Chapter 5. Business as Usual

  Over the next ten days the weather and water got worse and worse, until finally getting to the point of only travelling for five or six hours a day. It was difficult to do anything below decks, cooking, baking, chores were done but carefully. “This is as bad as I’ve ever seen it.”: Minnie said, looking out the wheelhouse windows. Will had to agree, the waves had to be seen to be believed. When the crew told this story, about the boat dropping forty feet to the bottom of the massive waves, then climbing back up. Of so many layers of salt spray built up on and around the bow that it took all five of them to hammer it off. The temperatures dropping to the point that the whole world was frozen rock hard. People would have a hard time believing without seeing. This was where Minnie sketches of the scenes outside the wheelhouse windows would be invaluable for showing what life on the waves could be like. “You know something pop,”, Minnie said, reading over his notes, “That would be a great title for this years book, ‘The World Outside the Wheelhouse Windows’. It’s pretty catchy.”. That it was.

  The two of them were conning the boat towards the second safe harbour and at least two days rest and recuperation. Over the last few days they’d managed to find safe mooring overnight in different places along the coast.

  Will recalled the last and most interesting, so far anyway.

  Two nights spent in the safe and calm lee side of some truly gigantic glacial rocks. No, Will thought, gigantic is not enough of a word to describe the size of the rocks. Monolithic maybe, immense or giant just weren’t right either. Again, they had to be seen to to be believed. After a day of being tossed, twisted and turned, dropping anchor in the calm waters beside the rocks was a relief. They hit bottom after ten seconds or so, not overly deep here. Will waved to Minnie and she tried moving the ship slowly, just to check the bite, but the flukes were in and tight. Crossing his arms over head to signal engine off he felt the vibrations stop. For the first time in twelve hours the ship was at rest. Clumping over the frozen deck and climbing up he quickly entered the bridge. Then pulling open the voice tube and whistling below until Percy answered. “If you’re all not too busy you might want to get dressed and come on deck, you have to see this. Just jackets should be fine, won’t be up here for long.”. Minnie was eyeing him, “What’s up?”. He laughed, “Let’s go meet them.”. It took a few minutes to close up the wheelhouse, and get fully dressed. Then, each carrying a lantern in the fading light, made their way to the stairs. By pure luck the other three were coming up. “Hey father, something interesting?”, Percy asked. Will nodded, “Yeah, come on over to the port side, but watch your step. I did put sand down on the ice, should be okay.”. With three lanterns held high the crew walked carefully to the port side, and looked over. Minnie saw the rock wall just a few yards away, “Hmm, rocks…”. Will pointed up, “Take a look.”. The others looked up, and up and up. “How high is that you think?”, Ron asked in a small voice. “I think about six hundred feet thereabouts.”, Will answered. The dark grey rock was as smooth as paper and loomed, as Will said, six hundred feet over them. Their boat felt like a toy. “It’s too bad it’s dark, that will be amazing in daylight.”, Minnie said, “We gotta stay for a while yeah?”. Will nodded, “A couple of days I think.”. Uma was covering her cheeks with her gloved hands, it was too cold to stay outside any longer. The wind picked up and a light snow started falling, after a couple more minutes they all went below.

  Going down into the warm lower deck was a relief. “Gotta be nearly twenty below up there, and with the windchill….”, Will said as they removed the heavy winter jackets and boots. “It’ll be nice not being shaken around for a while.”, Uma said to Minnie as they went to the mess hall. “Tell me about it.”, she replied sitting in her chair with a groan. Will sat beside her, with an equally heartfelt groan. The chairs in the wheelhouse were very comfortable, and they weren’t cramped for space. Between the radiators and a wood stove it was warm and if you needed fresh air, well there was a world of that, just open the door for a moment. But with all the comforts it was still not the same as the mess hall, this was the heart of the ship. Where all the decisions were made, small and big, where the family dined together, and played together Talked of their day, what they’d accomplished and so on. Right now Uma was telling Minnie that she helped uncle Percy sort the seeds that were part of the supplies from Gerry’s farm. “I’ve never heard of some of these veggies, okra or turnip. Then something called eggplant and oh these other things called pindars. They sound kind of yucky don’t they auntie?”. She went on, “Uncle Percy said we’re gonna plant them as soon as spring comes, some place called captains quarters in Newton.”. Minnie nodding absently as Uma prattled away.

  Ron was hard at work in the galley, Uma giving him as much of a hand as she could. With such rough weather it was difficult to do much more than a cheese sandwich for lunch or dinner. Baking bread was a evening thing now and dough was rising on the hobs. At least four good sized loaves and a couple of dozen cheese buns. Supper was fried ham and mashed taters and canned green beans, quick and easy. The longest part was waiting on the mashers, not helped when the lid was lifted every minute and poked with a fork, just to see. “If you do that one more time Percy I’ll…I’m not sure what but it will be horrible.”, Ron yelled from the galley. “I’m just so hungry brother, and your mashed taters are the best, so tasty, not like father’s meagre burnt offerings, or Naomi’s tasteless goo.”. Minnie was sitting with Will, just waiting patiently, “That guy sure knows how to lay it on, doesn’t he?”. Percy came out of the galley, with a plate of bread and butter, slices of sausage and some cheese. He say beside Minnie and slid the loaded plate over so it was in front of all of them, “I sure do.”, he said with a smile.

