I want to ride my bicycle

L'Esprit de la Mer
Dr Chris Bates
Wed 13 Jul 2016 06:22
Last night there was a gusty wind and the boat was lively , swinging and rolling so not much sleep .I decided to stay on board for a rest but Penny being of sterner stuff set off in the longboat for the 4 mile passage to the village . It looked a rough one and I was glad not to be going .An hour later the longboat returned , came alongside and asked for ice . Why do you neeed it? Theres been an accident    . To whom I enquired . To your wife was the reply . What sort of accident? Dont know . I^m coming . Don^t need you there is a doctor on site .  I^m coming . There follow a 20 mph race along the reef into biggish seas . Bang bang with my back screaming every time the longboat crashed into a wave .Penny is OK . A hole had appeared in the floor and she had gone through it twisting ankle and knee with swelling .The fijians had made her a compress of leaves to take away the pain and swelling and thisseems to be working amazingly well .
I deciced to walk back to the boat rather than face another beating in the longboat .The walk was an undulating 5 miles through jungle but in sight of the sea along unmade tracks . Followed by a half mile swim out to L^Espri de la Mer . If only I had a bicycle it would have counted as a triathlon .