Never walk alone- Walk on - 27. Chapter 27

The weekend after the reopening of Drakensberg Resort, the new owners were very pleasantly surprised when, while perusing the Sunday newspapers, they came across a very complimentary write up on the resort in the travel section of the paper. There were photographs of the new rooms, public areas and gardens, as well as an interview with Larry. The article spoke glowingly of the upgrade the resort had received and how it had breathed new life into the old dowager, a reference taken from Andrew's short speech at the official opening. The write up corresponded to a noticeable uptick in reservations, and when Andrew spoke with Larry later that same week, Larry was over the moon at the future pros-pects of the resort and the amount of positive feedback he had received. Larry advised that the December/January holiday season, for which reservations had been rather lacklustre, was now almost fully booked and that a number of incoming tour organisations had expressed interest in once again including the resort in their itineraries, something which had dwindled to a mere trickle over the previous years. He had received a numerous requests from the operators for representatives to inspect the resort, and a number of them had already confirmed reservations for their incoming tour groups., with most staying two or three nights. It seemed the resort was back on track to regain her lost glory, leaving all concerned feeling very positive about the future. As usual, Blue Bay Lodge and The Cameron were already filled to brim and 'Belle Catherine' was equally busy. All that remained now to achieve their objectives for the year was to get 'Lady Janice' into the water and to successfully complete her sea trials and shake down cruises prior to her departure for Mauritius.

In the middle of November, their a lives became even busier. Not only were both the Cape Town lodges extremely busy with year end functions, both corporate and private, but both Andrew and Ryan were helping out where they could to take off some of the pressure on the management teams. This busy period occurred every year starting in the last week of November and running through until just before Christmas and then picking up again in the new year when wedding season kicked in.

It was during this time that Andrew received an email from Joan Kinley advising that she and Dan were flying in two days before Christmas for two weeks. Andrew had been so busy that he had forgotten they were going to be making their annual trip to Cape Town. They would be staying at Blue Bay as usual but Joan expressed some disappointment that 'Belle Catherine' was not available during their second week for a short cruise.
Andrew immediately replied to her email, inviting the Kinleys to join them as their guests on board 'Lady Janice' for one of the shakedown cruises, which they accepted with alacrity. It seemed the Devlin-Majors were going to be spending a great deal of their holiday season on board the new yacht, what with Gabriel and Lucas coming to Cape Town as well. Fortunately, the two couples were in town a week apart with the two Belgians arriving the week before Dan and Joan.

Finally, on the last day of November, a Friday, the long awaited day arrived. The launch of 'Lady Janice'. Andrew and Ryan were at the shipyard very early, mainly to hang the artworks that they had commissioned from Janice, who was still totally oblivious to the fact that the yacht was going to carry her name. But also, selfishly but understandably, they wanted the yacht to themselves to look over and appreciate, just as they had done with 'Belle Catherine' when she was launched. She had been moved to a position immediately in front of the massive double doors which accessed the slipway.and was perched on an eighteen wheeled, remote controlled, bogey from which she would be launched. Shrouds covered her name on the bows and on her transom.
Once again every nook, cranny and hatch was thoroughly investigated and, to quote a famous book, they saw that it was good. She would be the perfect foil for 'Belle Catherine' and a superb addition to Devlin-Major Charters. The builders had her linked up to a generator that powered the air conditioning and her lights.

Her interiors matched that of 'Belle Catherine' almost exactly, except for the lighter limewashed oak that predominated her woodwork. But the biggest difference was her size and the space that it provided. Compared to 'Belle Catherine', the cabins were simply palatial, particularly the master cabin and the two VIP cabins, which were actually only very slightly larger than the other two cabins located midships in the hulls, as were the saloon and deck spaces. The two forward cabins in the hulls were crew cabins. What Andrew particularly liked was that the hulls were both wide enough that the beds in the four midships cabins could be placed transversely, facing the outboard portholes. And the decor perfectly reflected the beach house feel that he had wanted to achieve. To further enhance the look, Andrew had replaced the original wall sconces with those shaped like seashells. The seashell motif had also been added to the fabric that covered the comforters on the beds. 'Belle Catherine' would get that upgrade in a month or two.

