Never walk alone- Walk on - 23. Chapter 23

Their departure from Achnacarry this time was far less traumatic compared to the one in January after the funeral. Everyone was in high spirits, and Iona in particular, seemed to have processed the loss of her daughter to a large extent. The fact that it was quite obvious that Jamie and Fiona were very happywith their circumstances aided the situation a great deal. That, and the prospect of a visit to Cape Town at the end of November to partake in the shakedown cruise for the new yacht with Ken and Jenny. Donald had accepted an invitation as well.

Leaving just after breakfast for their afternoon flight to Athens, the drive back to Edinburgh was uneventful, the good weather still playing its part with Scotland basking in an unusually long period of clear blue, sunny skies. Their flight to Athens departed on time and it too was very run-of-the-mill. However, stepping off the plane was like stepping into an oven, with Greece baking in Mediterranean summer heat.

They all hurriedly boarded the air-conditioned limousine that Andrew had arranged, breathing contented sighs of relief and the drive to the marina was blissfully cool and comfortable as was the hotel they were overnighting at to await the arrival of 'MY Amira' in the morning. The sticky, oppressive heat kept them hotel bound, only braving the weather to take the children for a swim in the hotel pool in the late afternoon. A very Greek dinner was enjoyed in the air-conditioned comfort of one of the restaurants within the hotel, and it was a fairly early night for them all after first contacting Michael to check on what time breakfast had been arranged.

At 6am the next morning, they all stood on the balcony of the suite and watched as 'MY Amira' appeared from behind the headland that guarded the eastern side of the marina and cruised slowly towards her berth, not far from where they were standing. Both Andrew and Ryan felt a tug a pride, and surprisingly, a small tug of sadness as they watched their strikingly beautiful yacht arriving in port.
Michael had dressed her overall for arrival, gold, burgundy, navy blue and white pennants fluttering from her bow, all the way to the top of the mast array and back down to the stern post. Her gleaming white hull and angular smoked windows making her look sleek and somehow, menacing, but very graceful at the same time.

There was no major rush as breakfast with the potential new owners was only at 9am, but at 8.30am the Devlin-Majors arrived at the foot of the passerelle. Either Michael had been keeping an eagle eye out for his employers, or had posted a lookout, but as soon as the family appeared on the dockside a short distance from the yacht, there was a flurry of activity on the main deck aft as the crew assembled to welcome them on board. Two male figures observed from the aft doors of the Sky Deck salon on the upper deck.

As expected, and as was the norm for any arriving guests, the welcome they received was warm and genuine. Cold, scented towels for all to refresh themselves due to the, already, prickly heat, mimosas for Andrew and Ryan, ice cold fresh fruit cocktail for the children.

"Ryan, Andrew, good to have you on board again", Michael greeted them, then smiled at the four children. "Hi guys, good to see you too".
The rest of the crew greeted them as well and then ushered them into the cool comfort of the main salon, the sliding doors swishing open as they approached and sliding silently closed behind them. They sat down in the lounge area as Michael added,

"Our guests have not yet vacated the master suite, so I'm afraid you will have to wait until they do so, to get settled. The lower deck cabins are all ready if you want to use those in the interim. Breakfast will be in the Sky Deck salon, so you may want to go straight up there to meet the guests. As you saw, they are up there already".

The door to the aft deck slid open again to admit Liam, who grinned broadly when he saw them as he strode towards them, his hand outstretched in greeting.

"Andrew, Ryan! Fantastic to see you. You're looking great.", shaking their hands.

"Hi Liam. Good to finally meet you in person", Ryan replied.

"Hi Liam", Andrew added. "Any further news?"

"Actually, yes. Really good news. I'm all but certain it's a done deal. I chatted via the satellite phone to both Gabriel and Lucas yesterday afternoon, and they are thrilled with her. I pressed them as much as a could for a definite decision but could get nothing concrete out of them. Personally, I think they are waiting to give you their decision themselves. Shall we go up? By the way, Gabriel is the tall redhead", Liam said indicating the deck above.

