Frontier - 29. FR Chapter 29

By the time, we arrived back at Fremantle, I was quite exhausted, and the boys were feeling a bit better, after sending all of their snacks into the ocean. All of them fell asleep while I was driving back to the hotel. Mum was in the family suite when we arrived, and she was pleased to see us back.

“Get cleaned up, and we will head to the restaurant for an early dinner,” Mum said to all of us. I was a little surprised that the boys did as suggested.

When we had finished dinner, and returned to the family suite, the boys sat in the lounge and started to watch a movie, while Mum and I went to her room, to talk for a while.

“How about I organise a short-term apartment for you to stay in, which will be a lot cheaper than staying at a hotel or motel,” I suggested.

“Ok, Son. Whatever you think is best,” Mum replied with a smile.

“I will get searching for one in the morning, and maybe after I have dropped the boys off at the airport, we can go and look at some of the places,” I added.

“Ok, that sounds fine dear,” Mum said to me, sounding a little tired.

Leaving Mum to get some rest, and the boys watching a movie, I headed to my room, where I booted up my computer, and started looking for apartments for short term lease. As I was doing this my mobile rang, and I answered it right away.

“Hey, Boss. I’m just checking in to let you know that Kirk and Leon are safely aboard, and we are heading out first thing in the morning towards Exmouth to pick up your two passengers,” Jasper said to me cheerfully.

“That sounds good, Mate. Make sure you call in here. I would like to join you for the last leg of the cruise. Yesterday I was asked how I know this yacht that they are going on, and I said I am good friends with the skipper,” I said to Jasper, who laughed.

“Shall I correct them on who the real owner is when they arrive?” he asked me.

“I will let you make that decision, Mate. How are Finn and Toby going as new crew members?” I replied.

“Very good actually. They are very fast learners, and always asking me questions about different parts of operating the yacht,” Jasper replied to me.

“That is good to hear. Shows that they are keen to learn,” I said to Jasper.

“Exactly right there, and I think we have a bit of rivalry happening with Kirk and Leon,” he replied.

“Ok, Mate. I will see you when you get down to Jurien in about 8 days or so. Bye for now,” I said and ended the call.

The next morning, we all had a bit of a sleep in, and after breakfast I made sure that the Chesterton brothers had packed their bags, and were ready for the trip up to Exmouth. All four boys had a swim in the hotel pool in the late morning, before Alexander and Maxwell showered and changed, and I drove them to the airport to catch their flight.

“Thank-you, Anton, for everything that you have done for us. We have had an awesome time, and your younger brothers have been great to know,” the Chesterton brothers said to me.

“It has been a pleasure, and we will see you again soon, as the yacht will be calling into Jurien Bay on its second last night,” I said to the boys as I shook their hands, and watched as they checked in, and headed upstairs to wait for their flight to be called for boarding.

When I returned to the hotel suite, there was a note from Mum, saying that she and the boys had gone to the hospital to visit Gramps, so I headed to my room and grabbed the information that I had gathered last night on apartments in the East Perth region. Some of them were rentals and some were for sale. Since I was not sure how long Mum would be, I contacted a couple of real estate agents and organised to inspect some of the properties that afternoon, and I headed off to have a look around the area before the first inspection appointment. After 6 inspections, over 3 hours, I had decided that a 1^st floor 3-bedroom apartment, with security entry and an elevator, overlooking the East Perth waterway, and small views of the Swan River, and Burswood peninsular, was the best option to purchase.

It could be used by the family when needing to travel to Perth, especially at the moment with Mum staying to visit Gramps each day. With a quick trip to a bank to get a bank cheque, I made the deposit to secure the purchase of the apartment.

When I arrived back at the hotel, Mum and the boys were back, and while the boys were watching television, I quietly spoke to Mum.

“I have gone ahead with looking for an apartment, that the family can use for future trips to Perth, and I have made a deposit on an apartment in East Perth, that will be suitable. Because it is already vacant, settlement will be done in just one week, and I thought I would leave it up to you on how to furnish it,” I said to Mum.

“I would have liked to have been able to have some input in deciding where I will be staying. Do we get to see it tomorrow?” Mum said to me.

“Yes, I have arranged a second viewing tomorrow at 10am,” I replied to mum.

Shortly after, my mobile rang, with the sat phone number. “Hello, Jasper. Did the Chesterton boys arrive safely?” I said as soon as I answered.

“Yes, thank you, Anton, they did, and I wanted to thank you personally, for all that you have done to look after my son’s,” came an unexpected unfamiliar voice.

“You are most welcome, Sir. All part of the service for our charter company,” I responded, guessing that it was Mr Chesterton that I was speaking to.

“I am told that you will be joining us in just over a week’s time, for the last part of our trip. I hope to personally thank you when you do,” he added.

“Yes, Mr Chesterton, I will. May I speak to the skipper please?” I replied, and after a few moments of silence Jasper came on the line.

“Hey, Anton. I guess I should have spoken to you first,” Jasper said as he chuckled.

