Best first mate
- Thread starter Bill Roosa
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Beat this
My first mate painted the bottom of the boat this spring.
But I'm sure oatmeal cookies are nice, too.
My first mate painted the bottom of the boat this spring.
But I'm sure oatmeal cookies are nice, too.
I vote for yours!
My Wife booted me off the computer Sunday morning to work on replacing some 6 x 6's in a retaining wall. It was 90 degrees out. She went grocery shopping. Upon her return she proclaimed it "too hot to work outside" and vanished into the cool downstairs lounge to work on the computer all day. After seven hours I finished the job. To the moon Alice!
first mate 2.0
cooks oatmeal cookies, paints bottoms, cleans bilges, can navigate day or night without help, can trim sail correctly and by herself, likes it when the boat heels over, understands energy conservation and battery voltage monitoring, enjoys being chased around the cabin, is great with the boys, fixes anchor lights, can dock the boat with minimal help, makes a dandy egg sandwich, travels light and can generally turn a sow's ear into a silk purse.
as opposed to first mate 1.0 who thinks that winches need to be unwound and wound the other way to help me get down from the top of the mast, can't tell which way the wind is blowing, can't hold a course better than 75 degrees (no kidding +-75 degrees!!!), can't trim sail at all because after 5 years of sailing still did not know the difference between traveler and main sheet, likes to get photographed at the helm then go below and sleep, is a tremendous help when docking by standing in the cockpit and providing specific instructions like "you are going to hit the dock AGAIN", takes 4 buggies to load out the boat plus the 1 for the 3 boys and I which has most of the food, and almost put me off sailing before I met first mate 2.0.
Praise the Lord, life is good.
cooks oatmeal cookies, paints bottoms, cleans bilges, can navigate day or night without help, can trim sail correctly and by herself, likes it when the boat heels over, understands energy conservation and battery voltage monitoring, enjoys being chased around the cabin, is great with the boys, fixes anchor lights, can dock the boat with minimal help, makes a dandy egg sandwich, travels light and can generally turn a sow's ear into a silk purse.
as opposed to first mate 1.0 who thinks that winches need to be unwound and wound the other way to help me get down from the top of the mast, can't tell which way the wind is blowing, can't hold a course better than 75 degrees (no kidding +-75 degrees!!!), can't trim sail at all because after 5 years of sailing still did not know the difference between traveler and main sheet, likes to get photographed at the helm then go below and sleep, is a tremendous help when docking by standing in the cockpit and providing specific instructions like "you are going to hit the dock AGAIN", takes 4 buggies to load out the boat plus the 1 for the 3 boys and I which has most of the food, and almost put me off sailing before I met first mate 2.0.
Praise the Lord, life is good.
I have a wonderful wife but unfortunately not a very good First Mate. She likes to go out and be on the boat and motor around the ICW but She absolutely panics when the sails go up. Once I took her out and we left out of Carolina Beach inlet and ran up the coast down wind with following seas. We sailed out a Little past Wrightsville beach and she was having a good time until.... came time to come about and beat to windward. The poor woman came completely unglued. I mean there was sheer terror in her eyes. I headed to the Masonboro Sea buoy as fast as I could. I tried to calm her down and assure her that the boat was sailing great and doing exactly what it was supposed to do but it didn't help. Once inside the inlet she was fine again but I doubt she will ever go anywhere but the ICW again. I wish she could love it like I do but unfortunately it doesn't appear that she ever will. But what the heck I love her just can't sail with her.
On land my first mate is good looking and really funny. On the boat she is good looking and really funny. I'm not sure about other boat related talents. After two years of messing around on the water, I have found her to be talented and reliable at two things; being good looking and really funny. But I would still choose her over any other.
I really shouldn't answer this myself but I can't help it. I have been sailing and racing with husband for almost 20 years. We now own a 40 ft Hunter. On board I cook fabulous meals from scratch (marinated lamb chops on the grill, fresh gree beans, fresh baked bread and apple cake for dessert). There is always a fresh pot of french press coffee when he rolls out of bed. I helm and I do foredeck. I do fiberglass repairs, whip lines, sew curtains, read a chart, plot a course, stand watch at night while making sure the rest of the crew has a thermos of hot coffee and one of hot soup for there watch. I can turn a wrench and can replace a fuel filter faster than the Captain. I know our diesel almost as well as he does. I can winterize the heads and the the water systems by myself. If the Captain wants to go sailing in a 25kt gale I am good to go.