As they stood, the children all ran ahead of them, Cameron and Elizabeth exuberantly leading the way up the interior stairs, with Jamie and Fiona in their wake. The adults followed at a more sedate pace, but found the children all standing on the short flight of stairs from the bridge to the Sky Deck, staring uncertainly at the two strangers who were in the room, who stared back at them with smiles.

"Cam, either go into the room of move out of the way so that we can get through", Ryan told him sternly, getting a quick response when they hastily moved out of the way, still eyeing the two men suspiciously. As Ryan stepped through the doorway into the Sky Deck salon, both the men stood up and moved closer, and for the first time he and Andrew got a look at the potential new owners of 'MY Amira'.

Gabriel van der Velde was indeed, as Liam had told them, tall. Very tall! Ryan judged him to be at least 6ft 5ins or 1.9meters and was a big man all round with broad shoulders, very distinguished looking with closely cropped ginger hair and a neat ginger beard, threaded with grey. Green eyes appraised them under well shaped ginger eyebrows on a face that was handsome, yet rugged at the same time. And it was obvious that he, and his companion looked after themselves.

The fitted mint green golf shirt he wore revealed more than it hid, the fabric hugging a wide chest, narrowing down to a slim waist and hips, encased in white knee length shorts. A well defined six pack was also very much in evidence. Muscular, well shaped, ginger furred legs and calves completed a very sexy picture. The hand that he extended in greeting was huge.

"Ryan, Andrew. It's a pleasure to meet you at last", he said, greeting them in perfect, slightly accented English. He shook both their proffered hands and then turned to the man standing at his side gestured with his hand, drawing him close to his side, smiling."This is Lucas Dubois, my better half"

As Andrew and Ryan greeted Lucas, a quick appraisal revealed that he was a quite a bit shorter than his partner, at roughly the same height as Andrew, 1.8meters or 6ft tall, and had very similar completion and colouring to Andrew as well. In fact he could have been Andrew's brother from another mother, the difference being in their build. Where Andrew was slim, Lucas Dubois was, what Andrew and Ryan would later reach consensus on, beefy.

He wore an apricot hued golf shirt in exactly the same design as his husband, as was his white shorts, the fabric straining around his huge, darkly furred thighs. It was very clear that he spent a good deal of his free time in the gym with weights. Wide, thick shoulders and a broad muscled chest with clearly defined nips also strained the fabric of the shirt, as did his biceps. His arms and the back of the hand he greeted them with were also heavily furred while dark hair curled thickly in the V of his shirt. The two men certainly made a formidable pair. Andrew judged them to be in their middle thirties to early forties in age.

"Yes, we have been looking forward to meeting you both", Lucas added as he shook their hands. "Gabe and I are most impressed with what we have read about you and your business interests. And you are both still so young".

"It's a pleasure meeting you both at last too", Ryan replied, and glanced at the breakfast buffet that Ray had laid out on wet bar counter top. "Why don't we get ourselves something to eat and we can chat at the table", he suggested.

The other two men grinned and nodded.

"Excellent idea. We have really enjoyed the wonderful catering that you and your crew provide on board 'Amira'", Gabriel told them. "My only disappointment is that you are taking your wonderful crew away. Although having spoken with them and discovered the esteem in which they hold you both, and how you care for them, I cannot say I am surprised. We are particularly interested in your incentive scheme and how it works for you. And them", he added.

As they approached the wet bar, where Ray was holding court, he walked out from behind the bar to greet them.

"Ryan, Andrew welcome back on board. I hope this cruise is going to be less adventurous than they last time you were on board", he said grinning. They both greeted him and Ryan replied,

"God, I hope so too, Ray. At least the weather forcast is looking good. What have you got on the menu today?"

"Oh, the usual full breakfast offering. All the cold items on the bar top and the girls will take orders for your hot meals which I will do at the grills. I also took the liberty of checking the catering file for the last time you cruised with us and have used those guidelines to order in additional supplies"

"Fantastic, that will be perfect. Thanks Ray", Andrew replied. "Actually, I just had a thought. If 'Amira' gets sold, you will need to make a copy of that file for 'Lady Janice', and leave a copy on board 'Amira' for the new crew".
Ray looked puzzled and asked,

"Um, who is Lady Janice?" Andrew and Ryan chortled.

