Life on the Swan - 8. Swan Chapter 8

Once the yacht was anchored, we had a light lunch before I changed into some swimming togs, and went for the short paddle to the beach, carrying some sandshoes and a shirt, in a water proof bag with me. On the beach, I put on my shoes and shirt, and headed along the narrow-sealed road towards Salmon Bay, to check out the woodlands for myself.

When I reached the garrison fence line, which is about two metres high, and with the gates locked, I walked out to the point and swam around the fence, till I reached the Salmon Bay beach, where there are steps leading back up to the road, and the bus stop.

Even from the beach, the woodlands looked very impressive, thick and healthy, and I could see and hear plenty of birds in amongst the trees, as I continued to walk along the road in a loop, eventually heading back on the eastern side of the Vice Regal Nature Reserve, as it has been named.

Once again, I came across a closed and locked gate, and so I headed down the stairs to the beach, and where it gets very rocky at the fence line, as it goes into the water for about 5 metres, a large sign clearly states – “Vice Regal Nature Reserve. Access prohibited to all visitors. Trespassing beyond this point is Forbidden”.

Checking that there was no one around, I took off my shirt and shoes, and holding them above the water, I swam around the fence line, and along the coast for a little way, before landing on the beach, and followed it for a little way before I spotted a bit of a path, which I climbed up the rocks and followed to I arrived at the road once more, just 400 metres away from the beach.

By the time I arrived back on the yacht, I was tired but I was also pleased to get a good amount of exercise, which I had not done much of lately.

“Oh good, you are back. I have received a text message from Mr Sebastian, to let us know that His excellency the Governor of Western Australia, who has been using the Rottnest residence for a holiday twice a year, will be arriving later this afternoon, and that you are invited to dine with him tonight” Wyatt announced to me.

“Oh, that is just great, and I didn’t bring anything formal for me to wear” I complained, “No you didn’t but I did slip in a dinner jacket and extras into your luggage, when you were not looking” Wyatt said smiling, which made me laugh.

“Always good to be prepared sir” Wyatt added, and I nodded my head in agreement, as I headed to my cabin to shower and change.

After the shower and change into some fresh clothes, I sat down in the main saloon, and started to browse through the television channels, and stopped when I came across and old western movie.

As the movie came to an end, nearly two hours later, Wyatt appeared and reminded me that it was nearly time for me to get ready for the dinner party at the residence, and that the Governor had already arrived there about 45 minutes ago, and that I was expected at 6.30 pm.

Wyatt had laid out my dinner jacket, pants, shirt, and smart casual shoes, ready for me to change in, when arrived in my cabin, so I had a quick shower to freshen up, before getting dressed, and Wyatt was in the main saloon waiting for me when I appeared, and he was holding a bottle of red wine, for me to take with me.

It would be the first time that I have visited the residence, and it was quite a large building, raised off the ground by about half a metre, surrounded by native trees and shrubs, with just a narrow strip of native grasses separating the residence from the security fence around the building.

I was glad when I saw that his excellency and his wife were both semi-formally dressed like myself, so I wasn’t under or over dressed, and I ended up having a very enjoyable evening, with the Governor interested in my life story, growing up firstly on the Isle of Mann, then going to boarding school in Switzerland, when Sebastian took over being my guardian, and all the travels I have done since then.

I learnt over dinner, that Sebastian and Lewis would be joining them for lunch tomorrow at the residence, and that I too was invited to attended, which I graciously accepted. After dinner, the Governor’s wife gave us a small concert on the baby grand piano, in the drawing room, and when asked if I had any musical talent, I reluctantly admitted that like my father I was very good at singing, especially in church.

With that said, the Governor’s wife began to play Amazing Grace, and I began to sing, which brought tears to my eyes, as I thought back to when Kyle and I sang at the Cathedral in Stanley, on the Falklands, when I first met Sebastian and the twins.

“Are you alright dear?” I heard a women’s voice say, well after the music ended, and shaking my head to clear my daze, I gave a small smile. “I am sorry Ma’am, that song always brings back sad memories, but also happy ones too. It was the song that I sang with my father’s best friend, Kyle at my father’s memorial service at the Anglican Cathedral in the Falklands, when I first met Sebastian for the first time, just days after I learnt that my father had passed away and that I would never get to meet him” I explained quietly.

“I am sorry to hear that dear, it must have been a big shock for you at such a young age” the Governor’s wife said, “Yes it was, but that was seven years ago now, and a lot has happened since then, and I am happy with my life. Thank you very much for an enjoyable evening and I will see you again for lunch tomorrow” I responded.

