Trevor and I hatched a cunning plan but kept it very much to ourselves. No-one was being let in on the secret of what we had planned for the evening. Anticipation was at fever pitch level! Variously options might have been- being pulled along by a team of Clysedale horses, paint-balling, playing pool at the Shark Bar or kayaking! All wrong!
OK. So here is how it turned out!
We turn up at Trevor's shed at 4.45pm to kick off! A little early in the day I hear you say but time and tide waits for no man. We all pile into three cars and head off to where we are going. Turn right at the Appleby Straight and theeennn........
Turn right again at Rabbit Island. Pete's guessed private party games on the sand! Wrong!
We turn in to Tick Tock Road and Justine spies the Flat Bottom Floozie! If you have followed the blog you would have seen our Christmas trip on the Floozie in the gentle and calm of a blue mid summer's day at high tide! OK so this trip was to be nothing like that!
The Floozie is ready for us and we walk happily up the gang plank to our fate! Trevor and Bella have prepared platters of nibbles and Gerald has a chilly bin of booze. Excellent!
As you can see a good time is being had by all!
We putter our way round the estuary at high tide to the Leisure Park restaurant where we drink in the view and generally wind down.
The evening carries on happily blissfully unaware of the entertainment yet to come!
We order our meals and enjoy each other's company until eight o'clock when the floozie is booked to come back and take us back to our cars!
Yum! This is coming together nicely I think to myself. We are great planners and organisers. I bet they will ask us to plan the next do as this outing is running like clockwork! NOT!
On the way home we are a bit quieter as the evening winds down to a gentle cup of coffee at Trevor's shed. Or so we think! More alcohol is consumed and we chat away enjoying the play of moonlight on the water and the flashes of lightning in the distant sky as ominous thunderclouds draw near. (Do I get points for that poetic flourish?)
Now here is the thing. While we have been wining and dining the tide has been going out!
The master of the boat has been doing this for twenty years and knows the estuary like a person who knows the estuary for twenty years should! As an aside, we picked this option for the do as Jackie is very pregnant with twins and we wanted to be very safe and non-stressful for her and Pete!
All of a sudden there is a bit of the thud, the engine stops and we stop. We had run aground in the middle of the estuary! Do we sound like we care! No! The master of the Floozie says for everyone to go up to the front to make the back end rise up a bit so we can get off! We oblige as we are very obliging people and in the darkness some clown smashes a wine glass!
After a bit of going round and circles and the master of the boat instilling confidence by repeating to himself, "This is NOT good!" We stay where we are!
OK. So now the options are....
1. Stay on the boat until five o'clock in the morning when high tide is due again.
2. Throw Gerald overboard to lighten the load. (My preferred option) LOL
3. Call for dinghies to row us to shore.
5. Everyone pee over the side to lighten the load.
6. Don life jackets and swim for it!
7. Wait about for someone to rescue us!
As there is plenty of entertainment on board we hang about while Trevor gets on his cell phone and calls for rescue. Raewyn and I think of flashing our cellphones in an SOS manner and throwing them in the air as a flare but decide against it!
After a while we look over the side and see that we have indeed run aground and there is ground underneath us! The tide is now out! We elect that Pete should be sent out like a dove from Noah's Ark to see if there is dry land between us and the shore. Good one, Pete.
He comes back with the good news that it is mainly OK apart from the last wee bit which isn't too deep!!!
Rescue vehicles have arrived and shine their car lights on us.
We pack up our stuff and the men carry the chilly bin with the booze in it. I walk off the gang plank into the mud and dark with my shoes on as there are yucky crabs and creepy crawlies out there in the dark. Note to self- next staff do- don't wear slip-on shoes! I have to take my shoes off as every step I take the shoes stay stuck in the mud. We had to keep moving as the moment you stayed still you started to sink!!!!
I managed to grab this photo of Raewyn carrying my shoes with the Floozie firmly stuck in the background.
I was laughing so hard that I think my ribs hurt. So much for, "Women and children first!" You would have thought that the men would have stayed and helped the girls but they buggered off with the chilly bin yelling, "Walk towards the light!!" I could have died laughing right there and then!
I fired off a couple of photos into the darkness and capture Grant laughing hysterically with the comedy of it all!!
We totally abandoned ship and wallowed to safety. At one point I remember that the freezing black water was creeping up my legs as I had my skirt hoisted up high and I called for help as I was sinking fast. Do you think anyone gave a toss??? I must admit it was VERY funny.
We posed for a group photo in the darkness and we then began the walk back to where our cars were parked! Nikki was walking in her socks as there was no way she was ruining her expensive shoes!
We climbed into the cars and drove back to the shed where Trevor had prepared a surprise! A pool table! What a star!
We share a couple of more leisurely 'coffees' and Justine organises a clever thinking game- typical- she is always thinking that girl!
I see that my leg is bleeding. I must have scrapped on sharp shells as I wallowed to shore.
The ominous rainstorm is now upon us but thankfully we are safely in Trevor's shed as the skies open and it buckets down!
It was a great evening of team building that corporate businesses would have paid thousands for.
Who can top that and organise next term's booze up!
4 comments:
Allanah,
Couldn't have summed up the night better .... good job.
Yes, several of us voted on plan B (throw Gerald over board) but I think at that point he would have hit mud only.
Congratulations to the organising committee for both the planned and unplanned entertainment ... how are you going to top that next time?
BRIDGET
To Geralds defence he had already done his best to lighten the load!!
Hope you cleaned that wound carefully!
A great night...hard to be topped... perhaps it will be the inspiration for a blockbusting movie....the long awaited sequel to Titanic.
Now who would play Allanah?
Grant
MMmmmm! I wonder!
I nearly laughed as much again reading your rendition.
Hope Jackie is still in one piece...not three!
And we were sorry you had to 'scrap' your leg!
Nikki
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