" A LADY TRIP " Sailing around the World

A Lady
Stephen Hyde
Wed 2 Jun 2010 19:30
Tuesday  1st  June   2010    (   presently in " NUIE "  South Pacific, )
 
We got an email from Rarotonga's newest member of the Cook Islands Tatoo Club, ( Fats )
A short message to say that he was 85 / 90 %  and well on the way to a full recovery,
He was also well on the way to Vava'u to meet us on arrival.  Aileen and Margaret will also be there.
 
07.30hrs, Skipper brought John the Scot ashore as he was off Diving for the morning, skipper decided to
skip the diving this time ,as it took him so bleedin long to recover from his prized " Paddy " experience in Rangiroa,  The Tuamotu Islands.
 
09.30,hrs Skipper, with his golf clubs,  got a lift to the Golf club a few miles down the road where he met" Ian Hupa"
Ian is originally from NZ , but now lives in NUIE with wife and family,
As he says himself, he is a " house husband"  he basically minds the kids, while the wife goes to work..and loves his golf.
 
The golf was exciting and came down to the wire on the last hole. we were all square as we teed off and we both had great shots,
but sorry to have to report , the skipper missed a putt and Ian won the match.
 
13.00hrs  Skipper got a lift back to the Yacht club, and had a light lunch with the crew of " Ronja "  The Norweegans,
 
14.30hrs, We all took off again in a people carrier, Hiace, this time to do a tour of the Island, the transport was driven by " Sue "
wife of the Commodore of the Y.C.
The interesting here is " Sue's " glasses, they are a sort of red colour, and are specially designed for Migrene ( headaches)
She said since she got the glasses in NZ a few years ago, she has never had another attack.  thats a new one for us !
 
16.00 hrs, We cleared Customs and paid out exit tax, in advance of our proposed departure tomorrow morning at 06.00hrs
                We also bought some " Red Label" beer,   at 9 euros per dozen, seemed like good value.
 
Skipper returned to " A Lady " and finished cleaning the cooker, the bloody thing was in an afull mess, ( the oven, that is )
but we must remember , it get a lot of use, and cooking things like the Boss's Belly Pork, shags up the polished sides big time.
Hours later, the cooker looks much better, but the beautifull timberwork under the cooker took an afull hammering from the blinking " Mr Mustle "
It dripped down on the timber..and stained it badly.  Ohhhhhhhhh my god  , the poor boat ..Whaaaaaaaaa, Whaaaaaaa..
At times like this, you would begin to think ""  God, can I do anything properly "   Whaaaaaaaaa.  Whaaaaaa
 
As said on previous occasions, the wear and tear on the boat is huge on this trip, well after 16287 miles, any LADY needs a make over.
 
Before going ashore for the prearranged Dinner, we had a little swim, among the sea snakes, yeah, sea snakes,
They are about 2 feet long, coloured black and white hoops, and swim / wriggle along nicely.
they are very poisnous, but their mouths are so small, it is impossible for them to bite a human. 
 
The weather had taken a turn for the worse, it started to rain, but we managed to get ashore in between the showers,
all be it with wet arse's.
We all met in the Y.C. where the lovely " Susanne " from rally control, took control of us all to an adjoining restaurant,
We had to bring our own wine, as the place was owned, and operated by a family of MORMANS,
The godfather of the family , a Morman bishop, said a " grace before meals "  well it was the longest grace we ever heard in our lives
and of course it was said in the local lingo....so we did not understand a word.
 
BUT,, But, the food was fantastic,  the usual raw fish in coconut oil, stuffed rolled chicken, baked fish,  soup, pasta, roast baby pig,
and lots more that we cannot remember, all wrapped in coconut leaves and cooked in hot stones and charcoal.
Dessert was a selection, but for the skipper, they had a steamed date pudding with hot melted toffee,,,,  Ohhhh to die for...  yum, yum,
 
The lovely " Susanne" got this one right,, well done girl.
 
The grub was followed by a terrific dance by the girls, mostly the family, and every one loved it to bits. It was traditional,
but with a slight twist that made it real interesting,   Its like a " River Dance " version of the local stuff.
Of course , the girls then took all the men and danced them to death.
Then we had a young man do a fire dance, once again, he did a great job. 
 
All in all, we had a great night, despite the occasional downpours.
A night cap on board before going to the scratchers,,zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz   ( no Fats, so all lower case zzzz )
 
 
Thats it for now,
 
Signed :-    Stephen Hyde,    ( Skipper )