The most impressive difference in size was most noticeable in the saloon, which was spacious enough that the seating area could be placed in the centre of the saloon, just forward of the doors to the aft cockpit.
Placed on a carpet exactly like the one on 'Belle Catherine', the two, three seater couches and two armchairs were placed in a U-shape surrounding a marble topped coffee table. Two matching side tables nestled in the angles between the couches and the armchairs. Behind the two armchairs was an oak unit which housed the retractable swivel TV, with storage cupboards on either side. Moving forward, on the the port side, was the galley with black granite work surfaces on top of more limewashed oak and six seat breakfast bar, while the bar on the starboard side, also topped with black granite, sported six seats as well and the interior navigation station was situated forward of the bar with the door to the forward cockpit between the navigation station and the galley. Lacquered, limewashed oak flooring surrounded the seating area, with cabinets and lockers lining the walls below window level. The central door foward onto the bow took one into what the builders called, the Sea Lounge, a U-shaped seating area to port and huge sun bed on the starboard side with navy blue cushions and mattreses. A small drinks cooler was located in the forward bulkhead. Two Yamaha Waverunner jet skis sat on chocks on the starboard trampoline in the bow.

Although the saloon was big enough to include a formal dining area, a concious decision had been taken to locate the main dining area on the main deck aft under the upper deck overhang. To protect the area during inclement weather, Ryan had specified that toughened glass wind protectors be manufactured that could be inserted into discreet spigots fitted into the top of the deck overhang and the bulwarks below. The windows were stored in convenient lockers on the bulwarks and when needed could easily be fitted by slipping the tops into the spigots and then a sliding sleeve dropped over those on the bulwarks.

Here, Andrew had kept everything very traditional, the decking underfoot was Flexiteak, the same as on 'Belle Catherine', as were all the exterior deck spaces. The dining table, in genuine teak, was long enough to easily seat four- teen in comfortable matching chairs with thick cushions and backrests in navy blue, as were the cushions on the seating/sunning area behind the table, with a backrest that could pivot depending on whether you wanted to face forward or aft.
On the port side was yet another seating area, and behind that, another sunning area with cushions. On the starboard side was a wet bar with a BBQ, refrigerator, ice maker and wash up sink. Forward of the bar was the stairs to the owners deck and bridge deck.

At the very aft end of the yacht, down three teak clad steps was the swim platform, into which two spigots were fitted on either side for the erection of parasols for shade. The area was also large enough for two small tables with chairs if required. In another major design change, this was also where Ryan had moved the tender. It had originally been located at the aft end of the owners deck, but his decision to have a small splash pool installed on the bridge deck meant that some weight had to be moved lower down, and that meant moving the tender.

Taking the stairs up one deck, they arrived at what Andrew considered to be the piece de resistance of the yacht, the owners deck, with the absolutely palatial master stateroom, occupying the entire deck.

Here Ryan had specified some quite major changes to the original plans that had caused the builders a few headaches. But the end product was perfect.
Stepping onto the deck under the bridge deck overhang, the space was essentially just another chill out area. At the very aft end of the deck was a private sunning area with loungers, but the area between that and the main cabin was vastly redesigned. Ryan had specified that a set of sliding doors, and sliding windows, be installed on the edge of the overhang to enclose the open deck area. This was done so that when the children were on board with them, or if the principle clients had small children, then they could be accommodated on four very upmarket sleeper couches that had been installed. In the event that the principles were on their own, then the area just reverted back to the original seating area. The additional doors and windows also protected the stairs between the decks from the elements. A watertight door opened into the master stateroom directly from the stairs as well.
Moving forward through another set of sliding doors one stepped into the fully carpetted master stateroom.
Immediately through the doors, against the rear of the bed headboard were two plush armchairs on eitherside of a small table with a coffee station, under which a drinks refrigerator was located.
To access the bedroom area proper, you could go left or right. To port, past the bathtub, shower and spa room, to starboard past the head and walk in wardrobes
The stateroom was bathed in natural light when they entered, with huge windows forward and on the sides, while the sliding door allowed light from aft. The side windows were able to be opened to allow fresh air to flow through the cabin and remote controlled blinds could be lowered for more privacy if required. Fitted below window level was a sweep of lockers and drawers, the centre locker directly in front of the bed fitted with a retractable 50in TV.

