As promised, Ross took me to the Cairns Yacht Club where I caught up with a few familiar faces. During 2010 I had sailed with the club’s Wednesday Afternoon Gentleman’s Sailing (WAGS) and learnt my way around yachts.

As it happens in this group, the skipper of the luxury yacht was minding La Quilta for a friend for a year while she was sailing another yacht around the world. Our skipper Belinda is a passionate sailor, very competitive and last year on her own yacht she was unbeaten in Cairns. Someone else is looking after her racing yacht while she has the care of La Quilta.



A crew of seven were we and a motley crew we be!


One of the crew had spent the previous day wrapping tinsel around everything that didn’t move,


and we all were required to wear red Christmas shirts and hats. Ross and I looked dapper in our size 16 ladies tees!!


Despite her competitive streak, Belinda brought us in third last of 14 yachts to Fitzroy Island after a less than impressive 12 knot wind failed to lift La Quilta along, the craft requiring double that to billow the sails and cut her hefty bulk through the waves.


So we had to settle for five hours of lazy cruising with fresh fruit, dips and cheeses, followed by a cold platter of meats, bread and salads, to while the time away. We all had a chance to get to know each other well and some good philosophical progress was made at solving the world’s problems.

Once anchored off Fitzroy, we all jumped into the clear water for a well-earned swim.



By the way Paul, said Ross in a matter of fact tone. I’m not sure if I told you that we are the music and I’ve brought this beat-box for you to play.
Right.

Three years ago, the last time I had drummed, was on a Djembe, a skinned West African drum. I had never played a beat-box, nor did I know any of the songs that they were planning to play. I guess it’s no point being on an adventure if you can’t get out of your comfort zone once in a while!

We played a dozen or so songs in front of the group of fifty or so people and I can say that it didn’t finish soon enough for me. I felt like a fraud as I’m playing a basic repetitive beat while Ross is riffing on the guitar and Kat was pulling off an awesome rendition of Jolene! Well it seems that today I really was with the band, a throw away line I have used at many a venue over the years.

We made our way back to the yacht and Belinda cooked up a Captain’s special beef stew, enough to sink a ship, and we kicked back with very full bellies. Ross of course, picked up his guitar and said, Let’s play!!

Over the course of the evening various dinghy-loads of Tinkers, Taylors, Soldiers and Spies clambered aboard to check out the yacht, the level of inebriation increasing with each arrival. La Quilta became the unofficial floating party.

As a non-drinker, I quietly slipped away to my unique sleeping quarters in the sail bag on the boom.

My view in the morning

__________________
When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

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