  A little while later dinner was on the table, Uma proudly chirping on about the green beans and how much she liked them. “I opened the jars and emptied them into the pot, then stirred them, all by myself. Don’t they taste wonderful auntie?”. Minnie was not a fan of green beans, and canned beans were even worse than fresh, but because of how happy her young friend was she had a big helping on her plate. “Oh yeah, they’re lovely.”, she sighed, taking a big mouthful, then two more, just to get rid of the things. Watching Will had to laugh. It made him think of his daughter, and how much she despised green beans. Didn’t matter how they were prepared, whole, cut short, French cut, or in a casserole, she hated them. So when the family had them, which honestly wasn’t all that often, she took forever to eat them. Dilly dallying until dishes were done, eating the beans quarter of an inch at a time. It was so bad they just stopped having them all together. Wasn’t worth the headaches, the hassle, no matter what you called it. Then the battle of liver, beef liver dredged in flour and fried in tons of butter. She hated that too. Seeing what Minnie did with a dish she didn’t care much for impressed him. Just eat it, three big bites and they were gone. Leaving the oh so tasty ham and the creamy mashed to be enjoyed. It was something he did and she had picked it up. Minnie looked over at him, “Something funny pop?”. When he explained she just nodded, “Makes sense though, right? And remember rule 2.”. , “What’s that, rule 2?”, Uma asked, “I know rule 1, always stay together, but what’s that one?”. As one the other four said, “Don’t irritate the cook.”, and burst into laughter.

  Afters was an apple cobbler that he and Uma had whipped up, heavy on the cinnamon and nutmeg and an extra something…, “Hey, there’s raisins in here.”, Will exclaimed after taking a bite. “You like it though?”, Ronnie asked. “Yeah we do.”, Minnie answered for both of them, holding her bowl out for a second helping. Will as well, his had disappeared somehow. “Mom used to do stuff like this, sometimes blackberries or raspberries and raisins.”, he recalled, attacking his seconds. Ron looked at the large, now empty pan of cobbler and smiled, he had been worried it wouldn’t be touched. Percy patted his shoulder, “Excellent dessert brother, everything was very nice.”. Will started gathering the dirty dishes, for the task he still did now and then. Not every day, and not at all when there was a gathering crew aboard. The kitchen volunteers did a good job and he didn’t want to take it away from them. But with just family it was no problem and a good time to chat.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The first time he had done the dishes Uma was shocked. Her society was a bit rigid when it came to roles, not terribly so but some lines were not meant to be crossed. If her father and brothers were out all day hunting or gathering firewood, there was no way they would be expected to cook, clean up after, or help with any household chores. Just as her mother wouldn’t be skinning or plucking game, or bringing water or kindling into the house.

  When Will gathered up the dirty plates and utensils her eyes went huge, she was looking around to see if anyone would say something. Minnie realized what was running through her head, “It’s okay sweetie, pop likes to do stuff like this.”. “But…but he’s the captain.”, she finally got the words out, “He shouldn’t have to do this.”. Will overheard, he was just finished washing up. The dishes were in a rack drying, he came over and sat beside them..”There’s a simple reason I do what I can.”, he said with a smile, “This is my home and I live here.”. This took place a couple of days after she came aboard and gave her lots to think about. Now she was well used to everyone doing everything, not just what their roles said they should, it was nice.

  As the evening was progressing. Card games or writing lessons, practicing with instruments, a couple of chores needed to be attended to. A bit of maintenance. Some of the tie downs were a bit loose on some gear in the middle hold. The new carts had started to shift a bit with the constant wave motion and needed to be resettled. Only took a few minutes but when it was discovered everything had to be checked. This led to Will giving Minnie a task to work on, ratchet straps. The idea wasn’t unknown as their windlasses and all the cranes in fact had a simple ratchet system. To prevent the load falling if you let go of the crank. Sketching out what he was trying to explain took a few minutes, the whole crew looking on, fascinated by the concept. “Oh I get it now.”, Minnie picked it up fast, “You sure could get the line tight and it wouldn’t be hard as those knots are to untie.”. That was a very good point, sometimes the knots would be impossible to pull apart and needed cutting. Waste of rope. “Does it have to be a strap or could it be regular rope?”, Minnie asked next. “I’ve only ever seen flat strapping used with ratchets, but I don’t see why not.”, Will replied. He continued drawing another idea, a web of rope with hooks along the sides. “We could use something like this to hold a pallet of smaller stuff in place.”, he explained, “A real pain if they get tangled, and they always do. But very useful, dunno why I never thought of it before.”. It was nice to have a project and this was something everyone could work on.

