AVONTUUR Water Games…. For Safety
Avontuur Water Games
Can a safety maneuver be made fun? Hell yes! Secretly talked about only glimpses of what is to happen is reaching the crew. The excitement is growing daily. It is getting wet, so much is clear.
Saturday is the day then and all hands are called on deck for 13:00. So, here is the scenario: two teams, two 20 liter canisters, both of them filled with only a few liters of water, positioned on either side of the decks-house next to the aft pinrail. Both teams have to push their canister to the fore deck and aft again on the opposite side of the ship by means of the water pressure from the fire hose only. The only rule there is: cheating is compulsory! The price: the loosing team takes care of the Sunday cake and deserts for lunch and dinner. I hear someone say: “we have Lilly in our team, we can afford to loose”.
What is to come next is everything from organized chaos to a clear concept of how to hamper the other team’s efforts. No prisoners are taken and becoming properly doused with extra buckets of water is the norm. Hoses squeezed, valves kidnapped and closed, nozzles stolen, members of the opposite team tackled down, the fantasies goes wild. Laughter and commands are filling the air and the fight goes on well after one of the canisters has well reached its destination. Once the winner is announced the disappointed faces of the loosing team speak volumes: “oh no, it cannot be over, let’s continue”. And while the gear is finally packed away plans are made for a fine cake and delicious deserts.
What do you think: do they know now how to efficiently attach and detach hoses and nozzles? Where to find the hoses and every valve that can be used? How to make the best use of the nozzle and its varying streams? With the next maneuver on a more serious note it’ll all be a piece of cake.
Meanwhile we find ourselves in 18 degree warm water and air alike, just about 150 nautical miles North-East of the Madeira Archipelago. We glide along in the gentle puffs of air. It seems like nothing, yet we manage to move along with 5 to 6 knots. Every stitch is set, and we all feel rewarded. With the sun now clearly sending us fine warm rays even the last skeptical has finally left the long underwear in the locker and there is talk about sun cream and sun block.
And finally, there’s talk about paint and tar! The wet and cold season is over, for a while at least. Time to make her pretty again.
Summer, here we come.
Happy days,
Captain Michael