Man World

April, 2009  There is one part of the boat where testosterone the Captain reigns supreme and that's the pilothouse, otherwise known as "Man World".

Man World is where shoes can be worn, Jack Daniels consumed, cigars savored--as long as all three doors are open, cough cough--and manly discussions about politics and boats can be conducted without interruption from women asking if a particular outfit makes their butt look big.

On mornings when we're anchored out, Man World is absolutely the best place to hang out. It is peaceful and quiet and provides a spectacular view of the water. It is a great place to sit and ponder life.

Organizing and/or stowing the items housed in Man World is a job strictly reserved for the Captain, if indeed items are organized and/or stowed at all.  For example toolboxes can be left sitting wide open in the middle of the floor for unsuspecting wives to trip over, an event which is apparently knee-slappingly hilarious to watch. Hahahaha.

In addition, any new items added to Man World must receive prior consent and must be deemed to fall well below the threshold of "chick stuff"--a floral arrangement, for example, would be totally out of the question although the recent addition of a 12v coffee pot received an enthusiastic thumbs up.

There is, however, one decorative item in Man World that received unisex approval: the painting that hangs over the sofa. 

We wanted something by an English artist named Barry Hilton who is known for his paintings of old English harbors. On our last trip to England Morley found the right painting by his home boy Barry; the gallery did a great job of packing it for it's trip across the big water and Morley hand-carried it all the way from England to Man World (actually it rode in the first class coat closet while we sat crammed in our miserably uncomfortable seats back in coach).  After having it reframed to better fit the dimensions of the pilothouse wall, it looks perfect there--just the right touch of testosterone for Man World.

And really, it's okay with me for Man World to be the domain of the Captain. I have the office down below all to myself and it is firmly under female control and command.