Never walk alone- Walk on - 30. Chapter 30

As 'Lady Janice' slid smoothly down the length of the peninsula, Ray served a light, cold lunch on the Sun Deck consisting of an Avocado & Cucumber Soup with diced crayfish tail, Chicken Pasta Salad with Mango and a Honey Mustard dressing, freshly baked seed bread, and Frozen Two Chocolate Mousse with Tulle biscuits. The adults all lingered at the table, chatting and watching the spectaculer coastline slide past, while the children splashed in the tub on the aft deck
In the late afternoon, once Cape Point was behind them and they were cruising across the mouth of False Bay, Andrew finally took Dan and Joan to their VIP cabin in the port hull, accompanied by Christine who would familia-rise them with the cabin and it's amenities. As Andrew opened the cabin door, Joan stopped in her tracks in the entrance.

"Oh my word Andrew! This is stunning! Just stunning!", she gasped. And he had to admit the cabin did look good! The oblong window in the hull flooded the cabin with bright sunlight, highlighting the decor and the luxurious linens on the huge bed.
Joan walked in and stood at the window, gazing out at the calm ocean sliding past just below. A muted swishing sound, just barely audible, indicated their movement through the water. She turned, moved to the bed and made herself comfortable on the bed, her back against the plush navy blue headboard.

"This view is absolutely amazing", she said, her eyes still looking out the window. "The position of the bed is perfect. It is just as good as the view from our bed on 'Texas Lass'. Her eyes moved around the cabin, examining each detail, and then turned to Andrew, smiling.

"You boys certainly know how to put a boat together. Opulent, luxurious, but so understated. Nothing brash or flashy. Just pure class. She's beautiful!"

Andrew heaved a sigh of relief. He had not realised just how much he wanted Joan's approval. But just hearing her words was very satisfying.

"Thank you Joan! Coming from you, that means a lot. Now, I'm going to leave you in Christine's capable hands. We'll see you when you've settled in. Once again, welcome aboard! I have arranged dinner for 7pm. Get your-selves organised, have a nap and then come up to the Sky Deck. We'll have pre dinner drinks there and then go down to the main salon for dinner", he advised them.

"Wonderful! See you in a bit", Joan replied.

Back on the main deck, Andrew stopped briefly in the galley to chat with Ray about dinner, and to advise Ashleigh that they would have dinner at the big table on the main deck aft. The salon was otherwise unoccupied, and he asked Ashleigh where his family had gone.

"Mr and Mrs Major took the children and Rascal to your suite, Andrew. Mrs Major said she wanted to get them bathed and dressed for the evening", she replied to his query.

Taking the stairs up one deck he found David watching TV with Cameron and Jamie, while Janice was in the bath-room keeping an eye on Elizabeth and Fiona. Rascal was curled up on the bed, his bright, intelligent eyes watching all the activity. His tailed wagged energetically when Andrew opened the door and walked in.

"Hi dad", thank you for doing this. If you and mom want to go have a lie down, I can handle the children. Dan and Joan are settling into their cabin, so things are quiet now. I'm sure Ry will be down soon as well. He'll also want to shower and change for dinner", he said, moving towards the bathroom where he heard his daughters splashing and chattering away. Both their faces bloomed into wide smiles when he walked in.

"Daddy, daddy!", Fiona said excitedly, virtually up to her chin in foam". Granny said we could put some bubble bath in the water. But I dropped the bottle into the bath and now we got all this foam"
Andrew grinned at them, then turned to Janice.

"Hi mom, I was just saying to dad that if you two want to go and have a nap before dinner, I'll handle things here. Thanks for the help". He also advised them about the arrangements for dinner.

"It was no problem Drew. But yes, a nap sounds lovely", she replied.

As she was speaking, the muted drone of the diesel motor that had been running since mid afternoon faded away. Michael had started it up after tea time to ensure that the solar batteries were fully charged, as they would be cruising through the night to be in Hermanus by morning, and so the electric motors were going to be their means of propulsion. It still amazed Andrew just how quiet the electric motors were. The only sound that could be heard was the soft hiss of the air conditioning.

