02 March 2006

Fishy Tails - The crew visit a Panama Fish Market in today’s voyage log

2nd March 06

Location: Flamenco Marina, Amador, Panama (For a change)
Weather: Very, very, very hot, and sunny, Wind force 0 to not much (until Sam moved Gipsy Moth IV, then it become South Easterly force 4)

Weather forecast for tonight……dark!

Jon Curtis (Mate)

Today Sam and I were on Mother Watch (cooking and washing up!), I am a hopeless cook as my wife Fiona will agree.
I managed to escape the marina in a boat today for the first time, OK so it was only the tender but I did pass the breakwater!!!! I made sure all the Ellen MacArthur Trust crew were able to use the tender, and then as Gipsy Moth touched the bottom for a few minutes at low water, I got the crew to use the tender to clean the waterline. As we exited the marina we were dive bombed by a flock of pelicans, a bit like being in the middle of an RAF Red Arrows display.
This evening, as Mother, I got the job of helping to light the BBQ, an interesting experience next to an old wooden boat. Simon and Sam were both getting quite twitchy, whilst I found a new way of removing the hairs from your legs! My children Jack, Emily and Lucy would have loved the fish supper, just like Thomas the Tank Engine goes fishing.
Time for bed now and guess what, the computer says Noooooooooooooooo!

Maria xxx

The weather was brilliant today; it was extremely hot we all had factor 45 on us. We sun bathed for a while got a little burnt from the blaze’n hot sun wooopppsssss. So Barbara, Laura and I decided we should have a water fight it was so cool Sam our skipper soaked me after I had sprayed him with the water hose. We all had so much fun getting soaked in the hot weather. After the water fight we had to go on a training session with Jon on the dinghy, he said that I drove it and parked the dinghy really well if not perfect, I was well pleased. I loved driving the dinghy out to sea a bit and back and wanted to stay on it all day.
P.S I would just like to say hello to my mum, dad and my brother I love you all and miss you all so much.

Barbara xoxo

We went to the fish market in Panama today, it was a brilliant experience for me cause ive never been to a fish market before. Our friend Billy the taxi man or should I say Samuel L Jackson took us there. We walked around looking at the fish; there were loads of different types ranging from Prawns to Sharks. We bought Tuna, Golden Travali and Razor fish. The funky thing about Razor fish is they move when you stroke them, well until you cook them. The Panamanian fishmongers were very persistent for us to go to their stalls but they were also full of information. As we were leaving one of the fishmongers took a fancy to Jon and Sam we think they swung the other way! When we got back we got straight into gutting the fish, I was brave and went first, I gutted the Tuna that we had bought- David I hope your proud of me! It was extremely messy and gross but now I know how to a gut a fish, once again ive learnt something new! The girls went next with the Golden Travali it was hilarious watching them. I miss you David and love you loads.

Ps if anyone from school is following this I’m having a great time, learning new things everyday and best of all I’m getting a tan ha ha ha


Laura

Hello everyone!! After going to the fish market today (and gutting it, thank you very much! dont worry Ive had a scrub) it was onto cooking!! We decided to BBQ so it was pyro gear and flame throwers at the ready! First up was the Tuna, I “bunged” it into the pot with some white wine (lovely) and onions as a marinade and give ,er a stir with the old faithful wooden spoon, next up was the golden Travali (head still in tact) we flavoured it with garlic (the boat will smell lovely tomorrow) so now it was over to Jon Captain of the Dinghy TM who already had the Barby lit (minus a few leg hairs) , the golden Travali (AKA Billy the Bass) took the longest to cook, manoeuvring it from head to tail and flipping it over was a task in itself (2 man job). It cooked really well, wish I could say the same for the Tuna which did not resemble a steak AT ALL so it ended in a pot in the galley (Hey! Even Jamie Oliver gets the odd cooking malfunction!) Dinner was served shortly after rice and fish! It was very tasty and nice to try something different, definitely more nutritious than a Zinger tower burger (mmm KFC). Hopefully everyone will be ok in the morning ha-ha, but for today its goodnight, time for the crew to sleep!
Night everyone
P.S Hello to mum, Dad, Chris, Neil and Caroline miss you all loads and thinking about y’all take care and speak soon! xxx

Capt Sam Connelly

Another day at the office, we were asked to move the boat to another berth today, so after a oil and filter change from the girls we slipped the lines and swung out into a large open area where we prepared to come alongside again, Staci and Ocean would have been proud of me, in the past there’s been this vicious rumour of gipsy moth being a pig to park so before we began our approach it would be wise to spin around a little for some power handling. I take it all back!! From what we know of Chichester he stopped referring to Gipsy Moth as her and referred to the vessel as it, respect to all the skippers who have successfully manoeuvred it into a confined space it doesn’t handle, it has a mind of its own and when it’s windy, don’t bother, go and anchor off! After a variety of attempts to get this thing moving astern in a straight line, I abandoned and stuck her in bows in. “Any landing you can walk away from is a good one”.