The Mercy Page #5

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if circumstances dictate.

(Foghorn blares)

(Stops recorder)

(Man) ' God rest you merry, Gentlemen,

Let nothing you dismay

' For Jesus Christ our Saviour

Was born upon on Christmas Day

' To save our souls

from Satan's power

' When we were gone astray... '

( "Silent Night"

plays on harmonica)

(Phone rings)

Hello?

- (Operator) 'Portishead Station.'

- It's Portishead!

- 'Donald Crowhurst for Mrs Crowhurst.'

- Happy Christmas, Father!

(Crowhurst) 'And to all of you.

You sound much older, James.'

I've only been gone two months.

You're already a man.

'Over.'

Oh, happy Christmas.

'I am so sorry, but you don't have

your presents with you,

'because in the mad rush to leave,

somehow they got left off the boat.'

And then Stanley found them on the dock,

and he dropped them off.

- (Rachel) Can I open them?

- Yes.

You know, sometimes,

I find myself talking to you in my head.

'Then I have to stop myself from talking

out loud when I realise you're not there.'

Well, we're all... thrilled

by your progress.

Most impressed.

It's all over the papers.

Is it? Yes, well, I'd like to talk to you

about that at some point.

Are you nearing the Cape?

Portishead, are you on the line?

Over.

(Operator) 'Yes, sir. This is

Portishead operator. Can I help you?'

No, nothing.

Just thought the signal was fading.

'Yes, the Cape's out there, waiting.'

(Whispers)

He's nearing the Cape.

Fougeron is out.

There's only four racers left.

And you're quicker than all of them.

We knew Moitessier and Knox-Johnston

were the ones to watch. Over.

All of the teachers and boys at school,

they all know where you are,

they're all keeping track.

You know, it's true, Don.

It's... it's all...

'It's all over the papers.

'People come up to me, and

they actually even stop me in the street.'

(Line crackles)

Hello?

I think he's gone.

(Radio) 'Rough seas have put paid

to four of the competitors

'in "The Sunday Times"

round-the-world race,

'leaving just four sailors contesting

for the Golden Globe.

'The unstoppable and courageous

Robin Knox-Johnston is in first place,

'as he approaches New Zealand.

'While Bernard Moitessier,

the intrepid Frenchman, in second,

'is making a valiant attempt to overtake.'

(French accent)

My husband would find this absurd.

He would prefer they take pictures

of the wind than the wives.

Sadly, the wind doesn't sell papers.

It simply blows them around.

We're ready for you, Mrs Moitessier,

if I may.

- Good luck.

- Merci.

(Radio) 'Commander Nigel Tetley,

having rounded the Cape just last week,

'is in a determined pursuit

of the leaders.

'This week the spotlight

fell on Donald Crowhurst,

'the plucky amateur sailor

from Teignmouth,

'who has been posting

some remarkable speeds

'in his self-designed trimaran,

'according to his press agent

Rodney Hallworth.

(Hallworth) 'People here

are agog at his wonders.

'He rounded the Cape last Friday,

'and by now he'll be battling

the storms of the Roaring Forties...'

- What?

- '...and well on his way to Australia.'

- Christ!

- 'He'll soon be overtaking Nigel Tetley.

'He looks to be

the fastest sailor in the race.'

(Crowhurst) Christ, Rodney,

you've put me past the Cape!

I'm in the bloody

Southern Ocean already!

'He's put me

in the bloody Southern Ocean already.'

'Jesus Christ.'

(Crowhurst) 'I have to shut

the transmitter down.

'Can't keep calling home. It's obvious.

'Radio silence.

'I'll stay hidden.

'Just for a while.'

I mean, all the cable says is,

"Radio sealed.

"Transmissions not possible,

especially 80 east, 140 west."

Right, OK. Well, what does that mean?

That's from the Indian Ocean

to well past New Zealand,

so we may not hear from him until

he's made it back to the South Atlantic.

That's bloody months away, isn't it?

This is when we need him the most.

(Wheeler) Knox-Johnston sealed up

his radio when he rounded the Cape.

Haven't heard from him in weeks.

Moitessier, he didn't even bring a radio.

I know, I know, but our man did,

and we need him to use it. Do we not?

Now, sit down and listen.

Listen to this. Learn something.

The trimaran,

the Teignmouth Electron, et cetera,

sailed by Donald Crowhurst,

is in trouble in the Indian Ocean.

A large wave has smashed...

No, an enormous wave

has smashed into the stern,

and damaged the radio gear

and the superstructure...

- But he didn't say that.

- Hey, button it.

Erm, now, because the generator

is now inaccessible,

Mr Crowhurst fears

he will be out of contact with loved ones

for the most perilous part of his journey.

- I don't understand.

- I know. If you did, you'd have my job.

Look, his last missive said, er...

Where is it? Here we go.

"Stricken gout

after New Year's sherry party.

"Now equal footing...mermaids."

Eh? Shall we print that?

Think that'll cheer up the sponsors?

Bloody mermaids? Send it.

(Journalist) 'He's gaining on Tetley.

'May make a race of it yet.

Another 500 words?'

Mmm, yes. Sadly sounds like we won't

be hearing from him for a while.

Maybe you could do more on the wife.

- He has quite a following.

- I'll get Hallworth to set something up.

(Snow ball hits door)

(Journalist)

How did you first meet Donald?

(Clare) Well, erm...

he walked up to me at a party,

and he told me he could see my future,

and that I would marry

an impossible man,

but I would be greatly loved.

And then the next day

he asked me out,

and then the day after that as well,

and he told me he would never

leave my side, and he never did.

(Journalist) But now he has.

Well, for good reason.

You can't sail round the world

by sitting in your living room.

And Clare knows that. She...

Look, she couldn't

have been more supportive.

Do you worry about him

being in the South Seas?

'Well, I think that wives and mothers

have been worrying

'as long as men have been sailing.'

So, yes, worrying does take up

a fair part of the day,

and a good portion of the night.

- Mummy, it's freezing.

- Ooh! (Blows)

Rub your hands.

Give them a good rub.

How do the children feel about him

being in a hostile world?

(Door slams)

I would prefer not do

that kind of thing ever again.

Clare, love, listen.

We can't give the public

the man right now.

So it's up to the rest of us

to take up the slack, fill in the blanks.

Is that what we are? Blanks?

Look, it's your husband's job

to sail that boat.

'It's my job to make sure

that everybody else knows about it.'

I can't make things easier for him

while he's out there.

'I wish that I could, but I have

every intention of making all our lives

'as easy as possible upon his return.

So, today, you helped

to make him famous.

I don't care if my husband's famous.

I... care that he's safe.

(Creaking)

F***!

I knew it!

(Crowhurst) 'You've got no choice.'

I have no choice.

(Transmitter crackles)

'I don't want to go.'

(Clare) 'Don't go. Stay with us.'

But if you don't go, I don't want you

to regret that decision either,

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