Janice dabbed some foam on each of the girls noses, then stood up from where she was sitting on the edge of the bath and kissed him on the cheek as she passed him. He followed her to the bathroom door and watched as they left the cabin.
Andrew had just got the girls out of the bath when Ryan came into the cabin. As soon as they saw him, Cameron and Jamie clamoured for some attention, which they got by way of a hug and some raucous tickling. The shenanigans ended when Andrew yelled,

"Cameron, Jamie! Are you boys going to bath or shower?"

"Um, dad, I think we want to have a shower", Cameron replied.

"Ry, will you get the them into the shower while I get the girls into their pyjamas?"

Eventually all the ablutions were completed with Andrew and Ryan taking turns to shower and watch the children, and then they all spent a short time on the big bed with their dads, resting and getting cuddles.
Cameron also fed Rascal, although he would accompany them to dinner where he was sure to get some tasty titbits. Just after 6pm the Devlin-Major clan, and Rascal, descended the stairs to the main salon where they found their crew had done them proud.

Christine and Gary were on station in the warmly lit salon where soft music played though the audio system. Ashleigh was in the galley assisting Ray with dinner prep.
A selection of canapés on silver and cut glass platters lay on the coffee table in front of the U-shaped sofas and armchairs.

On dainty slices of lightly toasted bagette rested white disks of crayfish tail with dill & lemon mayo, chicken liver patè with orange segments and cranberry jelly, cucumber with cream cheese, and wafer thin slices of rare beef fillet with horseradish and diced dill cucumber.

The two older couples made their appearance almost simultaneously, David and Janice arriving just moments before Dan and Joan. Christine and Gary swiftly dispensed the pre-dinner drinks, scotch and soda for Dan, Joan had her usual gin & tonic, David and Ryan both had Amstel while Janice and Andrew went with dry sherry. The children all had grape juice, although Cameron had a few sips of Andrew's sherry.At 7pm exactly, Gary slid open the glass doors to the main deck aft, and once again, the crew had outdone themselves.

Covered in a soft, white Damask table cloth that hung almost to the decking and laid with silver cutlery, crystal glassware, gold-rimmed white crockery and candlelamps, the big dining table positively gleamed under the dimmed overhead lights. Two silver wine coolers stood in one corner with bottles of Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc in them, while two bottles of Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir stood opened on the counter with another two in reserve.
Joan chuckled and shook her head as she walked to her seat.

"Holy moley, you boys certainly know how to impress. This is beautiful!".

To their delight, dinner was sublime as well. Ray had taken a leaf out of Andrew's book and gone retro for the First Night Out dinner.

The hors d'oeuvres were a choice of either Butternut Squash and Orange Soup or Smoked Snoek Terrine with a cherry tomato, green pepper, cucumber, spring onion and grape salsa, to which he had added some moskonfyt, a sweet reduction of fermented grape must. Both were served with a bread basket. The soup had just a hint of curry and the salty snoek paired beautifully with the sweetish salsa.

For the entrée they were given a choice of panfried Kingklip with shrimps, mushrooms and capers, Chicken Cordon Bleu or Roast Loin of Lamb with a red wine jus and mint sauce. All were served with fondant potatoes and a roasted vegetable medley.

The single dessert was individual self-saucing chocolate puddings which was served with fresh cream, custard or ice cream.

Coffee, cognac and liqueurs was served once the table had been cleared, and once Andrew had taken Joan to the galley after she had insisted on complimenting Ray in person for the excellent dinner. The four little ones started getting sleepy - Rascal had already jumped up onto one of the sunbeds and was dozing peacefully, so Andrew and Ryan took them all up to the master cabin and got them tucked in before rejoining the other adults. They remained at the table chatting and watching the twinkling lights of the small towns that dotted the southern coastline slide quietly past, eventually retiring to their respective cabins just before 10.30pm.

Morning light found them safely tied up to the quay in Hermanus harbour, where they would stay for two nights, having silently sailed in just before dawn. And Andrew had one or two surprises in store for their stay.