"That would be the name of the new yacht. Which was supposed the be a secret until her launch", Ryan told him. "Just as long as my mother doesn't find out. It's going to be a surprise for her"

After allowing Gabriel, Lucas and Liam to help themselves, Andrew and Ryan watched as the children selected their preferences and then dished up for themselves. The children were all seated round one end of the table while the adults sat round the other. Ashleigh arrived with the coffee pot and a teapot for Andrew and there was a few minutes of quiet as they all took a few mouthfuls of food.

Once the conversation resumed between the four men, it flowed remarkably easily, as if they had known one another for a long time. Andrew had the distinct feeling that they would become very good friends. Liam just sat quietly and allowed his clients to get to know one another better.

With breakfast complete, the children wanted to swim in the Sky Deck splash pool but Andrew told them to wait for an hour before getting into the water as they had just eaten, so Christine took them down to the main salon to watch a movie. The five adults remained at the breakfast table nursing their coffee and tea. Ryan finally brought up the real reason they were all there.

"So what are your impressions of 'MY Amira', and have you come to any decision yet?", he asked.
Gabriel answered his question.

"To say we are impressed with her would be an understatement. Quite simply, we love her. She is exactly what we are looking for. You have maintained her in mint condition and quite honestly there is nothing we want to change. As I said earlier, our biggest regret is that the crew will not be staying on", he told them with a grin. "If I may ask, why are you selling her?"

For a moment Ryan pondered on how much to reveal about their acquisition of 'MY Amira'.

"Without going into all the details, we acquired 'Amira' as, shall I say, payment for a debt. As you know, we used her for charters in the Indian Ocean islands, based on Mauritius, but after cruising on her twice, I felt that she didn't fit into the business. You are aware that our other vessel, 'SY Belle Catherine' is a catamaran and shd has managed to build quite a name for herself and Devlin-Major Charters, as has 'MY Amira' during her time based in Mauritius. Our problem, and it turned out Andrew had the same thoughts, was that 'Amira' is, obviously, not a catamaran and we felt we wanted to keep the charter vessels the same. So we are having a second, larger catamaran built as we speak, and why we are selling 'Amira'. I will admit, from a pure ego point of view, I would love to have kept her". He grinned boyishly. "You've got to admit she looks just gorgeous, and she's fast too. Not to even talk about her decor and all the extra features she has. In fact we are having the same fire protection system installed on the new yacht as the one here on 'Amira'. It's more expensive but in the long run, we save on the insurance costs. And it gives us more peace of mind".

Lucas sat forward and leaned his elbows on the table.

"Your new yacht is also a sailing yacht?", he enquired. Andrew shook his head as Ryan took a sip of his coffee.

"No, it's a hybrid diesel electric. When Ryan first told me about it, I was disappointed that it wasn't a sailing yacht. On 'Belle Catherine', when the engines are turned off and we are just sailing,..... well there is nothing quite like it. Just the sound of the wind in the rigging and the water against the hull. It's magical! But I am told that once the electric motors are engaged, they are just as quiet. I'm anxious to see if that's is the case".

Both Lucas and Gabriel nodded.

"Interesting! So you are moving to 'greener' pastures, so to speak", Gabriel commented. Andrew nodded.

"Yes, you could say that. In time, I've been considering converting 'Belle Catherine' to hybrid as well. I just don't know what's involved or even if it is feasible. We'll have to see. So getting back to 'MY Amira'. From all you have said now, I get the feeling that you are serious about purchasing her?".

"Oh, for sure", Gabriel replied. "Yes, we will definitely be purchasing her. She is perfect for what we have in mind".

"Fantastic", Ryan added. "Having met you two now, I am happy that she is going to owners who appreciate her as much as we do. She's a great boat. She just doesn't fit into our vision of Devlin-Major Charters. What are you doing about a captain and crew? And where will you be basing her?"