The king size bed was placed on the centreline and slightly raised on a plinth. The plush headboard was upholstered to mimic waves on the surface of the ocean in a fabric hue that was called 'Sea Foam'. A solid navy blue comforter cover the bed to the top of the plinth and hid six additional lockers in its base. A throw in the same striped pattern fabric lay neatly folded on the bed at the foot. Six pillows covered in white, blue and grey pillowcases completed the look.
Ryan pressed a button on the remote control and soft pale blue recessed lighting illuminated the ceiling and the plinth. Andrew gasped.

"Wow babe, that's just gorgeous! You're giving me lots of ideas for 'Belle Catherine'. Ryan held another button and the light moved through a range of soft pastel shades and everything in between. He grinned at Andrew like a little boy with a new toy.

"Pretty neat, huh". Andrew just grinned back, nodded and then shook his head.

They examined the heads and the bathroom where Andrew had opted for a light counter top on the lime washed lockers. Brass fittings gleamed in the bright bathroom overhead lights, pale blue and dark blue towels hung on the rails and fluffy white bathrobes with 'Lady Janice' embroidered on the left breast hung behind the door. Shell shaped soap dishes were fitted in the shower, at both basins, the bath and at the basin in the head on the opposite side of the cabin.

Leaving the cool comfort of the cabin they took the last flight of stairs up to the bridge deck. Here some structural changes had been made as well. Sliding windows had been installed right around the deck in preference to the drop down screens in the original specifications. The second big change was the small hot tub/splash pool against the aft rail that replaced two sunning lounges and the original tender position. Instead, sun loungers were placed radiating from the sides of the tub. Flexiteak was once again the preferred floor covering of choice.

Forward of the tub was another wet bar seating six, with a refrigerator, an ice maker and sink. On either side of the stairway on the starboard side was another BBQ with a granite worktop, and a small forward facing seating area, with one on the port side as well. Aft of that was a teak table with L-shaped seating and three of the same dining chairs used at the table on the main deck. Forward in the very centre of the room was the main helm station with two very comfortable command chairs and all the associated controls. The 180° views from the helm were simply astounding. Ryan also pointed out the exterior cameras that would assist when docking stern to.

Before they could examine the engine and engineering spaces, the lights in the vast building turned on and voices were heard as the workers began arriving for the day, although not much actual work was goingto be done as the day largely entailed the launch of Devlin-Major Charters newest vessel. The doors rumbled open behind them, flooding sunlight into the building and revealing 'Lady Janice' in all her splendour. They noticed Gordon and his team crossing the floor towards them and went to meet them at the gangway that had been set up to get on board. Gordon greeted them as he stepped onto the deck.

"Ryan, Andrew! Good morning. You guys are here bright and early. I take it you've been having a look around your new baby?"

"Morning Gordon", Ryan replied extending his hand in greeting. "Yeah, we have. And may I say, she is looking fantastic". Andrew nodded in agreement as he shook Gordon's hand.

"I agree wholeheartedly. We couldn't be happier or more impressed. You guys have done produced a stunner for us. If her sea trial is anything like her appearance, we will be over the moon. Thank you so much. To you and your team". Gordon grinned broadly.

"Thanks guys. It has only been a pleasure to work with you on this project. It's great when a client knows exactly what they want and can express that vision in such a way that we, the builders, can buy into that vision. It makes our job that much easier. You gave us a few anxious moments with some of the changes, but overall it worked out great. We have learned a few things as well from this project as far as the versatility of the basic platform goes. But all the hard work is done. Now we just have to get her into the water and let her prove herself".

"The sooner the better", Ryan replied. "We are itching to see her floating and sailing".
They were interrupted by a large delivery vehicle driving through the open doors.

"Aha", Gordon said, "That's the caterers arriving. Will you excuse me while I get them organised". He turned and descended the boarding ladder. The builders and new owners were jointly hosting a brunch prior to the official launch at 13h00. Devlin-Major Charters had invited a small group of tour companies, mainly those who had the company on their books, as well as a select group from the press, including Michael Gibson from Lodge Inn magazine. Their management teams from the three hotels would be present as well, including Larry who had flown in the previous evening. And , of course, their family. Janice had been invited to officiate at the launch, but still had no idea that the yacht was named for her. To that end,Ryan and Andrew had offered to buy her an outfit for the occasion which included a facinator.

