Date & Time 22-12-2011 0000hrs
Position:- 07* 27.3’ S 135* 52’ E
Course:- 335*
Speed:- 4 Knots
Wind:- NW 30 Knots (Force 7 Moderate gale )
Sea State:- Rough (2.5 to 4 meters, Seas heaping up and white foam from breaking waves beginning to run in streaks along the waves )
Weather:- Part Cloudy (about half cloud cover)
Temp 80F
(Wind Sea & Weather are all taken from the Beaufort notation to indicate the given conditions)
Distance to go:- 2111 nautical miles
We are only about 65 miles south east from the island of Kepulauan Aru and the shelter its land mass should provide.
(island about half way up the chart and just to the right (east)
The seas have picked up considerably in the last 12 hours and we are now slapping into some bigger waves and taking some heavy spray on the main deck.
The motion of the vessel due to her size and shape isn’t like the rolling and pitching you would expect from a normal ship shape hull but more of a constant slight bouncing and a juddering slam every few minutes.
We continue to monitor the weather system and are happy for now that our actions will have protected us from the worst of the storm should it really develop into a howler.
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/NGAViewer/73020.shtml
Today’s music is a track I hadn’t heard for years and for some reason it sprung to mind last night when I was reading.
The cynical and thinly disguised contempt in her voice is mirrored in the superb guitar work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQuji70wBHY&feature=related
People (1) Tiger
Fresh farm produce.
Position:- 07* 27.3’ S 135* 52’ E
Course:- 335*
Speed:- 4 Knots
Wind:- NW 30 Knots (Force 7 Moderate gale )
Sea State:- Rough (2.5 to 4 meters, Seas heaping up and white foam from breaking waves beginning to run in streaks along the waves )
Weather:- Part Cloudy (about half cloud cover)
Temp 80F
(Wind Sea & Weather are all taken from the Beaufort notation to indicate the given conditions)
Distance to go:- 2111 nautical miles
We are only about 65 miles south east from the island of Kepulauan Aru and the shelter its land mass should provide.
(island about half way up the chart and just to the right (east)
The seas have picked up considerably in the last 12 hours and we are now slapping into some bigger waves and taking some heavy spray on the main deck.
The motion of the vessel due to her size and shape isn’t like the rolling and pitching you would expect from a normal ship shape hull but more of a constant slight bouncing and a juddering slam every few minutes.
We continue to monitor the weather system and are happy for now that our actions will have protected us from the worst of the storm should it really develop into a howler.
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/NGAViewer/73020.shtml
Today’s music is a track I hadn’t heard for years and for some reason it sprung to mind last night when I was reading.
The cynical and thinly disguised contempt in her voice is mirrored in the superb guitar work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQuji70wBHY&feature=related
People (1) Tiger
Fresh farm produce.
Computer Bis and Bytes,
Fishing tackle,
“Hello, how are you?”
Bric a brac,
Out of date cakes,
Pre read Books
“TWOPAAANNDSABANNANASFORRAQUID
French Cheeses,
Bike Bits
Olives,
“Excuse! me”
Garden Ornaments,
Watch Straps fitted while you wait,
“Sammy come away from the edge of the pavement”
Ethnic jewellery,
Organic vegetables,
Cheap trainers.
I was meandering through the weekly street market when I bumped into Tiger, who I had not seen for about 6 years, but he was instantly recognisable as he always has been during the thirty years I have known him.
At five feet two and weighing twelve stone, Tiger bears no resemblance whatsoever to a tiger.
Words like fierce, majestic, powerful and dangerous predator would not win the race to the tip of your tongue when describing him.
Middle aged, dumpy, piggy eyed, heavy metal fan with bad hair would probably be the front runners.
Tiger still sports a “mullet” although now the front and top have receded leaving a back curtain of bright blond hair hanging to his shoulder blades.
His clothing is, as ever, black steel toe capped work boots and Levi jeans held up with a large buckled belt, depicting a skull or dragon.
In the winter there would be a Levi jacket with the back panel covered in a skilful reproduction of an Iron Maiden or Motorhead album cover, as this is summer the denim jacket is replaced by a waistcoat with the festivals and gigs attended over the years embroidered in tiny, but perfectly formed, gothic script on the back.
Apart from the disappearing top of his mullet the only noticeable difference in Tiger over the years would be the name of the band on his t-shirt, which today was “Def Leppard”.
He has a round face with a ruddy complexion, the sort of face you could imagine in a Hardy novel on one of the peasants sat in the background of the cider barn.
His deep set grey-blue eyes are hardly visible under a pair of ludicrously bright blond lashes and eyebrows.
The nose is flat and fleshy with unusually small nostrils and his lips are large and hang open a little when not talking, but the initial impact on meeting Tiger is blown away when he smiles.
It seems as his entire face is involved in an explosion of movement that displays pure happiness and is an infectious expression of utter contentment. There is no way that a person who displays a smile like that could be anything other than the real deal.
It is not the sort of smile you could ever fake, and anyway Tiger is no faker, he is who he is and happy about it.
He walks with an unhurried amble and there is always the trace of a smile in the corner of his eyes. His speech, like his gait, is slow and deliberate and carries a rich Dorset drawl.
He prefers to work as casual labour so that there are no ties if a band he wants to see are touring. That eagerness to see bands combined with his physical appearance may explain his bachelor status, however, I like to think it is because he is just very happy as he is.
Regardless of his appearance, Tiger is one of those uncomplicated, peaceful, contented people that you occasionally meet in life and who I can say it is a pleasure to know.
We have a similar but comfortable conversation each time we bump into each other, normally about what bands he has been of to see lately, where I have been to on the ship, and if either of us has seen Colin or Anne, who were the landlord and landlady, or any of the other regulars, of the best pub in west Dorset. The Eight Bells in Beaminster.
I will always associate Tiger with a great smile and a great place.
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