“Yes, you should have, but it’s ok. I have bought a three-bedroom apartment in East Perth for family and crew to use when in Perth. Thought it would be a better option than spending lots of money on hotels. Mum will organise the furnishings and move in around 1½ weeks’ time, and the boys and I are heading home to Jurien tomorrow.”

“I see. Ok. Well thanks for that news. See you when we get there,” Jasper responded and after a little more chatting we ended the call.

The boys chatted for most of the journey home, and even while we were in the supermarket buying some groceries, which I found a little amusing as they didn’t always chat this much before the Chesterton boys were staying with us for two days. Once I had put away the groceries, I went out the back and turned on the water pump, as Mum had requested, as the trees all badly needed a drink, having been neglected these past few days.

Over the next few days, I tried to keep the boys occupied, which included a day out sailing to Port Denison and back on the catamaran, which they really enjoyed doing as they kept busy with helping with the deck work, and I even let them take it in turns to steer the yacht which was their favourite part of the day trip. Two days later, early Friday morning, my brothers were begging me to take them out sailing again. So, I suggested that they pack an overnight bag, as we would be going on a two-day sail, out to the Abrolhos Islands.

I telephoned Anita to let her know that we would be away for two days sailing, and she announced that she had three days off and could she and Nathan come with us. So, I agreed. She notified her boss that she was going sailing with friends to the Abrolhos Islands, and gave him my phone number as a second contact. After a quick organising of food and weekend luggage and both Nathan and Anita had joined us, we were sailing out of the marina just as my mobile rang. I handed it to Anita to answer it when I saw the number on the Caller ID.

“Hello, Anita speaking on Anton’s phone,” she said as she placed it on loud speaker.

“What are you doing with Anton’s phone?” came a shocked response.

“Why, are you getting jealous?” Anita replied with a big grin, and I couldn’t help laughing.

“Ok, what is going on down there, Guys?” Jasper asked in a serious manner.

“Hey, Jasper, I called Anita to let her know that the boys and I were going to sail to the Abrolhos Islands, and she asked if she and Nathan could join me, so I said yes,” I explained loudly so Jasper could hear me.

“Oh, I see. We are just leaving Denham, so we will be there day after tomorrow,” Jasper said to me.

“In that case, we will go via Port Denison, to pick up another day’s worth of food, and meet you there, as Anita has three days off work,” I replied.

“That sounds perfect. We will meet at West Wallabi then,” Jasper suggested.

“Yep. Ok, Mate. See you there,” I replied before ending the call.

I explained to Anita that Jasper and the crew were bringing the Trimaran back from Cocos Keeling Island, and that they also have a charter from Christmas Island to Fremantle via Exmouth and all the main ports down the coast. With Nathan being just two years older than Neale, they got along really well, and no doubt had met at school.

We headed north up the coast to Port Denison where we arrived just after noon. Calling a taxi, we headed to the supermarket to get some more food supplies, and extras just in case, and returned to the town jetty after we had stopped at a café for some lunch.

Leaving just after 1pm, I decided to continue north to Kalbarri, since we had an extra day spare, and that way we could meet the trimaran there, and sail together to the Abrolhos Islands. It would be a 6 ½ hour sail, so we would arrive there around the same time as the Trimaran, to surprise them. I taught Anita the basics of being at the helm, which allowed me to take short breaks to go to the bathroom, or make a snack, and shortly after dark, we sailed through the mouth of the river, and upstream to the marina, where I could see the crew busy on the trimaran’s deck, indicating they had only just arrived themselves.

I pushed the horn button, as we approached, and laughed when I saw Jasper jump and look around, before he spotted us approaching. Soon my phone rang. “What the blazes are you doing here? I was expecting to see you late tomorrow or the next morning, and thanks for the mini heart attack just now,” Jasper said to me.

“You’re welcome. We thought we would surprise you. I’m going to hang up so I can moor this tub,” I said and hung up the phone before Jasper could tell me off for calling the yacht a tub.

Finn and Toby raced up the jetty to help with mooring the catamaran, and as I shut off the engines, the lads came aboard and up to the fly bridge. “Hey, Guys, how did you enjoy the cruise across to the mainland and down the coast?” I asked my school mates.

“Real great! We enjoyed every bit of it, even when it was a little rough on the second day. Oh, did you call this catamaran a tub? Cos Jasper isn’t very happy,” Toby said to me, and I laughed and nodded my head.

“Just as well you are the boss, or you would be in big trouble,” Finn added.

“Guys, this is Jasper’s good friend Anita Cartwright, and her son Nathan. They decided to join me and the boys for our short cruise,” I said to Toby and Finn. “Let’s go over to the trimaran, so I can meet the guests, before they disappear into town,” I suggested, and we all stepped onto the jetty, and walked the few hundred metres to the trimaran, where I noticed Jasper looking cross with me from the fly bridge.

“That’s enough of that thanks, Skipper. Come down and introduce me to the guests,” I said loudly to Jasper as I stepped on board.

“Hello, Anton. Good to see you again,” Alexander and Maxwell said together, as they came out from the saloon. Moments later 6 adults stepped out onto the aft deck, just as Jasper appeared from the fly bridge.

