blew up while it was being wound up. That’s why
it f loated to the surface.”
“Poor fish”’ I said, stroking it.
“Yummy fish.”
It pays to keep a good lookout at all times.
Once underway again, feeling smug and back
on course for Woody Head, I gutted and filleted
our fish and put it in the fridge. It smelt fresh
and its eyes were clear, so I decided I would
make raw fish salad later, once we had buried
our anchor firmly in the bottom of Crab Bay.Time slipped gently by. Capt. Hunk re-
assumed his dolphin-sleeping pose, scanning
ahead with one eye while I steered us through
the safe water to the west of the cardinal mark
on Jagged Reef.
It was a west cardinal mark with two black
triangles touching like a wine glass or woman’s
hourglass waist; not mine though, alas.
We owned our own boat now; all the same,
at times like this on a leisurely day-hop, my
thoughts often strayed to Malc and his Emily.
Malc had told me that lights and f lags and
shapes hoisted up a vessel’s mast meant
something, but do not ask him what. They are
not put up purely for decorative purposes, like
courtesy f lags and five knots signs.Up ahead I spied a port lateral mark and
immediately thought ‘there is a little red port left
in the bottle’. I concur, being only a social wine
drinker myself. Happy hour on Sea Guide is a
short period of relaxation: usually between early
morning and late evening.
Port marks are red, shaped like a can and f lash
red at night. Starboard marks are green, shaped
like a cone (make mine vanilla) and f lash green.
Going into a port, you pass port marks on your
left side and keep to the right hand starboard
side of the channel. Umm, unless of course you
are in some United States jurisdictions.
I would never dream of saying anything
judgemental about another culture, but what
is it with the USA’s stubbornly entrenched ‘red
right returning’ rule? The exact opposite of
that practised in Europe, Africa, Australia, New
Zealand, the western Pacific and most of Asia,
excluding Philippines, Japan and South Korea.
Plus, what is it with their need to remake
Australasian TV programs with American
actors? Because American audiences, apparently,
cannot cope with funny accents and ... oh, while
they are at it, they also add more guns and
litigation and take out all the expletives, sex and
dope; which leaves, well not much really.
Excuse me for raving. The point I am trying
to make is that the rules of the road, which is
in case you had forgotten the topic of this story,
are designed to prevent collision at sea. There
is plenty of distraction while keeping watch
without having to fret about which buoyage
system you are using.“EXPECT THEM TO TURN TO THE
RIGHT AND GIVE THEM A SHORT
BLAST OF FIVE EXPLETIVES.”
68
Cruising Helmsman July 2018HIGH SEAS
LEFT TO RIGHT: Starboard
marks flash green, unlike the
green flash, an illusion seen
if the atmospheric conditions
are right, the horizon is clear
and you don’t blink’.
Ahoy!
It’s poisson cru in French
Polynesia, ika mata in the
Cook Islands and ceviche in
the Americas.