Like the banter in the old movie “Annie Get Your Gun” – between Annie and Frank – ‘Anything you can do, I can do better’, has always been my attitude. A tomboy growing up, I was described by an old friend recently “as the best wing-man” when I was younger, as I’d “do all sorts of crazy stuff and give anything a go.” One example of my can-do attitude… Not long after we met, Dwayne asked me, ‘can you ride a motor bike’. My answer was an unequivocal “yes” then I mentioned that I had never ridden a motorbike before. I just assumed I could. Well, I couldn’t and certainly not better than Dwayne.
But I’ll give anything a go, or at least I used to. These days my anything you can do, I can better attitude has mellowed somewhat. I have tucked away the little feminist in me, and I now live easier with my lot in life…. the ‘womanly’ jobs of cooking, cleaning and nursing are now primarily a pleasure. That is not to say that that is all I do, I’m not so resigned to ‘my lot’ as to let you all think that that is all I do. No!… I still do most of the painting and varnishing, and I have no problem getting my hands dirty, I scrub the bottom of the boat, hell, I sand the boat! I can use power tools, install a power point, and take my turn navigating, helming and winching!
BUT… when it comes to keeping our floating home running and in tip-top shape, ultimately it is Dwayne that gets the work done. He is a Jack of all trades, which is a fundamental attribute when you live on a boat. Dwayne is the tradesman, and I am the tradesman’s assistant… I can handle that.
A fan breaks down…. he fixes it.
The gooseneck on the boom breaks… he fixes it.
Clean the sludge out of the diesel tanks…. yep, you got it … Dwayne does it!
Engine room floods – Dwayne finds the broken hose and fixes it… me? I was pumping the manual bilge pump… but only because he told me to… otherwise I would have grabbed my belongings and jumped ship!
Dinghy painter wedged tight in the prop/shaft – crocodile-infested water – Dwayne spent 20 minutes in the water, diving under the boat, getting it out!
Murky, crocodile-infested waters. This is one time I have seen Dwayne physically and mentally uncomfortable. I was standing ‘croc guard’ and eventually had to tell him to take a breather and catch his breath! Not a nice scenario but one in which he excelled as per usual.
The current broken bit of boat? The exhaust manifold on our generator has snapped off about three inches from the engine… causing major concerns about keeping the ‘cocktail ice’ frozen!
So in the few hours, since Dwayne woke this morning, he has found the problem, removed the offending broken bit, and found someone to weld it. We have had to move into the marina to keep our freezer working, so our cocktail ice is frozen. Moving into the marina included re-wiring the extension lead with a new plug compatible with the Thailand electrical points. Just another job for Dwayne.
So I suppose what I’m trying to say is… I couldn’t do this sailing gig without him. Yep, I need a man, and I have a brilliant one in Dwayne!
I thought I had finished this story, but before I could post it, Dwayne, who has been tucked away in the engine room all day, working on getting the generator back in good working order, asked me to turn the main engine on…. yep me! I have had to get up and empty things, turn things on, get things and clean things… I’ve even had to get the old pirate a rum and coke! And again, I am reminded of just how clever my man is. He keeps us moving along… not me, I just keep us fed! He is the one that keeps the important stuff running and I love him to bits!
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