Oh, and yes-I can make oatmeal cookies but my molasses cookies will bring a tear to your eye...
Oh, and yes-I can make oatmeal cookies but my molasses cookies will bring a tear to your eye...
i have no spouse but an excellent first mate. he is a silent alarm for unwanted guests, and he is great at catching anything that happens to come into the boat whether invited or not...he doesnt insist on having his own way except at what he considers his food time--then he gets impatient a bit. he enjoys being with me even when i am growly. he doesnt cook or clean.....oh well...but he is snuggly when i want him to be. he doesnt steer very well but is good at keeping me warm on a cold nite. he wears his tether while we are under way and doesnt complain about it. he doesnt insist on me taking him out to dinner when i am broke. he doesnt demand sex...goood thing---would be out of the question!!! heis purrrty much puuuurfect...he also doesnt pee outside the box!!! but he does take his half out of the middle, of course--is his job!!!!
he does share my fishing catch----and is a bit hard on burdeeeez that land in boat for resting purposes.....
he does share my fishing catch----and is a bit hard on burdeeeez that land in boat for resting purposes.....
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What is doing foredeck?
Not that the rest of the description doesn't indicate that I'd be the deck hand if you were aboard my boat LOL.
Might help
I wish she could love it like I do but unfortunately it doesn't appear that she ever will.
My wife really benefitted from taking sailing lessons from a lady instructor with an all women crew of instructees. By the time she had completed basic cruising she was very comfortable sailing.
I wish she could love it like I do but unfortunately it doesn't appear that she ever will.
My wife really benefitted from taking sailing lessons from a lady instructor with an all women crew of instructees. By the time she had completed basic cruising she was very comfortable sailing.
Thanks Johnb I'll try that. She was born and raised in the mountains being told all her life "don't go near the water you'll drown" While i was borne and raised on the coast being told "go get in the water" and everything we did centered around water. She can swim but is still uncomfortable around water. She even has her scuba certification but has only dived a couple of times when conditions were perfect. I think she just did it to please me so I don't push her any more.
Since Princess is speaking for herself... I'll vouch for her sailing skills. My First Mate and I raced against her a couple of years ago. The wind piped up big time and we had a great time trading tacks on the leg home (narrow channel, beating into the wind the whole way. It was great! and...ahem...we passed her, but she looked great!) Maybe this summer we'll share an anchorage and I'll invite myself over for apple cake or molasses cookies. Perhaps I should remove the part of passing her.
The photo is my First Mate showing off her catch of the day. I do most of the cooking on board, but she brings home the bacon!
BTW, the fish in my avatar photo...is hers too.
The photo is my First Mate showing off her catch of the day. I do most of the cooking on board, but she brings home the bacon!
BTW, the fish in my avatar photo...is hers too.
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Thanks Danny! You beat us fair and square that day but the tacking battle was fun. Maybe we'll have another chance this summer. By all means, come find us at anchor some night-I always have something good on board. Do you think your First Mate could teach me how to fish? I'd love it!
POTL
FWIW... I grew up in a family that never, ever skied or sailed. We lived near the ocean, but never had a boat. My dad couldn't swim a stroke. While I was encouraged to do all things scholastic, artistic, and musical, other recreational pursuits were not encouraged. We camped a lot, but only because it was a way to get cheap accommodations when traveling. When we first sailed our Pearson 26, I would be squeaky on a beat. But over time, and with much patience on the part of my hubby, I got to loving the heel.
I second the idea of her getting sailing instruction from a trained and neutral third party. In fact, I've just signed up for a ladies sailing instruction series at our YC. We're gonna sail 420s and I can't wait! I've never sailed a dinghy and I bet it will be an eye-opener.
One odd thing about learning on a dinghy is that it made me even more conscious of heeling when I moved to a keel boat. I'd been learning to sail at the local club and a friend asked me to crew on his S2- he dipped the rail in the water and I felt myself instinctively creeping out onto the windward side combing. It was a little embarrassing.
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