“Folks, I would like to introduce you to my good friend, my boss and owner of this trimaran and the catamaran they just arrived on, Anton Hamilton, and his two brothers, Neale and Jedd,” Jasper said to the guests.

“Well, this is a surprise. I had no idea that you owned this yacht,” Maxwell said to me.

“It’s a big surprise to all of us I think, Son,” an older version of Maxwell and Alexander said, as I shook Mr Chesterton’s hand.

“Thank you for looking after our boys in Perth. I hope they were not too much of a problem,” a lady I presumed to be Mrs Chesterton said to me.

“It was my pleasure, and they were both gentlemen, and good play friends for my brothers. My co-owner - our grandfather - is in hospital after having a stroke, so our mum is down there visiting him every day, and I’ve been given child care duties till they return to Jurien Bay where we live,” I explained.

“If it is ok with you, can we swap places so I can spend some time with Anita and Nathan,” Jasper asked me after I had met all of the guests. I saw a couple of mouths drop open among the guests. “Not to worry folks, Anton is a fully qualified skipper, and he has done a lot of hours behind the helm,” Jasper added with a smile, and I couldn’t help but chuckle, as I saw Simon appear from inside.

“Hey, Buddy, how have you been?” I asked Simon.

“This skipper is a slave driver. I hope you are better, or I might have to walk the plank,” Simon said to me, and when we saw confused looks among the guests, Simon, Jasper and I burst out laughing.

“Sorry, it’s just an ongoing crew joke. Nothing to worry about,” I said to the guests.

“Well, I think we might go and explore this little town a little before dinner,” one of the guests said with a smile.

“That is fine, Sir. I predicted that you would want to have a look around, so I have delayed dinner till 8pm,” Simon announced, and with that said, the 8 guests stepped off the yacht and headed into town. Once they were out of sight, I sat down and motioned everyone to do the same.

“Ok. Well, with Jasper wanting to take the tub, I mean catamaran, to the Abrolhos Islands, we need to do a little bit of shuffling of crew. Jasper do you want Finn and Toby or Kirk and Leon to go with you?” I asked. “I think Finn and Toby, if that is ok with you, as you need the lads to keep the guests happy,” Jasper replied.

“Ok. Well, let’s do the crew changes now while the guests are off the yacht. Neale and Jedd can have the twin crew cabin, and I will have the master crew cabin. Let’s meet back here once the changes have been completed,” I announced, and I went back to the catamaran with my brothers to grab our luggage.

When we returned to the aft deck seating area of the trimaran, Jasper made an announcement. “We will set sail first thing in the morning, and meet you at East Wallabi sometime tomorrow,” he said to me.

“Ok, that’s good. So I presume the guests are having a tour of the Kalbarri National Park before we set off?” I asked Jasper.

“Yes, I have already arranged it. The tour group will pick them up from the marina at 8am and bring them back at 1.30pm. Remind them to take a hat, sunscreen and water and to have good walking shoes. Simon will be providing them with a snack pack to take with them,” Jasper replied.

“Ok, that sounds fine. Gives the crew and I some time to relax for a couple of hours,” I said in reply, which Kirk and Leon were happy to hear.

“The wages are in the safe. I have already put them in envelopes. Mine will go as my first deposit. We might as well distribute the rest, so they can go and spend some of it while on shore leave tomorrow,” Jasper said. He and I went into the office for a moment to retrieve the wages for the four crew members, and while at it, we changed the safe code. Shortly after handing the crew their wages, the guests returned from their walk around town, and Simon, Kirk and Leon sprang into action, heading downstairs to finish dinner preparations for the guests.

Once their meals had been served, the crew from both yachts ate downstairs in the crew mess, and while Kirk and Leon went upstairs to serve desserts to the guests, Toby and Finn did the cleaning up, while I had my brothers go and take a shower and get ready for bed. When all the cleaning up was completed, Jasper, Anita, Nathan, Toby and Finn headed over to the catamaran. My brothers were asleep already and I remained on the fly bridge on watch, while the lads attended to the guests, whenever they needed something.

I was up and on the fly bridge, when I saw a lot of activity was happening on the catamaran. I saw one of the lads say something. This is when Jasper spotted me. He gave a wave, which I returned, and minutes later they were sailing down the river. I picked up my mobile and dialled Jasper’s number. “Have a safe trip, see you tonight or in the morning, and before we lose reception, open up the drawer. You will find a yellow envelope,” I said to Jasper when he answered.

“What the… this is the yacht’s papers,” Jasper said to me, when he opened the envelope.

“Yes, and although you still have quite a few payments to make, she is yours now, so make sure you take care of her,” I responded. There was a moment’s silence, and I could hear sniffling.

“You are an awesome boss. Thanks Anton. You have made me a very happy man,” Jasper said.

“You are welcome. Now get back to work. I don’t want you running into anything on your first day of ownership,” I said with a smile and I heard Jasper chuckling.

“Yes, Boss. Thanks. See you later,” he replied and ended the call. I headed downstairs to the main bridge, and looked at the charts to make sure I had a clear idea of the journey to the Abrolhos Islands.