While a full English breakfast was being served on the Sky Deck, the rental vehicle that Andrew had arranged was delivered, a luxurious Mercedes Vito, and by 10am they were off on their travels with Ryan at the wheel. The highlight of the weekend would be a stop at the Caledon Casino Hotel & Spa, but due to the late start on the Saturday morning, that would have to wait until the following day. Andrew was fully aware that the resort would be very busy with it being only a week to Christmas, so an early start was imperative in order to arrive there before all the day trippers arrived. Accordingly, a very similar itinerary was being followed to the trip with Gabriel and Lucas.

So on the first day they visited some apple orchards in the Elgin Valley, had a pub style lunch at The Peregrine Farm Stall, enjoyed high tea at the Arabella Golf and Spa Resort, and still managed to stop off at Southern Right for yet more wine. Then it was back to 'Lady Janice' to freshen up and change for dinner.

While all their passengers were out and about, Ray, Christine and Ashleigh and gone into town to hunt down local produce for dinner and had returned to 'Lady Janice' with a veritable bounty.
In the harbour they tracked down Roland, Andrew's go-to seafood supplier who, once again, did not fail him.
He had the usual crayfish, prawns, mussels and several different fish, but what got Ray most excited was the fresh abalone, or perlemoen as they are known in South Africa, Roland had in his van, and he immediately purchased six of the, not inexpensive, molluscs. He also got four crayfish.
At the nearby market they found asparagus, several varieties of baby tomatoes including red, orange, yellow, and a very unusual purple one, new potatoes and broccolini, all produced on farms in the region.
On the way back to the yacht he spotted a confection in a bakery where they purchased some seeded bread and cocktail bread rolls, and after chatting to the baker, he knew what he was going to serve for dessert. Only he would be baking it himself and adding a twist.

In order to provide more privacy, dinner that evening was served up on the Sky Deck. The table setting was very similar to the previous evening, but there were some subtle changes.

A burgundy, navy blue and gold table runner ran the length of the table over a cream tablecloth, the corporate Devlin-Major colours, with cream serviettes edged with the same colours.

Pre-dinner drinks were served on the Sky Deck as well and as it was such a beautiful evening everyone gathered under the stars in the seating area at the aft rail until dinner was announced. The menu selection was slightly different, but just as tasty.

Ray had chosen to serve a four course set dinner starting with the abalone. The flesh had been thoroughly cleaned, very thinly sliced and then tenderised using the back of a spoon instead of a mallet to prevent the flesh from breaking up. The slices were then lightly dredged in seasoned flour and pan fried in foaming butter for two minutes on each side until golden. The pan was then deglazed with Chenin Blanc white wine and a spritz of lemon, cream added and once the abalone slices had been arranged on the plate around a small timbale of savoury rice, the sauce was napped over the abalone.
Ray accompanied the dish up to the Sky Deck to explain the dish and there was a dramatic silence as his guests took their first bites. Joan was the first to comment.

"Absolutely delicious Chef. It has a flavour and texture similar to squid. And your sauce is exquisite!?"
Ray smiled at her and bowed his head briefly

"Thank you Mrs Kinley. I'm so pleased you're enjoying it. Bon Appetit to you all", he replied before returning to the galley.

The second course was a cold Gazpacho that was served with a small dice of the baby tomatoes from the market and crisply toasted seed bread.

The entrée course was a choice of a Surf & Turf Beef Tenderloin with half a crayfish tail, Roast Duck with an Orange and Van der Hum sauce or a pan fried East Coast Sole with mushrooms and artichokes. All were served with asparagus, broccolini and buttered new potatoes.
When the dessert was served, Ray came up with Christine bearing trays with the plates of dessert that were placed in front of each of the diners. On each plate a square confection with a very pale yellow layer between two darker top and bottom layers sat in a swirled pool of dual coloured sauce.
They took their first bites and this time it was Andrew who reacted first, turning round to look at Ray, eyes wide.

"You have got to be kidding me, Ray. Is this what I think it is?" The table had gone very quiet and an additional nine pairs of eyes were now gazing at him.
Ray grinned at his boss.

"What do you think it is Andrew?", he answered in reply.

"The top and bottom layers are Malva Pudding. But what's boggling my mind is that the middle layer is Milk Tart. Am I right? You actually combined two of the country's most iconic desserts!"
Ray nodded, grinning widely.

"Right first time Andrew! What do you think?"

