"HUT!" this word sometimes works its way into my dreams.
What is that you say? Why you say?
Well, when we were in Fiji, He who hums and I joined in with the local outriggers for training paddle. Oh what fun this will be, we thought. While I was concerned I was not conditioned for such sport, he who hums was just doing the ol 'When in Rome' thingy. I had seen them race past Condesa from the time we were anchored in Tahiti and I was in awe of this island tradition playing out in front of us. And since I was never going to shake my hula hips like those beautiful long luscious haired and golden skinned Tahitians then I had better try the outrigging.
I would wake at the break of day to hear someone yell "HUT!" Well I thought that is what they said; I was always startled to an upright waking position. I smiled as I flopped back onto the pillow realising it was just the locals doing their thing. As time went on I tried hard to capture a photo out the cabin window but the speed they passed was phenomenal and therefore even if I slept with the camera at the ready I would only snare a blur. Anyway, we sailed on to Fiji and the opportunity came for us to go paddling and sweat it out in our mussel tees. The session time came and we carted the original heavy timber boats to the water's edge and set them up. Eventually the captain of the outrigger arrived to brief us as the sun set slowly in the west. I became quietly satisfied as I knew that the session was shortened and therefore I would endure only a short with the minimal daylight hours left. Well as that story went we rowed out towards the horizon in the twilight and continued on under the full moon, magnificent, majestic and beautiful for a while. 8 klm later we turned the rig around and two of us were delighted to be headed home. Breathless but keeping up (as you can't lie down) I was changing sides every time I heard "HUT!" Still uncertain if that was the command, keeping in time anyway. But 'He who hummed a slower tune' was chatted by the captain to "Keep up Number 4!" Me, being Number 6 could see the delay and lack of grit as the kilometres clocked over but had no energy to gloat about that. The next time we foolishly volunteered for this club, the teacher's pet being "Number 6" (Moi) was put in change of commands! Holy hell what do they really say? I only ever presumed it was "HUT!" but now I was in charge I was not so sure it was correct. Maybe I will hack up a cough type command not really saying anything and see if that gets me by. I don't want to damage my near perfect out-rigging session with a foolish command that everyone will stop and say "What the hell did you say?" How embarrassing. See the only person not to turn and look at me would be "Keep-up-number-4!" and that's because 'he who hums' is none the wiser and responded to any call to get this rig back home. So, now I am home and have had time to Google out-rigging commands I see that 'HUT' is and always has been since the days when the twelve apostles couldn't walk on water, the command given to outriggers across the water. And now I stir in my sleep when I hear that command yelled down the Brisbane River at 5am each morning. I have suggested to "He who hums" that we may look to go for a paddle one day. However he is clearly not in Rome and not particularly interested in seeing the mouth of the Brisbane River or the crack of day. I on the other hand, I dream of competing at a level beyond me since I have had the authentic experience and all. This surely gives me the upper hand to be a contender and besides I am certain of my commands now. Unless at a competitive level they change, I must check that in case I get a call up.