Brimbles best friend Sumara of Weymouth had arranged for some chums from the East Coast to get together for what proved to be our last weekend of sailing. On board the good ship was First Mate Rob Parsons, Joe Parsons, Mara Gardner and myself.
The trip was the well trodden route from Shotley to Brightlingsea and back. Weather was fine and it was a cracking sail in both directions. 4 boats met up and in the event that I had remembered to take photos then I would share them here ... but I didn't.
Crucially though over the two days it emerged that both Jo and Mara had unique skills that allowed us to fill two vacant posts. That of Ships Ambassador and Ships Psychiatrist both important roles on the Good Ship which have stood vacant for some time.
Mara is from New York and so is able to speak many forms of English and some French and so Rob and I were delighted to offer her the challenging role of Ship's Ambassador. Dealing with Suffolk people was going to be her first challenge not least because we had one of them on board.
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| Mara ... as comfortable in the role of sailing as she is in dealing with difficult people from Suffolk |
Jo, sister to Tom, Chief Medical Officer and also the First Mate's daughter is studying medicine (since graduated) and so was an obvious candidate for Ships Psychiatrist. This is a role we have desperately been trying to fill since Rob started imagining Latvian visitors in the forepeak when we were in Lofoten. Jo was keen to demonstrate her skills in psychiatry with some basic psycho-analysis of Cockney Mallard, Eider and Chirpy Chick but rightly pointed out that Duck Psychiatry was not a module covered as part of standard training. Rob and I decided that this should not be considered a show stopper and so we offered her the job. Jo was delighted and we talked through plans to convert the forepeak into a compact surgery and waiting room.
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| Jo, delighted with her first proper job offer |
This was pretty much the final sail of the year although the good ship stayed in Shotley before haul out just before Christmas.
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