“It has been our pleasure young man. Sebastian and Sir Lewis have talked about you often, they are very proud of you, and what you have achieved in your young life. Sleep well, and see you tomorrow” the Governor said to me, as the butler directed me to the front door.

Back at the yacht a little while later, I sat down in the lounge on the upper terrace, to look out over the water in the cool evening, which was very relaxing. After a little while I headed to my cabin and went to bed even though it was still fairly early.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of knocking on my door, and before I could get up, Wyatt entered. “Sorry to wake you sir, but Mr Sebastian and Sir Lewis are boarding the yacht as I speak” Wyatt said to me, before dashing out of my cabin. I groaned as I looked at the clock and saw that it was just after 7am, as I climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

Twenty minutes later I arrived in the saloon, to find Sebastian and Lewis enjoying a cooked breakfast. “Good morning sleepy head, did you sleep well?” Lewis said to me, and I heard Seb chuckling, “Leave the boy alone, he has just got up” Seb said as he continued his breakfast.

“Good morning, I presume from your early arrival, that you only flew over from Fremantle this morning?” I said after breakfast was served for me. “Yes, we arrived late yesterday afternoon, as we want to get the business side of the trip out of the way before today’s formal lunch with the Governor” Sebastian said to me.

“Nice yacht by the way, shame it is a tad too small” I said between mouthfuls of toast. “I thought it would be acceptable for your first yacht” Sebastian replied, and I splatted my tea that I was drinking as Seb said this, “Now look what you made me do” I complained, as I wiped the spilt beverage from my shirt and the table in front of me.

“You mean the MV Toodyay is mine?” I asked after a quick clean up, and I waved Wyatt away, as he approached to deal with the mess. “Yes, and no doubt you will be spending a lot of time onboard, since it can get a bit boring just staying at home. This way you can go out and explore” Sebastian said to me.

“Well, I don’t know what to say, but thankyou cousin” I responded, and I noticed start to chuckle and I wondered why. “Ok, so what is the joke?” I asked suspiciously, just as there was the sounding of a horn from an approaching yacht, which was stopping a little way out, as it was bigger than the Sunreef.

“We were sort of tricking you, cousin-in-law, that is your new yacht, not this one. We had a temporary transom sign made up to hide the real name of this yacht, that is the real MV Toodyay” Lewis announced to me. “Holy shit, it is incredible, looks like a European design too” I commented in surprise.

“Yes, it is an English design. A Sunseeker 131 Yacht, 40-metres long, 8.1 metres wide, and like this yacht it has four decks, but the way it is designed, it has way more space. It also has 5 guest cabins and up to 9 crew like this yacht, but I had a few adjustments made, so that the aft area is a large gymnasium instead of a deck bar area, the Comms and Satellite tower can be lowered to get under low bridges, and the master cabin on the main deck is yours, since it is your yacht” Sebastian said to me.

“Wow, that is incredible, thanks for that. Can we go over and check it out please?” I replied. “The Captain has already arranged for the tender to be ready, once we have finished breakfast” Lewis said to me, as I sped up eating the last of my breakfast.

Ten minutes later, we were in the tender, approaching the other yacht, the real MV Toodyay, and the crewman steering did a slow cruise around the yacht, before approaching the stern of the yacht. The large stern sundeck was quite spacious, as I stepped onboard for the first time.

“Seb and I had a tour of her late yesterday afternoon, so we will just relax in the main salon, while you go and explore” Lewis said to me, as I headed up the stairs to the main deck, where a crew of 6 in dress uniform stood waiting for our arrival.

“Welcome a board the MV Toodyay sir, my name is Captain Anton Benigni, this is my first officer and engineer Langley Harris, the chief steward Carter King, chef Philip Young, and steward Toby Rogers” the captain said making the introductions, and I stood there stunned for a moment, surprised to have an all-male crew.

When I heard soft laughter coming from behind me, I turned to see Sebastian and Lewis smiling, “Yes cousin, you have an all-male crew, and yes they are either bi or gay, so we wont be having any issues in that area, plus Philip or Pip as he prefers to be called and Toby are partners” Sebastian announced, which made me blush a little.

“If I may sir, shall I take you on a tour?” the chief steward asked me, and I nodded my head and began to follow him indoors, passing a large semi-circular lounge area on the main aft deck, while the rest of the crew seemed to have already disappeared.

