'Which is why,' said Captain Bill, 'even on a flat calm sea, with the wind below 3 knots and everyone on lookout duty, you should never let Annie have a go at steering!'
At this point the calves all jotted things down in little notebooks.
'And did it take long for you to get the 'Pickled 'eifer' back out of the library?' asked Camille.
'Oh, a month or two,' replied Captain Bill, 'only a few scratches really!........and a new mast........and a new hull...and decking.'
And more notes were made.
'I don't want to bother you too much,' said Camille, 'but ma little student, Jean Claude, he would like to confirm please, when a boat is in fog, should you give, at not more than one minute intervals, audible blasts, once when on a starboliarboliboard tack or twice and only once when on a port tack?'
Captain Bill looked back at Camille and then at Jean Claude and then back at Camille.
'I think it depends on what sort of hat you're wearing!?' he said after a while and everybody seemed happy with his reply.
'Well once again,' continued Camille, 'I 'ave to say 'ow lucky we are to be in the 'ooves of such a great Capitaine!'
And everyone agreed.
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