Sunday 30th May (Lini’s Journal)
Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Tue 1 Jun 2010 12:10
competent…………? And then there is me……………………
I had a busy day planned today; I flung off the covers, reached up
to open the hatch, rolled back and nearly knocked myself out as I
smacked my head into the mirror behind the pillow. I yelped, took a
pill and went back to bed for half an hour. Only I could injure myself
in bed!
My second attempt at the day was more successful and I decided on
tea and toast while organising my week. I’m not actually sure what fat
free ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter’ tastes like, but believe me it
isn’t butter. It looks like curdled cake mixture if you add the eggs
too quickly. Yum! Thank heavens for Frank Cooker’s vintage marmalade.
And so to work- As I filled the cockpit with buckets, brushes and
cleaning products, beautiful people strolled along the wall and Phil
the marina manager stopped for a chat. It was some time later I caught
sight of myself in the mirror wondering how my hair was on back to
front! Not exactly a fitting appearance for the Royal Yacht Club! I
stuck my head under the tap then continued bleaching boards and mats
then scrubbing Brindabella. I found several disadvantages on the
topsides to having pretty kiskadees perching on the jib sheets! By mid
afternoon I was glad I’d put the bimini up to clean as the sun was
glorious. With all the hatches now open and the mattresses lifted
Brindabella got a great airing. I stopped for a late lunch admiring
the very nice classic looking superyacht ‘Hetairos’ which came in on
the (whole of the) south wall.
Refreshed, I commenced round two of the boat cleaning- Scrubbing
under the cockpit floor and polishing the topsides. The tide was now
very low with the wind blowing us off the wall. To get ashore for the
hose pipe necessitated a beefy tug on the lines then a grand jêté. I
lifted the cockpit grating and attacked the gunk below. This was not
good timing for the hose gun to break, the pipe to split and water to
fly everywhere drenching me and the aft cabin curtains. The hose was
flying around like a crazy snake but I grabbed it by the throat and
quickly tugged on the lines to go and turn it off. My back went ping!
As I stood hunched over and drenched with sludge splatters up to my
knees, counting to ten (thousand), a very well dressed gentleman
stopped to ask how he could get out of the club. Was that a grin on
his face or indigestion? I hobbled inside for my key and shuffled to
the gate to let him out hoping no-one else would see me and request I
leave due to inappropriate appearance. Luckily Brindabella had now
drifted closer to the wall and no great exertion was needed to finish
the job. Polishing would have to wait for another day.
It was 8pm by the time I’d packed everything away and nuked day
three of my lentil stew: It seemed a good idea at the time with so
much to do! Something different for supper tomorrow I think……………. Good
news: The back is no worse