"We have had some discussion with your captain and Liam while we have been on board and he has been most helpful. To the extent that we have a short list of potential captains and crew who we will begin interviewing as soon as we sign the purchase documents. As to a base, we are going to stay here in the Mediterranean, concentrating on Italy, Greece, Croatia and Turkey in the summer. And the Caribbean during our winter", Gabriel explained, just as his mobile chimed an incoming message. He glanced quickly at the screen and then stood, Lucas doing the same. He looked at Liam.

"It seems our limousine has arrived. Liam, will you send me the purchase contract to sign please. We will still be in Greece for a week, at the Grand Hyatt, as you know".

"I'll bring the documents to your hotel at 11am tomorrow", Liam advised him, looking very pleased, then turned to Ryan.

"When are you sailing? I was thinking that once Gabriel and Lucas have signed the documents, if you are still here, I can come round to get your signatures as well and get the ball rolling as soon as possible"

"We are not leaving port until tomorrow afternoon. As far as I know we have provisions being delivered this after-noon and tomorrow morning and we have no plans for tomorrow, except to chill out on board. It's too hot to be running around the city".

"Good, then I'll pop around after seeing Gabriel and Lucas".

A quick glance through the Sky Deck windows revealed Gary and Brian loading luggage into a grey Mercedes limousine. Ryan, Andrew and Liam accompanied Gabriel and Lucas down through the main deck salon to the passerelle on the aft deck.

"Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure meeting you and talking to you", Gabriel said as he extended his hand."I hope we get to see more of one another. Even though we have just met this morning, it feels like we have known you for much longer", Gabriel told them. "We are planning a trip to South Africa for Christmas and New Year. Would you mind if we looked you up when we are in Cape Town?" He hesitated momentarily, then added, "In fact, we should stay at one of your lodges. I'll have a look when we get to our hotel".

Both Andrew and Ryan nodded and smiled.

"Yes sure, we'd love to see you", Ryan replied, "show you around a bit. Maybe go out for a sail. Actually, our new yacht should be launched by then. We can do both. We have 'Belle Catherine' allocated to us for the week between Christmas and New Year, and 'Lady Janice' will not have left for Mauritius yet, she'll still officially be on sea trials"

"And if you have any problems with accommodation, let me know and I will arrange something for you. Just advise the dates", Andrew added.

"Fantastic, sounds like a plan", Gabriel answered enthusiastically."We've kept you long enough. You will want to get settled in as well, so we'll be on our way. Thank you again for the wonderful hospitality on board. It was great getting to meet you. Pass our thanks on to the captain and the crew as well. We have left a gratuity for them in the cabin".

After a further round of handshakes, Gabriel and Lucas disembarked, and drove away waving.

"Wow, I really like them!", Andrew said turning to Ryan, who nodded.

"Yeah, me too. So easy to talk to. Lucas was a bit quiet, but I think he defers to Gabriel more often than not", Ryan replied, taking Andrew's hand. "I much prefer our way. 50-50. At least most of the time", grinning and ducking his head as Andrew took a playful swipe at him, also laughing. Turning, they walked hand in hand up the exterior stairs from the main deck to the Sky Deck to join their children in the splash pool. Christine and Ashleigh were busy servicing the master cabin, so they made use of the day head off the starboard corridor to change into their swim suits. They stopped at the bar where Gary was doing bar duty while the girls were busy in the master cabin, ordered two tall Long Island iced teas and some sodas for the children and then lowered themselves into the water, relishing the relief that the cool water provided from the heat. Gary had erected the overhead canopy so the pool and half the upper deck aft, where six sunbeds now stood, were under shade.. A further four sun beds were posi-tioned along the aft railing for anyone who wished to brave the sun. The raised splash pool afforded a perfect view over the bulwarks to the activity in and on the marina. Vessels of different types sailed or motored past slowly while the faint sound of bouzoukis being played in the nearest restaurant floated up to them. Despite the fearsome heat, it was really quite idyllic. Gary delivered the drinks and the day became even hotter.

