3rd Oct 2008 - Damaging crew

Bali Hai
Neal Stow
Fri 3 Oct 2008 23:15
After a terrible night's sleep dealing with a squadron of mosquitoes and torrential rain trying its hardest to get through the windows I was not feeling my most cheerful in the morning.  What with having to figure out how to fix the bow thruster I was not in the best frame of mind when one member of the crew spilt coffee all over the chart table and then the dinghy was moored up so that the engine bashed against and scratched Bali Hai's hull. Even when, against all odds, I managed to repair the bow thruster without recourse to outside expertise I was still pretty grumpy when we headed up in to town.
 
Mahon is a very attractive town perched on the edge of a slope overlooking the harbour.  Even in the overcast day the views of the harbour were absolutely stunning.  The narrow streets are full of little shops, including lots of perfume and lotion boutiques, all of which Emma felt that she had to visit.  After wandering the streets for an hour or so it started to rain and we headed back down to the harbour for something to eat.  Mo and Richard decided to walk to the fort (7km away) while Emma and I went back to the boat (me still in grumpy mode).  However, after a kip in the afternoon I was suitably revived and we headed back to meet the others at Mahon's gin factory for a tasting of some very strange local liquors.
 
Another walk round town and then to a Thai restaurant for a really good Thai meal (considering where we are the only dish not recommended was the Thai vegetables which comprised some very English looking legumes).  The harbour is the place to be in the evening and a stroll along the quay full of gin palaces and luxury yacht is very pleasant.