Chris Bremble was this year’s guest-underdog. Last season a technical violation – anchor mutiny – earned him the 2nd lowest rating of all time, a “three”. First place going to Pomme with a “one” for nearly sinking my boat. See Rocks & Women and “The Bremble Mutiny”

Bremble came into the season with strong math. He indicated that the odds where more favorable for him to aim for a negative rating than to foolishly aspire towards a meaningful positive score (“better to be infamous than average”). Sound reasoning from one of my most reasonable friends.

Well, I’m as surprised as anyone that he is receiving an unprecedented “twelve” this year giving him a strong average rating for the last two years – something he hoped to avoid – and this without any bribery or sexual compensation.

Note on the guest rating system. The guest rating system is a one-sided emotional feedback system whereby the Captian reflects on how a guest’s presence made him feel. There is no logical or illogical matrix that can be used to understand, predict or manipulate the outcome of a guest rating.

Bremble excelled at all guest activities:

Eating & drinking
Swimming
Toilet operations
Conversational proficiency
Enjoying oneself at all times
Being humorous
Deferential towards Captain
Grateful to be onboard and to be friends with me

But more than this, Bremble pulled a rabbit out of his hat and proved himself to be a great sailor! With almost no wind last season during his first visit Chris could do little more than mutiny, but with such a wind-full season this time, his true sailor arose.

Chris expertly sailed from Sardinia to Corsica and back. I happily trimmed his sails  – why does that sound so wrong? – while he skippered in 30+ knot winds. Never departing from his usual character, Bremble wore a focused and determined expression as we navigated the islands of the Archipelago Maddalena and across the divide between Italy and France so we could secure the coveted pain au chocolat.

We covered over 70 miles during Chris’s short visit. Although there we no dolphin sightings this year we did however have the great fortune to have the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in the background of our trip.

Belated posting, Bangkok, Thailand, Nov 2015

Captain Awesome