A short time later they heard Michael, Ray and Brian chatting to Gary and then the girls arrived as well to begin setting the table for lunch. After a short chat with his crew, Michael came to the pool.

"My apologies for disturbing you gentlemen but I just needed to check if there was anywhere in particular you wanted to go this week?", their captain enquired. Andrew glanced at Ryan, who replied,

"Haven't really given in any thought, Michael. But now that you ask, what about going west through the Corinth Canal into the Ionian Sea and doing the western side of Greece. Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Ithaca and Lefkada are the main ones if my memory serves correctly. My guess it it will be quieter than the usual haunts in the Aegean Sea and we haven't been in the area except when we sailed with Dan and Joan on 'Texas Lass', and even that was just sailing past on the way from Genoa to Piraeus on 'Texas Lass' maiden voyage".
Michael grinned enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I like that idea. It will be a change of scenery for all of us. All the charters have been south and east. So it will be a nice break from the norm. And I don't think any of the crew have experienced the Corinth Canal yet. Very good idea boss!", he said, still smiling. "I'll plan a course accordingly".

Ray served a light salad lunch of smoked mackerel with apple, avocado and horseradish cream, and the afternoon was spent either in the pool sipping long cold drinks, or in the air conditioned interior of the yacht, to escape the fearsome heat. It also gave them opportunity to unpack and get settled.

That evening, to give the crew a small break, the boys took them and their family out for dinner, dining at one of the restaurants close to the marina. It was typical Greek Mediterranean fare with lots of tomato based sauces, fresh fish, squid, and mussels, although in Ryan's opinion, the clay oven baked lamb with garlic, lemon and oregano was the star of the show. After dinner they sat out in the balmy air under a clear sky at one of the tavernas enjoying the traditional music and the vibrant activity in the marina.
Strolling back to 'MY Amira' both the owners were very impressed and, truth be told, more than a little regretful as they approached their motor yacht.
She was moored stern on, as was Mediterranean custom, amidst several other vessels, some larger than she was. And yet somehow she stood out amongst her peers. Her sleek lines were emphasised by the angular smoked glass windows on the superstructure and she was lit up like a Christmas tree. Small white globes radiated bright light along the length of pennants that stretched from her bow, up to the top of her mast array, and down to the stern railing on the main deck. All her deck lights were on and warm light glowed through the windows and portholes of her cabins. Her paintwork gleamed in the radiated light and she looked magnificent. She really was a beautiful vessel. Maybe not the biggest one floating in the marina that night, but most certainly one of the prettiest.
They all waited on the edge of the pier as Brian jumped lightly down onto the swim platform to deploy the passerelle which had been retracted to prevent any unwanted visitors while they were all ashore. The electric motor on the passerelle hummed as it swung towards the pier and came to rest with a muted thunk. There were several comments from a number of members of the public who were 'sightseeing', although exactly what was said was unknown due language difference. Once they were all back on board, Brian retracted the passerelle once again and Gary helped him secure it and the yacht for the night. Andrew and Ryan took the children to their cabins on the lower deck, and while they got them ready for bed, the crew turned off all the unnecessary interior lights, leaving just one or two in each area turned on, but dimmed down low. When they returned to the main deck, the main salon was almost in darkness with the curtains drawn over the port and starboard windows, and the aft sliding doors.

In the master cabin, all the curtains had also been drawn and only the bedside lamps and the lights in the bath-room were turned on, bathing the luxurious room in soft light. Andrew sighed contentedly and leaned back against Ryan as his husband wrapped his arms around him. Ryan nuzzled the nape of Andrew's neck, one of his more sensitive erogenous zones. Andrew turned in his husbands arms and their lips met softly. It didn't take long before the kiss deepened into something a lot more heated and soonthere was a trail of discarded clothing on the bedroom floor, leading to the en-suite bathroom. The shower they shared was rather steamy, not only from the water cascading over their bodies. Then, hardly taking the time to dry off, they fell onto the bed and were soon lost in a world where only the two lovers mattered.