Never walk alone- Walk on - 31. Chapter 31

'Lady Janice' slipped almost silently out of Knysna at sunrise the next morning. Michael had timed their departure to take advantage of the slack tide when the channel out of the lagoon would be at its calmest, so much so that they were at sea and well down the coast before any of her passengers made their appearance for breakfast on the Sun Deck.The leg was a short one on a mirror flat Indian Ocean and, aided by a following current, they cruised into Mossel Bay while having lunch, a good hour earlier than expected.

'Lady Janice' had been allocated a berth about fifty metres away from the yacht club, but as they approached the entrance to the facility, they all became aware of a sudden flurry of radio activity between Michael and the shore, and shortly after, Michael was requested to heave-to and standby for further instructions, which he complied with. Ryan cast a puzzled look at Michael as their captain came to the table.

"Is there a problem, Michael? What's with all the radio chatter?", Ryan asked.

"No problem that I am aware of. But our arrival has caused a bit of a stir. It seems that someone on shore is insisting that we be berthed right in front of the yacht club. Due to our beam, it means having to vacate two berths to accommodate us. Which they are apparently arranging rightnow. So we have been requested to hang out here until they are ready for us".
His reply had both Ryan and Andrew raising their eyebrows.

"What the hell.......?, Ryan exclaimed, "Did they say who the person was? The only one we sort of know here is the commodore of the club, but I really don't think we know him well enough for him to give us preferential treat-ment? Michael shrugged his shoulders.

"No idea, bossman! They didn't say who it was", he replied, just as Andrew's mobile began ringing on the table. He reached for it and grinned as he glanced at the caller identity on the screen, a light bulb going on in his brain. He swiped the screen, turned on the speaker, and answered.
,
"Hi Steven. Please tell me you are responsible for the current mayhem at the Mossel Bay yacht club"?

"Why Mr Devlin-Major, I would never do such a thing", came the very amused reply from the yacht builder. "But, I do plead guilty. Even though 'Lady Janice' is not one of our builds, I have to admit that she is a superb vessel, built right here at home, and as such deserves to be showcased. Our yacht club here at Knysna has reciprocity benefits with Mossel Bay, including having one committee member from each club sitting on the executive committee of the other. I happen to be that member and as such I suggested, quite forcefully I might add, that 'Lady Janice' and her compliment of passengers and crew, be given VIP treatment and be afforded a pride of place berth directly in front of the clubhouse instead of being relegated to one of the usual berths for visiting yachts", Steve explained. "I take it from your comment when you answered that you have arrived?"

"Yeah, we have. And from what we can see, you've really stirred up a hornets nest", Andrew replied, "They're having to move two other yachts to accommodate us, so we are hove-to at the moment while they get things organised".

"My apologies for the inconvenience, Andrew. I am en-route as we speak to attend the AGM tomorrow and was hoping to be there when you arrived, but you guys have evidently made very good time because I estimated your arrival to be around 3pm, and I am still thirty minutes away. I really wanted to get things arranged before your arrival. So you obviously caught them unawares. Hence the mayhem you spoke about earlier", Steve explained further.
"Yes, we apparently had the current assisting us down the coast, so we have arrived earlier than expected. But really, while your gesture is appreciated, it really wasn't necessary. We were quite happy with the berth we had been allocated", Andrew told him.

"Yeah, I know. But I can tell you, 'Lady Janice ' is by far the biggest, and if I may say, most luxurious yacht in port right now and I just felt she needed to be seen. I hope you don't mind?"

"No, not at all. We'll take all the free exposure we can get. It looks as if they are about ready for us. Are we going to see you when you get here?" Andrew could sense the mirth in Steven's voice when he replied.

"Yes, most definitely. After I have smoothed a few ruffled feathers first".

"Good, then come have dinner aboard with us. About 6pm for drinks and dinner at 7", Andrew told him.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you a bit later".

Andrew ended the call after wishing Steven a safe drive and then grinned at the expectant faces around him.

"Well, that clears that one up. This was all Steven's doing". He turned to Michael. "It seems our friendly yacht builder is very impressed with your baby, Michael. Let's really give them something to talk about. How long will it take to run the Devlin-Major bunting to the top of the mast array?", he asked his captain.

"Brian and Gary can do it in ten minutes", Michael replied."We're still waiting for the all clear"

"Great!. We'll stay put a bit longer while they do that. Let's run the lights up as well. Dress her overall. Tonight and tomorrow night she'll be lit up like a Christmas tree. If they need any assistance, Ryan and I can help".