Ryan and Andrew disembarked when the time came to move the rig on which 'Lady Janice' sat out of the building and into the sunlight for the first time, positioning the launching rig closer to the ramp down to the ocean.

By 10.30am, everything and everyone was in position. Tables and chairs now in the open space that the yacht has once occupied, the floor having had a good washing down, not that it was very dirty to begin with, and a buffet had been set up on one side. The round tables were laid with floor length white cloths topped with two runners in the blue and burgundy corporate colours. The chairs were covered in white chair covers with matching sashes. Brass handled cutlery, white dinnerware with a gold rim and a small Devlin-Major and Southern Marine pendant completed the set up. The latest Devlin-Major brochure, which now included Drakensberg Resort and Lady Janice were placed on the tables as well.

The guests began arriving at 11am and pretty soon the space was filled with the sound of people talking and laughing. The bar that had been set up was doing a brisk trade providing liquid refreshment, mainly in the form of champagne, a selection of fresh fruit juices and a combination of the two. There was also asmall selection of beers, ciders and coolers and wine for those who wanted it.

The caterers announced that the buffet was open and everyone began filling their plates before finding a seat at one of the tables.
David and Janice arrived just as the opening of the buffet was announced. They had collected the children from their various schools and all four little ones ran across the floor to their dad's as soon as they spotted them. All were wide-eyed as the gazed around the massive building and at the impressive looking yacht sitting at the top of the launch ramp.
Their dads took their offspring to the buffet to get some food as well. The selection had something for everyone.

There was the usual selection of breakfast items - bacon, sausage, grilled tomato, hash browns, sautéed mushrooms and poached haddock, with scrambled eggs. A selection of quiche, including one for any vegetarians who ate eggs, beef or chicken wraps with guacamole, salsa, sour cream and grated cheese and an array of cold meats and cheeses. There was also baskets of croissants and pastries.

Two impressive coffee machines had been set up and were also doing a brisk trade, the baristas producing not only a small range of coffees, but tea and hot chocolate as well, much to the glee of the four children.

At 1pm exactly, tha audio system squealed as Gordon turned it on as he stepped behind the lecture sporting the Devlin-Major logo.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if I could get your attention please. The time has come for the event that everyone has been invited here for. The launch of the vessel behind me and I am very happy to boast, our biggest build to date. Ryan and Andrew Devlin-Major have trusted us with the construction of their new charter yacht and it has been an absolute joy to work with them on this project. We at Southern Marine cannot be more pleased with what we have achieved. Now may I ask Ryan and Andrew Devlin-Major and the matriarch of the family, Janice Major to join me to do the honours. The rest of you can stay where you are or gather a bit closer for the launching ceremony"

There was a loud scraping of chairs as all the guests rose and moved closer to the action, while Ryan, Andrew and Janice walked to the yacht, David following with the children.

An aluminium swing bar had been secured to the port bow and securely attached to the bar in a horizontal position was a bottle of champagne. The bar was held by a thin rope that pulled it up and away from the bow. Gordon wheeled the podium to the launch site, checked that the microphone was working and then spoke briefly with Janice and the boys, handing a large pair of scissors to Janice. Then Ryan moved behind the podium.

"Hi everyone. Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to be here. All of you are important to us personally and professionally. So we appreciate you being here". He turned to Janice. "Mom,would you please launch "Lady Janice"?

Janice was halfway out of her seat when Ryan revealed the name of the yacht. She did a double take, glanced at her son with a startled look, then looked up at the towering blue hulled vessel. Tears flooded her blue eyes as realisation dawned and she turned to hug Andrew before walking regally to the podium and hugging Ryan as well. She replaced Ryan behind the podium and looked at the expectant crowd standing to one side.

