Well, the title undoubtedly means different things to different people and I would bet that to the demographic that run and manage yachts, the "C" word probably stands for the ultimate in profanity. And that is just it. Sometimes yachting is a small world and until you can look with objectivity upon it, the perspective gained aboard yachts is difficult to benefit from.
To give you an example, no matter how used one gets to a regime of hard work and sleepless nights. No matter how demanding you think owners and charter guests can be, it is not until you have a child that you realize quite how ill prepared you are for sleepless nights and demanding people. If my child was a charter guest she would be more demanding than a particularly high maintenance Russian, rapper with very low ethical and moral standards, who is prone to indecision and who has recently had a really bad deal/album and has decided that the only way to cheer up is to have a really big party. I suspect my child is perfectly normal, although the howling at full moon, hairy hands and emotional control she wields is a little worrying. If I made a movie it would probably be called "A British Werewolf in Lauderdale."
Perhaps it is a part of growing up; the generation ahead of me, when they’re not lamenting the days before the MCA, usually tell me that things are all normal and so I pass on the same sentiment to those behind me and so on. Growing up is, frankly, relatively simple to most and the landmarks were in retrospect, pretty obvious. For me, growing up was punctuated by my interest in the shopping catalogues at home. For the first part of my life they were heavy and a danger to me as I wanted to eat them. As I got older they interested me because of their bright colours. Then I started reading them because they had pages and pages of toys. Next I read them because they had pages and pages of bikes. There was a short gap where I refused to read anything, swiftly followed by a return to the catalogues because they had pages and pages of ladies ‘undies’. I don’t have catalogues around the house these days, but, I suspect that I would pick one up today and turn straight to the tools section, as, I am told, they have pages and pages of them.
There are undoubtedly many more of life’s landmarks that I have yet to pass. Sadly there is one I can cross off the list as of last week, and in reaching it I am afraid the catalogue analogy has become obselete. I have come into contact with what arguably most people in the world refer to as the ‘C’ word. You see to many people the ‘C’ word stands for Cancer. And folks of a certain age talk about cancer like my generation talk about kids: Someone you know has always just found out that they have got a new one. Not sure how big it is or which kind but the test is definite.
One of my old crewmates, who should in fact be too young for cancer, has just found out that he has got it. We were never really that close and despite the fact that I am sure he thought I was only a mediocre captain, we stayed in touch these years and drank and remembered guest trips gone by. Yachting had not prepared me for the news, like most of us in this game I felt pretty resilient to what the world has in store. Well until I spend a night watching the Deadliest Catch and realize that ‘rough weather’ is a relative term. I had never faced the prospect of being susceptible to getting ill or old for that matter. Obviously there are many other yacht captains who have yet to face the fact that they are in fact, actually mortal but that is quite different. The majority of today’s yachties are too young for Cancer and so it is rare to come across it and in fairness normal to being ill prepared for it.
Fortunately my sick friend has saved enough to get the right treatment in his home country without being a burden on others. He is a tough little bastard and I sincerely hope that he makes it through, if only, so that he can get his first command and realise that I was not such a bad captain after all.
There is no lesson in this tale or moral point I would make, except perhaps for; ‘don’t smoke’. But, when you hear such news it puts many of our whinges into context. Yachting just isn’t as bad as some of the forum posts may have us believe and if it needs changing well, we can do that too.
PS I have just received a catalogue in the mail for another former crewmate and after a thorough read I note that Victoria’s Secret has no tool section but is still a remarkably engaging, maybe I am getting younger.
To give you an example, no matter how used one gets to a regime of hard work and sleepless nights. No matter how demanding you think owners and charter guests can be, it is not until you have a child that you realize quite how ill prepared you are for sleepless nights and demanding people. If my child was a charter guest she would be more demanding than a particularly high maintenance Russian, rapper with very low ethical and moral standards, who is prone to indecision and who has recently had a really bad deal/album and has decided that the only way to cheer up is to have a really big party. I suspect my child is perfectly normal, although the howling at full moon, hairy hands and emotional control she wields is a little worrying. If I made a movie it would probably be called "A British Werewolf in Lauderdale."
Perhaps it is a part of growing up; the generation ahead of me, when they’re not lamenting the days before the MCA, usually tell me that things are all normal and so I pass on the same sentiment to those behind me and so on. Growing up is, frankly, relatively simple to most and the landmarks were in retrospect, pretty obvious. For me, growing up was punctuated by my interest in the shopping catalogues at home. For the first part of my life they were heavy and a danger to me as I wanted to eat them. As I got older they interested me because of their bright colours. Then I started reading them because they had pages and pages of toys. Next I read them because they had pages and pages of bikes. There was a short gap where I refused to read anything, swiftly followed by a return to the catalogues because they had pages and pages of ladies ‘undies’. I don’t have catalogues around the house these days, but, I suspect that I would pick one up today and turn straight to the tools section, as, I am told, they have pages and pages of them.
There are undoubtedly many more of life’s landmarks that I have yet to pass. Sadly there is one I can cross off the list as of last week, and in reaching it I am afraid the catalogue analogy has become obselete. I have come into contact with what arguably most people in the world refer to as the ‘C’ word. You see to many people the ‘C’ word stands for Cancer. And folks of a certain age talk about cancer like my generation talk about kids: Someone you know has always just found out that they have got a new one. Not sure how big it is or which kind but the test is definite.
One of my old crewmates, who should in fact be too young for cancer, has just found out that he has got it. We were never really that close and despite the fact that I am sure he thought I was only a mediocre captain, we stayed in touch these years and drank and remembered guest trips gone by. Yachting had not prepared me for the news, like most of us in this game I felt pretty resilient to what the world has in store. Well until I spend a night watching the Deadliest Catch and realize that ‘rough weather’ is a relative term. I had never faced the prospect of being susceptible to getting ill or old for that matter. Obviously there are many other yacht captains who have yet to face the fact that they are in fact, actually mortal but that is quite different. The majority of today’s yachties are too young for Cancer and so it is rare to come across it and in fairness normal to being ill prepared for it.
Fortunately my sick friend has saved enough to get the right treatment in his home country without being a burden on others. He is a tough little bastard and I sincerely hope that he makes it through, if only, so that he can get his first command and realise that I was not such a bad captain after all.
There is no lesson in this tale or moral point I would make, except perhaps for; ‘don’t smoke’. But, when you hear such news it puts many of our whinges into context. Yachting just isn’t as bad as some of the forum posts may have us believe and if it needs changing well, we can do that too.
PS I have just received a catalogue in the mail for another former crewmate and after a thorough read I note that Victoria’s Secret has no tool section but is still a remarkably engaging, maybe I am getting younger.
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