  Now approaching a protected cove, the crew felt the same relief. Two days here recovering from some of the hardest sailing yet. A much needed break, to refill and empty tanks, have cooked meals and just relax. Minnie and Will felt the constant waves settling and then finally ending as the Rose chuffed into the tiny bay. “Dad, I’m going to go for nap after we get settled, okay?”, Minnie looked tired and worn out. They’d been at the helm for eighteen hours, this leg of the trip was always difficult. Even after coming and going this way a few times they still hadn’t found a good place to rest for the night. So steaming along was the only option. “Oh yeah, me too sweetheart, I feel beat.”, Will replied. He was pulling on his outer gear, preparing to go outside and drop anchor. On shore a large stone cairn showed them they were in the right place, raised last trip when the building crew was aboard. Finally dressed warmly Will opened the wheelhouse door, a blast of cold air came in making Minnie squeak. Even draped in a blanket she was still cold, this made it worse. Quickly closing the door Will headed to the covered windlasses and waved to Minnie. She stopped the engine. He kicked the rime covered canvas to get the ice build off and pulled the pin to release the port anchor. Splash! Down it went, but not for long. Not overly deep this close to shore. The ice and snow covered beach was only thirty yards away and was not very welcoming. Will remembered building that cairn, it seemed so long ago but was really only a few months. On the way up to Iceland, on the pier building voyage. Then there was no snow, no ice. A warm sun beat down as rocks were hauled over to be added to the base of the cairn. The distance was deceiving, the pile looked small from here but was over twenty feet high. On one side the names of the crew were chiselled deep into the rocks, a lasting monument.

  Anchors set, covers back on the winches, Will waved to Minnie who had been dressing in her warm outer gear, not just a jacket but the full rigging. Coveralls and the thick boots, mask and hood, thick gloves and a snappy yellow scarf that waved in the wind like a flag. Even the couple of dozen feet from wheelhouse to stairs would be too much without dressing like this.  “Did you check the wood stove was out?”, Will shouted over the wind, she nodded, “And the radiators are on medium?”. Another nod. “Got all your stuff? It’s going to get worse tonight.”, was his last question. She started to nod, then turned and picked up her satchel from the map table, then shut the door tight and put a sturdy plank in the bars on the outside. These were added a while back when the latch on the door froze and swung wide open. Will found it when he did his last round in the late evening. A goodly amount of snow built up inside, on the engine controls, wheel…everywhere. And the glass in the door was shattered to slivers. So now, when the ship was at rest for the night the door was sealed this way, just to be sure.

  They walked the rails, checking the deck with a practiced eye. Making sure everything was as it should be, nothing damaged or out of place. Will tapped Minnie’s shoulder and gave a thumbs up, the headed for the stairwell. Opening the door they clumped in, quickly closing up behind them and putting the bolster at the bottom of the door, to keep drafts out. Then going down the last steps to the second doors. Opening these up was a relief indeed, warmth surrounded them. A bench had been put close by and Will sat gratefully and started removing the heavy gear. Boots tucked under, the rest hung up but not put away. Wills was hung up by the doors, he’d be going back topside in a few hours for his final check. As she took everything off and wore shorts and a sleeveless shirt Minnie yawned and scratched her back. “What time is it anyway pop?”. Pulling out his pocket watch he was surprised, “It’s six thirty, way later than I thought.”. She sighed, “Too late for a nap, I’ll just go to bed early.”. Will agreed and they headed to the mess. It was quiet but that was normal when there wasn’t a gather crew aboard. The other three crew were sitting at the only table left up, plenty big for the five of them. Playing a game of cribbage and nearly done by the look of the board.

  “Hey father, oh my you guys look cold.”, Percy greeted them. Minnie was threatening Uma with her cold hands, placing them on the little ones warm cheeks and ears. Ron quickly went to the galley and returned with a hot cuppa for Will and Minnie, hers was heated apple juice though. Will took a good drink, ignored the slight burning, “Ah, that hits the spot, and yeah it’s really dropping tonight.”. Percy played his card and pegged two points for the win. “Yes! You guys were great tonight, that was a fun game.”, he cheered. Ron cleaned the cards and board up, Uma tucked them away in one of the drawers of the game cupboard. “You guys hungry I hope, dinners just about ready.” Ron said, placing a couple of trivets on the table, then hastened to the galley. Percy and Uma finished setting the table, Ron brought in a steaming roaster from the galley. One of the big ones, he removed the lid with a flourish. “Oooh, egg cakes, I love egg cakes, these look great Ronnie.”, Minnie said happily. “They sure do, and I’m starved. You can be mother Ronnie.”, Will added. So it hadn’t happened lately, but it did now. Everyone’s eyes slid over as he said that. “I’ve never said that before?”, Will asked. “Nope, uh uh, not that I can remember father.”. It took just a moment to explain that, in the past, it was usually mom or mother that served out dinner. And that saying ‘you can be mother’ just meant you can serve dinner, rather than let everyone just start grabbing. Ron laughed, “I like it, but no one calls me mother, especially you Percival.”. He took the big metal spoon and started filling plates and handing them around the table. When everyone had a serving of the oh so yummy looking dinner on their plates, Will looked at everyone and nodded…all together they sang out “Thanks mommy!”. Ron rolled his eyes, “I was waiting for it.”.