"Goosewing, rhumb line, in irons - there are many weird and wonderful sailing terms especially on a big classic boat which has so much kit. So "spooning for speed" seemed quite an appropriate command. I've just discovered that it was a play on words... an in-joke amongst the crew. When a yacht is close hauled it's important to get as much weight on the windward side to balance the boat. On modern yachts with guardrails the crew sit on the rail with their legs dangling over the side. You sometimes see crew leaning their bodies over the side too. On Mariquita they do it differently for two reasons. Firstly for authenticity - back in the day crews would always lie on the deck reducing windage. Secondly for practicality - Mariquita has no guard rails and it's crucial for the crew to stay low so that the afterguard can communicate with the bosun and bowman. A good deal of the communication is done with hand signals so you don't want anyone in the way. Therefore the crew lie on the deck keeping as low as possible thus spooning!"