Once inside, I was standing in the main saloon, with a formal lounge area with seating for ten, and just forward of that is a formal dining area, also with seating for ten, and I was guided through the main galley, where the chef was busy at work, and Carter pointed out the stairs that lead to the crew living area, as we passed it and exited the work area, before turning left and entering the master suite.

“Your butler has already been on board a few times, and has already placed some luggage into your suite, which has been put away, so you are all set” Carter informed me, with a little smile. “I’m going to have to watch you lot, sneaky all of you” I commented, which made the chief steward laugh, “And he is very cute too” Carter said.

“I will not interfere with your personal lives, just don’t distract my butler, when he is working” I commented, “Yes sir, understood, and thank you sir” Carter responded.

The master suite takes up the whole width of the yacht, with two wardrobes, and a huge bathroom, with a great forward view. Leaving my suite, we headed up the main stairs to the lower guest deck, where there are two queen and two twin cabins, all of which are very spacious and luxurious.

Next, we headed up to the upper deck, were in the passageway there is a steward’s pantry and day bathroom, before we entered the main bridge. “Welcome to the brains of the yacht, you are free to explore anywhere on the yacht, my cabin is situated on the starboard side just behind the bridge” the captain informed me.

The door to the Captain’s cabin was open, so I stuck my head in for a little peak, “Good to see that you are well looked after in regards to space Captain” I commented, “Yes thankyou sir, I found it perfect for my needs” the captain replied, and I nodded my head.

“Oh, by the way captain, is it lawful still to make sneaky and cheeky crew member walk the plank?” I asked with a small smile, and the look of shock on Carter’s face was priceless, and the Captain laughed out loud when he too saw this. “Sorry sir, it is not permitted in these modern days, but if you have any problems with crew, just let me know.

Mr Sebastian and Sir Lewis stayed onboard last night, and they suggested that we take a cruise up the coast, if that is what you wish?” the Captain said to me, which surprised me a little. “So is Xavier here too?” I asked, “Yes sir, the Cooper brothers are currently transferring your luggage over to here from the charter yacht, then we will be set to go” the Captain replied.

“Very well, after we get back from lunch, lets head north to Lancelin” I suggested, before leaving the bridge. Passing through the smaller upper lounge, which has a bar area to one side, I exited onto the upper terrace, where Sebastian and Lewis were sitting, with Xavier and Wyatt standing nearby.

“Hi Xavier, good to see you again, now where are you guys sleeping when onboard?” I asked the Cooper brothers, “Hello sir, my brother and I share the forward crew cabin on the lower deck” Xavier replied. “I see, well as long as you are comfortable, I would have preferred you both sharing a guest twin cabin, since there is just family onboard” I replied.

“Thank-you sir, we will make the move later” Wyatt said, as he presented me with a fruit cocktail, before I sat down with Seb and Lewis. “I asked the Captain about making sneaky crew walk the plank, but I’m not allowed to do it” I commented before taking a sip of my drink.

Seb and Lewis laughed at my comment, and shook their heads gently, before Seb’s expression changed, and it took me a moment to realise it was an expression of sadness on his face. “Seb, are you ok?” I asked concerned, as I saw Lewis grab hold of his husband’s hand and lean into him.

“Ye… yes, it’s just… you remind me of your late father, you are so much like him in many ways… I really miss him terribly, even after this long period of time” Seb replied, with his voice shaky. “Huon would often be a bit of a prankster, I remember once when the ship was berthed at Stanley, and some teenage tourists threw paint onto the side of the ship, Huon suggested that Captain Blue Beard should make them scrub the decks in punishment.

Then ship’s captain had a goatee, and he temporarily stained it blue, and when the teens were caught and brought before the magistrate, Captain Blue Beard made an appearance, which shocked most who were not in the know on the little joke. I still have the video footage of the court hearing somewhere, remind me to show it to you” Sebastian informed me.

“Yes please, I would very much like to see that, by the way, I haven’t seen that forward area in front of the bridge, which I can’t seem to work out how to get there, and also I haven’t seen the sundeck yet” I replied. “I will be happy to show that to you sir, the forward area is accessed from side of the main deck, then steps up to the forward lounge on the upper deck” Carter responded from the doorway.

I stood up and followed Carter downstairs, then along the side of the yacht, and up the steps, till we came out alongside the bridge, and around the front to the large sun lounge, which was quite large. “I think this will be my favourite place on fine warm says” I commented, as we headed back the way we came, and headed up the stairs to the Sundeck, where I found a large outdoor lounge, a cocktail bar, and a jacuzzi.