Some Housekeeping Announcements

30 March 2014

Update by Maarten:
“I had hardly pressed ‘send’ on my previous contribution about the books or I found a thick tome waiting for me on the bridge: indeed a bible and not just any bible but an old Dutch ‘States General’ bible. The real thing. Not to be found in the book cases, true, but better still, apparently residing under the pillow case of our captain Arian. So that is one book off my list. As a substitute entry I would like to nominate the eighteen part series of the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O’Brian. Sadly the only part on board is Desolation Island, in which a Dutch man-of-war is sunk by Aubrey in a gruesome manner with the loss of all hands. Not happy reading.
In the dark watches retiring and watches coming on pass each other as ships in the night. In passing, Alexander mentions to me that he has spotted Polaris and wishes me good luck. Indeed, some time later I spot our great guide through the clouds. Finally, because we are after all already at 10 degrees North.
Indeed this early morning we passed 10 degrees North at 24 degrees West and thus the latitude equals longtitude challenge is hereby closed.
Today is Saturday which means happy hour which means ship cleaning. Also we will probably once again be issued with clean sheets so we will have to say goodbye to our greasy comforters just as they have been nicely slept in.
News Flash! (no, not a green flash): we have eaten the last of the potatoes. From now on therefore it will be pasta or rice as our staple diet, although our cook Job surprised us yesterday with a spicy couscous and Swedish meatballs (from IKEA?). This is a serious development and illustrates how long we have been at sea. The fried-up leftovers at lunch yesterday created a veritable run. It reminded me of an initial offering of a popular stock. Some of us are quietly hopeful that this will mean that we will see more of Job’s delicious ‘rijsttafels’, but for many saying goodbye to potatoes is more traumatic than taking leave of your mother. Also, we haven’t seen an egg in weeks and scurvy has suddenly become a subject of conversation. Sometimes you see someone subconsciously feeling his teeth to see whether they are about to fall out.
In the meantime we are now just as far from the Azores as Ascension Island is from Tristan da Cunha, so for those of us with empty agendas the prospect is at least another two weeks of glorious sailing.”