Bay of Biscay - Prison Boat Bluejay Conclusion

 Draft 1

Conclusion

Was it worth it? Not really sure!

Did I learn anything? Not really (well that is with regards sailing anyway, which is a shame as I have a lot to learn). However the skip didn’t really make an atmosphere conducive to learning, and didn’t allow us to make our own decisions and mistakes. 

We should have been allowed to skipper the boat / sail the boat at some time during the second half. We should have been allowed to pass the instructions to our fellow crew members thus really could have been done on our rostered navigation days and thus really would have allowed us to learn and gain confidence, instead all we did was follow orders and be quietly barked at, admonished when we were unable to follow them either immediately or quickly enough or due to inclement weather. I cannot be sure but I genuinely believe that this is why one original crew member left on arrival at Gijón (he had skipped to watch shifts after being admonished on his last watch), and I have a lot of sympathy for him, this is not what we paid up for. 

In many ways it reminded me of school, there was the “in” crowd and then the others (I was one of the others).  Unfortunately this scenario was generally created and led by the skip and was very much in evidence at the proverbial last supper. 

In earlier posts I referred it to a prison boat (and u wasn’t alone, if only in jest).  The trip was made up of two halves. The passage to Gijón which involved watch shifts and due to weather and the fact that all paying crew were new to the boat clearly required leadership. Instructions were given but leadership and a calm head was probably lacking from the right place. I understand that this may have been everyone’s first crossing of the Bay of Biscay, but frustration with in experienced crew members was unnecessary and simple just wrong. 

The second halve was daily sailing alone the northern coast of Spain and could and should have been a time for each crew member to learn and gain confidence. This didn’t happen on BJ, but it did seem to happen on the other boats. I admit I withdrew towards the end but it is only because I felt more of an hindrance than an asset. I have to commend members of the “in” group and generally the others in sticking with it and as the saying goes “the more you put in the more you get out”, I hope this truly happened, but I am not sure that this was the case for all, but I hope it was for some. 

Back to my prison boat, there seemed to be a lot of pointless hauling and pulling for little if zero gain!  Tasks / jobs would be repeated inefficiencies were rife; pointless anchoring outside suitable marinas to the extent that we would sailing further than required. 

I have no problem with anchoring in a nice bay and sleeping under the night sky in a pleasant and secluded spot, but I do get irritated when it it just seems to be a money trousering exercise and unnecessary. 

We could have made A Coruña probably two days early (and on the Monday I did point out that the weather on Tuesday was suitable, which I still believe was, only to be abjectly put down in front of the whole crew, this was my tipping point; I have 30 years of weather experience through aviation and there was no need to be so abrasive, arrogant and rude), and yes it would have meant an early end, but that is weather for you!  But in the end we didn’t yet we did not make the best of this added time, this added time could and again should have been time to teach and learn. 

So what did I learn?  Probably that paid group sailing is not for me, having said that I am a glutton for punishment and I can still see myself being on another prison ship in the future. I also learnt that sailors surprisingly do not like wind. Sailors also seem to relish living and sleeping in the same clothes for days in end, they only eat stews and pasta, and because they are at see generally believe that these dishes should always contain fish or some kind of see food. They also seem to think that every job is worth repeating and the more inefficient things are the better. 

Did I enjoy it? Well it was an experience. 

Finally, a big thank you to Dimitry and my fellow crew members, they were solid and were all a pleasure to meet and be with. I look forward to the video, even if the out takes are less than flattering (especially after these posts, but I have to say it as it is, as Megan would say “it is my truth”). 

As I cannot sign off on that I have to say happy passages and happy trails to all!