"Well, call me surprised! Words cannot express the thrill of having a boat named after you. Thank you Ry, my boy, and you too, Andrew. I am honoured". She cleared her throat and continued. " I name this yacht 'Lady Janice', her voice faltering as she said the words out loud. "May she always have safe passage and I pray God will protect all those aboard her"

With that, she cut the rope. The champagne bottle swung through its arc and smashed against the point of the bow, liberally dousing it in expensive champagne. The shrouds dropped dropped off her bows, and unseen, from her stern, and the rig almost silently rolled down the ramp until 'Lady Janice' floated free to applause from those on shore.
She was finally in her element, floating serenely on the water.

Two engineers from the builder who were on board started one of her motors and guided her gently to the pier where two more workers quickly secured her to the bollards.
Once she was all secure, it was time for the invited guests to have a wander around. They were permitted on board in groups of ten while the remainder either just stood on the pier or returned to the tables for more refreshments. After a quick tour of the yacht with their family, David and Janice left for the house with the children leaving Ryan and Andrew to handle the business side of things. It was a busy afternoon showing everyone around and answering a thousand questions, and by the time everone had been on board and had departed, it was after 4pm and they were both weary. It had been a long, yet exciting day.

Even though the sea trials would only officially begin on Monday morning, Gordon was more than confident enough to give Ryan and Andrew permission to take her for a short cruise into the bay on Saturday morning. The boys were itching to test sail her. And so, after a Chinese takeout dinner, an early night and a good nights sleep, they arrived at the factory as dawn was breaking. The children, David and Janice were withthem.

Gordon and two workers was on hand to meet them and take them through the factory to the company pier where 'Lady Janice' floated. They would also accompany the family in the event of there being a problem. The yacht, although launched, had not yet been handed over to the new owners. That would only happen once the sea trials had success-fully been completed.
Gordon had already been on board to activate al her systems, her fuel and water tanks were full and she was ready to go. Andrew had arranged for the caterers to package up some leftovers from the previous days buffet and that had been stored in the refrigerator on board overnight. It included some of the cold meats and cheeses, croissants and pastries and a few quiche. They had also stocked the wine cooler with soft drinks, fruit juices and mineral water, as well as two bottles of champagne. The galley had also been provisioned with the basics like tea, coffee, hot chocolate, milk and sugar. Bacon, eggs and the fixings for breakfast were also provisioned.

At long last, just after 07h00 on a perfect Cape Town summers day, Ryan settled himself into the seat at the helm. The illuminated instruments in front of him all showed that everything was operating as it should, and that the lithium batteries were almost full, the solar panels already capturing the sun that had just peaked out from behind the mountain. He was eager to see just how the electric motors handled.

Gordon ran through the starting procedure with him and it was accomplished without any fuss or bother. It was a bit unnerving not hearing the muted throb of the diesel motors he was used to. The only indication he had that the motors were indeed online was the movement of the indicators in front of him.
After the lines had been released, a soft nudge on the thrusters moved them away from the pier. A bit of added throttle and the yacht moved silently away from her berth, ghosting across the smooth water of the boatyard. Andrew was slack jawed in astonishment.

"Holy cow. She's so quiet! If I didn't know better I would swear were were under sail. Except there are no rattles and squeaks from the sails. Amazing!"

Ryan steered them out of the boatyard and into the harbour, first requesting permission to enter, cruising almost ghost-like past merchant ships of every type and size, before turning to starboard to go through the harbour mouth. Having got so used to the port turn to exit the main harbour after leaving the marina, the turn to starboard initially felt very strange.
Ryan negotiated the exit out into Table Bay and set a course for the channel between Robben Island and Blouberg-strand, then turned to Gordon.

"I know you had planned to start sea trials on Monday, but would it not be possible to conduct some of the trials today. Just get things done sooner"

"Well, I have my laptop with me and everything we need is already on board. So if you don't mind helping out, then yes, no reason for us not to. To be honest, I have already mentally ticked off a couple of items when we were leaving the harbour. Let me get my laptop powered up and see how far we get".
And so for the remainder of her first cruise, 'Lady Janice' was put through her paces, and by the time they returned to the shipyard, Gordon had all but completed his checklist. There remained a handful of items that were still outstanding, but those could be done with the yacht tied up to the pier at the factory on Monday morning. But it was a very pleased group of builders and owners who disembarked on Saturday evening.
On Monday afternoon, just after 1pm, ' MY Lady Janice" officially joined the Devlin-Major Portfolio.