The Full Monty

Both fish were safely let back into the sea after this epic photo

Te Kaihōpara and I woke up early, as Jo and David wanted to catch some of the famous Blue Cod all around us. We took the tender from the southern arm of Port Hardy, to a group of rocks just off the Nelson Monument (a naturally formed rock) which when seen from the right angle, at the right time of the day and with the right set of eyes, looks just like Lord Nelson’s profile. As always, the catch was plenty and we feasted on ‘oh-so-fresh’ Blue Cod that afternoon.

The happy faces of the crew from the other boats right before I doused them with water from our fire hose

Both crews from Silver Fern and Salt Lines decided to participate in an easter egg hunt and a kayak and stand-up paddle board relay trace around the three yachts. Te Kaihōpara and I weren’t really interested in hunting for eggs in the wilderness, but we did want to add a little extra flavour to the relay race. So as the participants crossed our bow, I drenched them with our fire hose. I didn’t attack the paddle board contestants as they already seemed to be having a tough time standing up straight. Jess, Salt Lines’s Chief Mate, in a valiant but fool-hardy attempt to protect her yacht’s contestant, Amelia, came and stopped her tender right under Te Kaihōpara’s fire hose. Obviously I could not help but drench her to the bone. I’d felt bad for missing India’s festival of colours, Holi, which was celebrated last week. Now, I was quite pleased with myself and so was Te Kaihōpara.

No image can do justice to what the human eye can witness

An attempt to get some burger patties going on the barbecue (I refuse to call it a barbie) was abandoned as the freezing winds got the crew retreating to the warmth of the saloon. (Pro tip: The engine room is always the cosiest place onboard). We huddled around my laptop after I was shocked to hear that some of the crew didn’t know what the British term ‘The Full Monty’ meant. So, Te Kaihōpara had a classic 90’s movie night. Many laughs and chocolate pieces later, we decided to go to the second cosiest place onboard, i.e, our respective bunks!

- Arjun Thimmaya, Chief Mate, Te Kaihōpara