the name game

the kids don't want to call me sir when sailing, nor do they feel comfortable calling me by my christian name, so ris is the compromise! (sir spelt backwards).
we sailed through the night in force 6 winds with the boat corkscrewing in the mad waves. all but 2 of the kids threw up but the watches of 3 hours on, 3 hours off continued through the night.
personally i was sick 5 times on my first watch, then 3 more on my second. was at the helm for 5 and a half hours, as the kids were too sick to take over. and i had had no sleep.
I had decided by morning that it was to be my last sea voyage - and although i felt guilty at the decision, i felt that 8 years of organising sailing trips had taken its toll.