CREW STORY · 17 June 2018 · BY Dmitry Badiarov
The Day He Became Captain Strawberry
There are things in life that begin long before one can express thoughts, or maybe even know the difference between the self and non-self.
| DatesFrom / To | VesselClass, size, tonnage | VoyagePorts visited, capacity in which sailing | Days on board | Distance logged | Night hours | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jun 2018 – 17 Jun 2018 | Hanse 400 | Andijk - Enkhuizen - Hoorn - Andijk; skipper | 3 | 47.9 NM | — | Force 5 (17–21 kt) |
From the member's personal logbook.
How could I possibly authentically describe this beginning if—like in most of my logbook entries—I am not even the content creator, merely an observer? And in the beginning, I was observing what seemed like pure consciousness, completely at home in everything around it. It is June 15, 2018, a partly cloudy, windy day when we board a sleek, fast Hanse 400 with navy-blue topsides and a teak deck. She was known to be a fast boat. My son is just ten months old. Growing up in the Netherlands, he is already familiar with water, which is everywhere, and even with activities such as kayaking. But this is his first time under sail. A laughing, chirping, happy creature, a ball of energy that captivates everyone's attention with his genuine astonishment at anything and everything around him. Ropes, the teak floor of the cockpit, shiny winches, gulls, coots and grebes... It is as though he is saying, "Look at this rope! How amazing is it!" Not in the language of adults, of course, yet with absolute clarity. He has to share the joy. And then, amidst this constant delight and astonishment, a bowl of strawberries appears in the cockpit for the crew to share. He simply stops.
“Papa, don't call me baby! It is either Reno, or Captain Strawberry.”
Giant. Red. Full of flavour. Each berry is the size of his fist. Holding one carefully in his tiny hand, he studies it from every side, admiring it from every angle before finally plunging his first four teeth into its juicy flesh. The crew stand around in silence, simply watching this little miracle, until my friend Marcin finally breaks it. "Captain Strawberry." We all burst into laughter. And that is how his nickname is born on the 15th of June 2018, two months before his first birthday celebrated under sail. Two or three years later he would correct me himself. "Papa, don't call me baby! It is either Reno, or Captain Strawberry." Accompanied by the sounds of his giggles, waves sloshing against the hull, and gulls screeching overhead, we enter the historic harbour of Enkhuizen before continuing on to Hoorn. Little did I know how many stories we would share together in the years to come—just father and son under sail.