Paranoid Jack Russle on Speed

After my nap, the fog rolled in in earnest... I took over steering again, and the Captain, having not slept for goodness knows how many hours... well in any case here's the conversation we had... I kid you not ;o) I'm not going to lie, I have a bit of a 'lack of emergency response' that is until after the emergency is over. I don't get excited when something crazy is happening until I've had time to think about it all, so that's not to say I don't react... I just don't overreact as quickly...

Captain: "I should turn on the radar!"

Me: "... okay Dad ..."

Captain: "There's a vessel just up ahead, off the port side! It's less than three nautical miles away!"

Me: :,,,, uhh I guess I can't see that far then..."

The Captain very much *irritated* comes up on deck... and then rushes up to the bow and leans out, like that extra 30 feet *and a half* will allow him to see the ship through the pea soup. All I could think was, *sigh* Are you kidding me? and I really, really hope he doesn't fall off... cause then I'll have to put the boat into the wind, haul him back on board... and it'll take us forever to get going again... and then he'll be tired, wet, cold *and* cranky... I know that's horrible of me, but I was thinking these things, because I'm sensitive like that ;o) After a few minutes he stomped back down below and continues mucking with the radar, having confirmed that I really could not see this vessel that was bearing down on us.

Captain: "OMG there are a whole bunch of ships just off the port bow less than a nautical mile away!"

Me: "... uh huh... did you remove the wave clutter from the radar? Hmmm or maybe it's rain... the manual said it would pick up weather..."

Captain: *irritated* I know that!

I kept steering and scanning for the 'flotilla' that was about to overrun us. Moderately unconcerned because we were fully under sail... so like a little kid, everyone else (short of tankers) is supposed to go around us.

Captain: *sheepishly* I heard a little voice from the cabin "I think it was picking up ducks..."

I had just come to the same conclusion as we were passing a flotilla size group of Murlettes, *nodded* and saved my smile for later ;o)