I wake up at 3 am needing to use the loo. In an effort to flush the system through properly, we are still doing the 50 pumps of the toilet handle for each go and I am well and truly awake by the time I have finished. Of course, by this time Mike is awake too and we decide to have a cup of tea and use the internet. My birthday starts early this year!
Although I try to go back to sleep, I fail, although Mike succeeds spectacularly, snoring his head off (which of course is probably why I can’t manage it), but I lie there and try anyway, eventually giving in and making another pot of tea.
We go out for a late breakfast at Lulu’s. I order a soft tortilla covered with tomato and cheese, with two fried eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms on top. Along with a mango milkshake I am completely stuffed at the end but it is really delicious and worth the extra pound of fat that it will no doubt add to my stomach!
From the restaurant dock we can see Jeannius in the distance dwarfed by her neighbours. The harbour setting is quite lovely.
We go to the little supermarket and buy some wine and nibbles for tonight then go back to the boat to do a bit of cleaning and tidying up and I also make banana bread. Our electrician turns up to try to wire our system to accept charge for the batteries from the shore power so that we don’t have to keep running the engines (the generator would normally be doing this for us, and using a lot less diesel in the process).
The marina manager appears and asks us to move the boat from one side of the berth to the other to accommodate a yacht that is coming in later. Quite why the opposite side of the berth should make a difference I am not sure, but we all stop work and people help pull Jeannius from one side to the other using the warps with Mike assisting at the helm and I move the fenders from the port side to starboard.
Eventually the boat is tidy and clean enough inside to receive guests and the banana bread smells delicious. I go down to have a shower and a little lie down, but my cabin is too hot so I go in the stern one which has intermittently had the air conditioning unit on and is slightly cooler even though it is now switched off (as the electrician is still working). I lie down on the bed in a thin cotton dressing gown but am still too hot so I open the gown up, put my legs in the air against the ceiling and luxuriate in the cool air of the fan. A few minutes later I hear the stairs creak, and call out, thinking it is Mike. There’s no reply but suddenly a shadow appears in the doorway, stops then hurriedly retreats – the electrician – and I’m lying there stark naked! He doesn’t say anything as I quickly cover myself up then a hand appears around the corner as he tries to switch on the air conditioning unit to see if everything is working as a result of his rewiring. Poor lad. He will have been far more embarrassed than me.
Mike appears in the doorway a few minutes later and says that Crazy Horse and Ocean Jasper have just arrived and he has been to invite them over tonight as well so it really does look as if tonight is turning into quite a little party.
He follows this up with the bad news that we have to move Jeannius again. The marina staff are very apologetic but they have a boat coming into the berth which has engine trouble and can’t manoeuvre properly. I hurriedly get dressed and go out on deck along with Vi, the electrician. There’s no time for any embarrassment as I scuttle around moving the fenders back to the port side and move the warps. Mike eyes up our new spot warily, not convinced that we will fit in it as there is already a fishing boat there. How he gets it into that tight space is beyond me but he turns us 180 degrees and backs in. The wind is blowing us onto the fishing boat and one of the staff leaps onto it and with his back against Jeannius and his legs against the fishing boat, he walks us along, keeping us apart. Once we are tightly secured to the dock I can see that there is literally two feet of space separating the two boats. Mike is so good at this! I am full of admiration. I would have hit the dock, the fishing boat and probably knocked a few of the bystanders off their feet too!
The electrician goes back to work but is still on board when the guests start to arrive so he stays for a beer too. He’s a sweet lad, who knows his stuff on boats and worryingly doesn’t seem at all fazed by having walked in on a naked female. I hope he doesn’t think I was lying there as an invitation!
I am bought champagne, wine, a limited edition Crazy Horse t-shirt and a chocolate muffin birthday cake with a sailor candle on the top. I have a lovely time although Mike neglects his duty as photographer and only takes a couple to record the evening. Everyone sings happy birthday to me while I blow out my birthday candle.
I have a lovely cuddle with Matt, proof that I am genuinely turning into a dirty old woman and I guarantee that my arm is around his waist in the above photo, regardless of what it actually looks like!! And I am sure that when I tried the dress on in the shop, it didn’t show that much boob. Ah well, they do say if you’ve got it … !
I sit out on the trampoline with Maggie, Bob and Matt for a while then people start to leave to go out to dinner and I get up to say my goodbyes and thank-yous. I have a lovely evening, but it’s not over yet. As I am clearing up (well putting bottles and glasses together on the side for dealing with in the morning), the crew from Wild Tigress turn up and join us for a drink, then we go out to eat.
Mike and I choose a Fijian restaurant but although my meal is good, Mike’s is disappointing. As we wander back to the boat, we meet Maggie and Matt who try to talk us into going out for further drinks but birthday or no birthday, I know I have met my limit and don’t fancy a hangover, even though the idea is tempting (of the company not the hangover!).
We walk past Voyageur on the way back and are dragged on for another drink (yes, Susan, I lay the blame squarely at your feet!), but eventually we do get back to Jeannius and flop into bed.
All in all, a wonderful start to another year in my life. Thanks everyone!
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