"I think it's absolutely bonkers, but at the same time absolutely delicious. And you really rolled out the big guns with both custard and Amarula for the sauce", Andrew replied.

"I agree", Janice added. "What a brilliant idea to combine Malva Pudding and Milk Tart into one dessert. I cannot believe they work so well together. Well done Ray!"

"In all honesty I cannot take all the glory. I actually saw the idea at a bakery in town. I just added a twist or two", Ray told them with a laugh. "I'm just as amazed as you all are that it works so well".

"You're going to have to pass on the recipe to James and Alfred at The Cameron and Blue Bay. It would
go down a treat on the buffets", Andrew told him.

"Will do, boss", Ray replied grinning."Now I'll have to be getting back. I don't want Ash to think I've left
her with all the clean up", he added and returned to the galley.

"You are extremely fortunate to have the chefs you have, Andrew", Dan commented after Ray had left. "They certainly know what the are doing". Joan nodded in agreement.
"Dan's right. We have never had even a mediocre meal at any of your establishments. The food has always been first class. And I insist on getting a copy of that recipe as well".

Christine and Gary served coffee shortly after and due to the anticipated early start the next morning, everyone was in bed fairly early. But before going to bed Andrew and Ryan met with Michael to advise that they were dining ashore on their return from the excursion to Caledon and that the crew were to join them for an early dinner as well.

They were all roused at 6am on the Sunday morning by Christine and Ashleigh delivering coffee or tea and rusks and muffins to the cabins. The trays for the master cabin included four mugs of hot chocolate and triple chocolate muffins. And a bowl of tea for Rascal!

The travelling group drove away from the yacht shortly after 7am for the scenic drive to Caledon. As expected, the parking area was very full, even at that early hour, although there was no sign of any buses meaning most of the day trippers were still to arrive.

The first order of business was breakfast and once again they were early enough to score a table on the patio overlooking the wheat fields and the river. Then it was a short stroll through the perfectly manicured garden to the spa area where the men in the group took a plunge into the Victoria Bath with the children, while Joan and Janice went for some pampering in the spa where they had a massage, manicure and pedicure, and a facial. By the time they were done the day trippers were rolling in and the spa area was beginning to get very crowded. The ladies had a quick dip in the hot water of the Victoria Bath, they all changed back into the comfortable clothing they travelled in and then headed back towards Hermanus, once again taking the back route through the Hemel and Aarde Valley where they stopped for lunch. They made a stop at Hamilton Russell where, to his credit, Andrew managed to refrain from buying any Pinot Noir, although Dan bought two cases.

Back on the yacht, there was enough time to have a short siesta, before freshening up and heading out for dinner, which was one of Andrew's surprises. Much to his disgust, Rascal had to stay on the yacht. A short stroll along the towns seafront boulevard brought them to Bientangs Cave Restaurant and Wine Bar.
The award winning restaurant was built into an ancient cave situated in the cliff face below the town and close to the old harbour.
Legend has it that the cave was the home of one Bientang, an indigenous Khoi 'strandloper' (beach walker) who lived there in the late 19th century. It is said that she had a supernatural ability to communicate with animals and that it is the reason why Walker Bay, on the coast of which Hermanus stands today, is where the Southern Right whales come each year to mate and calve between May and December.

Built on two levels, the restaurants upper level affords fantastic views of the bay and the whales, sometimes less than 100 metres away. The lower level is so close to the ocean that on rough days, diners have to be wary of getting a bit damp.
The restaurant is primarily a breakfast and lunch venue, but due to it being the December holiday season, it was open for dinner from the beginning of December until the second week in January. Andrew's request for a table close to the windows was granted and the pre-ordered hors d'oeuvres that he had arranged were served soon after wines had arrived at the table and the entrée orders had been taken.

The hors d'oeuvres consisted of antipasto platters, chilled seafood platters and vegetarian platters for everyone to share. For the entrées all the adults opted for more traditional fare, ordering the Seafood Potjie (pot), and the Chicken & Prawn Curry. Ryan added an order for a large Spare Ribs, primarily to take back for Rascal. The children all ordered burgers and dessert was a fairly even spread of Carrot Cake, Chocolate Pecan Brownies with Ice Cream, and Crème Brule. The meal finished off with coffee for all the adults and hot chocolate for the children.

