Rendevous of Friends

Today, after a leisurely breakfast, all of us (5) pile into the rubber tender to go to the Aores restaurant where we catch the water taxi across the channel to Luganville. We are going to explore it's great expanse.... one main street. Half way across, I am reminded that we are leaving port the next morning very early so we have to clear out of Luganville Customs today. So while everybody else gets to enjoy a lovely lunch and some sight seeing, I head back on the water taxi. Now I wish I could say that I am an accomplished dingy driver, but sadly that is not the case. I am equiped with last minute instructions from Glen on starting. I pleased myself greatly by being able to get the engine swung down into the water and started! So far so good. Some helpful soul cast my lines off and now I am at the mercy of "The Dingy"! It stalls. I restart it. It stalls. I restart it and without releasing the choke put it into gear (luckily forward).....Whoa! the gears clunk and the little rubber pony bucks back in the water before jumping forward like a race horse. I shut the choke, the dingy stalls. *&%$@! I'm floating aimlessly out in the channel. O.K. once more.... same technique aaanndd we go. OMG steering is not nearly so easy as Glen makes it look. As I am now doing donuts one way and then the next, not even being cool enough to look like that is what I am planning to do, issuing all kinds of surprised "oops" and "aak" sounds (and God knows what else - my "remember this moment" recorder was not ON). I did not even look back to give a sheepish grin to the people on the dock. I was now trying to feather the throttle between flying and dying. I finally arrive at the boat and the decision of "head on collision" (at low speed) with the swim grid is how I choose to transfer myself from one vessel to the next. Hummmm? Glen didn't tell me how to shut it off once the stupid thing doesn't stall when you release the throttle. I assume that the "kill" switch will do the trick until I find out if there is a better way. I boost my energy level for the return ordeal by having a tasty lunch of leftovers (it was good). Going back was not quite so traumatic and thankfully there was nobody around to witness my crash into the dock (why change what works?) to get tied back up. Finally I am back on the Luganville side of the water and we get ourselves cleared for departure. A trip to the market was in order and we stocked up with beautiful local produce - I love these markets.

Whilest the Glens and Trish were out for lunch they met up with David and Jacqui of Jackster fame (their boat name) so invited them out for a drink on board then dinner out at Aores resort. We had already made arrangements with Eric and Ann on Oso Blanco to do the same as they are planning on leaving for New Caledonia in the morning. As well, we had Scott and Annya from Beach House over as well. Big crowd for the old Mystery Ship, but she handled it. The staff of the Resort sent their water taxi out to get us (big numbers and money talks) which was way easier than taking three dingys (drunk dingy drivers are even worse than me on the water). The evening was too short, the conversation never stopped. Suddenly we are saying goodbye to everyone. We borrowed Eric's whaler (way faster than our rubber dingy - our whaler is still up on big boat) to drive David and Jacqui back to Luganville, they still had a taxi ride to another bay and a dingy ride back out to their boat. This was a really good day.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com