We all sleep or lie in late which is great and I am still unwashed and undressed when the bride-to-be and her female entourage arrive to get the dress shortened which makes me rush to the bathroom for a quick sloosh while they are all clambering aboard. Anna spreads a sheet over the floor of the cockpit and ruches the dress up at the front so that Annie can be barefoot at the wedding.
Mike and Moe choose this time to come out of their respective bedrooms although Mike quickly retreats back to the safety of the boat’s interior when he sees all the females in the cockpit. Moe, being younger and stronger, takes his chances in the cockpit with us and I manage to cajole him into giving me a shoulder massage – his payment for passage. At 10 minutes a day he is already 30 minutes behind with his rent so I get a fairly longish one today although he hasn’t fully settled his back rent yet!
We have a late lunch then an afternoon nap. Well I try to nap but don’t manage it and go up stairs the cockpit to paint my toenails and read a trashy book. In a moment of madness, I then paint my finger nails – something I haven’t done for absolutely years – and not a particularly brilliant idea now that my hands are still trying to transform themselves into boat hands (I am just about still winning the battle apart from the horrible short nails). Actually it ends up looking OK, just really strange as I’m not used to it.
Bev and I have a few jobs organised for the wedding but in the end our help is not needed which gives us a bit longer to get ready for the beach bar barbecue where fresh lobster are being cooked for fourteen of us.
As we walk along the beach we bump into Maggie and Bob who have just been doing wedding jobs. Although we are late (Moe takes longer to get ready than any girl I know) the others aren’t there yet, but a few minutes later we hear them noisily coming down the hill having visited one (or maybe more) of the bars further up the hill. There is at least one dinner guest conspicuous by his absence – Matt – so Bev and I go to drag him back.
However there is a bloody great hill in the way!
We start off (foolishly) by running but come embarrassingly quickly to a walk and eventually arrive, somewhat short of breath (although Bev recovers more quickly than me) at Dennis’ Hideaway Bar. Sure enough, Matt is there along with Anna, Richie, Sophia, Sean, Oisin and Eline. We manage to drag Matt away and Anna promises to follow. When we get back down the hill, the lobsters are just being placed on the table. What a wonderful sight – and smell!
Even the side dishes of curried vegetables, garlic jacket potatoes and rice are really good, and we all tuck in. I totally adore lobster and these are the best and juiciest that I have tasted for some time.
It’s a great meal and a lovely evening (hopefully) for the bride and groom to set them up for tomorrow.
We don’t stay late as it’s a big day tomorrow and some people need a good rest. When we go to pay, Jim tells us that he has settled the bill as a thank you to all of us for our support. What a lovely thought – thanks, Jim! Rather than go back to the bar, Bev and Moe come back to the boat with us and we sit outside for a nightcap, Mike on the dark and stormies and me, Bev and Moe (another convert) on Amarula. The anchor doesn’t appear to have dragged at all and I hope that it doesn’t do so during the night although it’s unlikely as Moe has dived over it and it looked well set.
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