards and perhaps take the first step towards cutting the corner between here and Tristan. We are now at 25.43.614 so SFSG. Watch this space.

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