'Lady Janice' slipped out of Hermanus harbour just before dawn on the Monday morning, her electric motors driving her almost silently through the water. By the time her owners and their guests made an appearance on deck, she was well on her way to Cape Agulhas, the most southerly point of the African continent.

Ray served a full English breakfast on the Sun Deck, after which everyone just lazed around, either on the sunbeds or in the splash pool. They rounded Cape Agulhas just after noon and a short while later put in at Struisbaai harbour so that Ray could purchase some fresh seafood off the fishing boats that used the harbour, where he found a very nice Yellowtail, or Amberjack as it is known in other parts of the world. He also found some fresh Corn-on-the-cob and Aubergine at the nearby market. While he was away on his foraging mission, Christine and Ashleigh served lunch up on the Sun Deck, just a simple Roast Chicken with a range of salads, and Fresh Fruit Salad and Ice Cream for dessert.

Once Ray was back on board, it was back out to sea, heading northeast once more for Knysna where they would spend two nights and where Steve Carter, who built 'Belle Catherine', would join them for dinner. They were also using Steve's berth at the Knysna Yacht Club for the duration of their stay. And it was also their turnaround point.

They arrived off the Knysna Heads, the two promontories that guard the narrow channel from the Indian Ocean into the Knysna lagoon mid afternoon, where Michael hove-to in order to study the condition of the water in the channel. He and Ryan took fifteen minutes to examine the channel through binoculars and were both relieved to see that it was relatively calm for once. As it was the first time 'Lady Janice' would be sailing through the channel, neither had any idea how she would handle it. To be safe, Michael had Ray stop all preparations for dinner in the galley and make sure that everything was secure before attempting the transit. As it turned out, the passage into the lagoon was a non-event, with the scenery proving tobe more exciting. The lagoon was a mill pond, and they were tied up to the dock at the yacht club withinthe hour, stern-to Mediterranean style.

Andrew and Ryan took their guests ashore to explore and have tea and scones. Joan insisted on visiting the art gallery where she had purchased a painting on their previous visit on 'Belle Catherine', and found another work she fell in love with - a land/seascape in oil of three fishing boats coming through the Heads at sunset in fairly rough conditions.
They were back on board by 5.30 to shower and change for dinner, and be ready when Steve arrived at 7pm. Andrew and Ryan met him at the top of the passerelle and he grinned broadly as he stepped onto the Main Deck, his hand extended in greeting.

"Andrew, Ryan. Nice to see you again".

"Hi Steve. Welcome on board 'Lady Janice", Andrew replied as they shook hands.

"Hiya Steve", Ryan added, also shaking his hand. "Well, what do you think?", he asked, gesturing to the vessel they were on. Steve scrunched up his face, then grinned.

"Well, first off, she's not as pretty as 'Belle Catherine', but then in my opinion, no yacht is prettier than a yacht with sails. But at first glance, she looks good and solid. I hope you'll show me around later", he replied. Ryan nodded.

"Yes, of course. Let's get ourselves something to drink and then I will give you the halfpenny tour", Ryan said as they moved towards the main salon and entered through the glass doors where the two older couples were seated.

"Do you remember Dan & Joan Kinley. They were with us previously on 'Belle Catherine' when we stopped over.", Ryan asked as the walked in.

"Yes, I do. The couple with the motor yacht in the Mediterranean", Steve replied as he shook their hands
.
"And the other couple are my mom and dad. David and Janice Major." He greeted David and then grinned at Janice as he reached for her outstretched hand. "And the lady who the yacht is named after, if I am not mistaken. Pleased to meet you"
The children came down the stairs from the master cabin and his eyebrows lifted as he glanced at Andrew and Ryan, having immediately noticed the resemblences.

"Are they all yours?" he asked. Andrew grinned and added,

"Yes, all ours. You've met Cameron and Elizabeth, although they were a lot smaller then", and then went on to explain how Jamie and Fiona came to be with them.

Everyone had a drink downstairs before they all moved up onto the Sky Deck where the dinner table had been prepared. The setting was less formal than previously, but still decidedly elegant, mainly as a result of using a deep blue tablecloth with blue, burgundy and cream checked serviettes. The tableware was the same.

Ray had prepared a salad of Biltong, Balsamic Beetroot, Mozzarella and White Grapes on a bed of fresh mixed
lettuce as the hors d'oeuvre.

The entrée was the Yellowtail he had procured in Struisbaai which he had scaled, filled the cavity with fennel, onion, garlic, tomato and green pepper, and then slathered it with butter. He wrapped the whole fish in wax paper after adding seasoning and half a bottle of Chenin Blanc. The fish parcel was then wrapped in newspaper, given a good soaking with water, placed on the BBQ grill with the lid closed and baked over the coals for thirty minutes. When the time came to serve the main course, the newspaper was cut open and the wax paper peeled back, taking the skin with it leaving the cream coloured flesh to be carefully filleted, cut into portions and placed on the plates on a bed of ratatouille made with the aubergines he had also bought in Struisbaai. He added some of the juices, a wedge of lemon and parsley new potatoes. The aromas wafting to the table from the service area had them all salivating before the plates even reached the table. It was served with the same Wildekrans Chenin Blanc that Ray had used for the cooking process.
To say the dish was a triumph would be an understatement. They all raved about it. The fish was succulent and the smoke from the coals had permeated through the newspaper, giving the flesh a very slight smoky flavour as well.
He ended the meal with individual meringue cases filled with fresh strawberries soaked in a a bit of Cointreau, and fresh cream. After dinner, while coffee was being poured, Ryan took Steve on the promised tour of the yacht. He was very complimentary about both the yacht and the meal when they returned and he left for his home at 11pm. It was the latest they had been up at night for the entire trip.

The next day was very much a day "at leisure" as the cruise lines call it. Everyone slept late and instead of doing a breakfast service, Ray arranged, what he referred to as, a breakfast brunch which kicked off at 11.30. For anyone who was up and about before then, their was tea and coffee available, with a selection of muffins, Danish and rusks to tide them over until the brunch began.

The brunch included all the usual cold breakfast items like fresh fruit salad, yogurt, cereals, preserved fruit and a meat and cheese platter. Then there was eggs to order, sausage, bacon, spicy chicken livers, hash browns, sautéed mushrooms and grilled tomato. To make it a brunch, he had minute steaks, quiche, Eggs Benedict, crumpets, milk poached haddock with cheese sauce, a fresh garden salad, and the usual selection of pastries including croissants. And there were Bloody Mary's and Mimosas for the adults. The children had Tropical Sunrises, a non - alcoholic version of a Tequila Sunrise.

After the meal, Dan, Joan, David and Janice wandered into Knysna to explore, while Andrew and Ryan used the tender to take the children and Rascal to Bollard Bay Beach on Leisure Island, a popular recreation spot in the lagoon, where they were able to paddle in the warm water of the lagoon, play with Rascal and enjoy the warm summer sunshine, returning to the yacht just after 4.30pm. The two older couples were napping in their cabins so Andrew and Ryan took their brood to the master cabin to keep the noise down and to watch movies.

For dinner, Ray had once again opted to do a BBQ, but this time meat played the starring role, although the hors d'oeuvres were a strong challenge.

During their brunch, Ryan had mentioned in passing that he was in the mood for sushi. Ray had obviously over-heard him, or one of the crew had told him. In the absence of the required ingredients, and, as he was the first to admit, the necessary expertise, he had done the next best thing and ordered sushi from Tapas and Oyster Restaurant on Thesens Island, one of the better eateries in Knysna, using the yacht's credit card.

Thick, juicy rump steaks grilled on the hot coals, accompanied by baked potatoes with sour cream and chives, green salad, coleslaw and Andrew's favourite Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir, meant very happy diners, and Ray finished off the superb meal with another BBQ speciality, Bananas Foster, bananas wrappedin foil with butter, brown sugar and cream, baked over the coals and served with ice cream.

The children and Rascal disappeared into the master cabin to continue watching their movie while the adults all lingered at the table with the usual coffee and liqueurs, but having consideration for the crew, whom they knew would all be up early the next morning to handle their departure back to Cape Town, they were all in their respective cabins quite early.