Thirty minutes later, Michael eased 'Lady Janice' into her pride of place berth, closely watched by a very large crowd in front of the yacht club. She was berthed side on, with her port side closest to the quay. As soon as she was secured and the engines shut down, the port boarding gate was opened, Gary deployed the passerelle and placed the 'Welcome Aboard' mat on the quay at the foot of the passerelle before roping off the entrance and securing the deck gate. Soft music could be heard through the speakers on the main deck aft. The burgundy, blue, gold and cream pennants fluttered in the breeze, rigged from the bow to the top of the mast array and down to the stern post where the South African flag and the Devlin-Major house flag hung, wafting softly.

They were enjoying afternoon tea on the Sky Deck when Andrew's mobile once again vibrated on the table where he sat. His face broke into a wide grin again as he answered it.

"Hi Steve, have you arrived?"

"Hi Andrew! Yes I'm in the clubhouse and about to go in and repair a few damaged egos. Although I might end up being made to walk the plank. There are apparently a few people whose noses are rather out of joint, least of which is the chairman of the board whose yacht was one of those that had to be moved to accommodate you. The other I'm afraid to say belonged to our erstwhile commodore. Sorry, but I'm not very popular at the moment", Steven replied.

"I hope our being here is not going to make life difficult for you", Andrew told him. "We're here for just two nights. You have to sit on a committee with some of these folk".
Steven's chortled warmly.

"Don't you worry about me! I can handle this lot! I have, however, received some moral support from an old acquaintance of yours who is just itching to come aboard 'Lady Janice' for a look around. You wouldn't have another spare seat for dinner by any chance, would you?"

"Oh! Sounds interesting! I'm sure we can add one more. Who might my old acquaintance be?"

"Oh, he's quite the fan boy, from what I can gather. Seems to be under the impression that Devlin-Major can do nothing wrong! Not that I think his impression is wrong! You know him as the editor of a certain hospitality magazine that handed you a couple of very prestigious awards a few years back", Steve replied mischievously. Andrew's eyes widened at his words.

"You mean Michael Gibson from Lodge Inn. What is he doing here?

"Right first time, my friend! One of the several other publications he is editor of is the S.A.Yachting Monthly. He's here to report on tomorrow's AGM which is a very important one for the club. The owners of the land and building, Transnet National Port Authority are threatening to not renew the lease of the club. He's writing an article in support of the club and is aiming for national syndication in an effort to keep the club where it is. Your presence here is icing on the cake for him. He's practically frothing at the mouth in anticipation of coming aboard 'Lady Janice', Steve said, sounding highly amused.

"We would love to see Michael again. You can tell him he is officially invited to dinner. All I have to do now is go and tell my chef that I have yet another mouth for him to feed. He may justchase me out of his galley wielding a meat cleaver, but I'm sure in the end all will be fine. We look forward to having him on board and showing him around. See you both a 6pm then"

After Andrew had seen Ray to tell him about the extra guest, who accepted the news with aplomb, he had a meeting with Christine, Ashleigh and Gary to request that they give the yacht a bit of a tidy up, not that it was particularly untidy, and once they heard who the new dinner guest was, they set to the task with gusto. So much so that Gary even managed to give most of the chrome a polish as well, and by 6pm when Steve and Michael arrived at the foot of the passerelle, 'Lady Janice' was ready, presented in all her finery.

Their hosts met them at the deck gate after they had placed their shoes in the box at the dockside entrance and donned the non slip deck shoes onto their feet. Gary followed them with the shoe box after securing the rope across the dock entrance to the passerelle and then made sure the deck gate was secured as well.
Michael Gibsons smile was as wide as the horizon as he stepped onto the deck, his hand extended.

"Andrew, Ryan, so great to see you again.. Thank you for your hospitality, although to be fair I expected nothing less. And congratulations on your new yacht. I cannot wait to have a look around. Would you mind if I took some photographs while I'm here. It will illustrate the article I intend to write."
They both shook Michael's hand and Ryan replied,

"Welcome aboard Michael, it's great to see you too and have you on board. Take all the photos you need. As Andrew said earlier, we won't turn down some free advertsing".

"Well, not exactly free", the editor answered with a grin, "It's costing you a dinner"

"If that's all its costing us", Andrew added, "Then it's a small price to pay. It's been far too long since we last spoke Michael. Follow us and we can get you guys something cold to drink and catch up"

Andrew led them down the side deck to the aft main deck, where Christine and Ashleigh were preparing to set the table for dinner, and then entered the main salon. Michael's eyes widened appreciatively as he took in the room.

"Wow, you guys never disappoint, whether it be a building or a boat. This is gorgeous, and may I say, every inch Devlin-Major. Luxurious and stylish but, at the same time, understated and homely. Did you do design the decor as you did with the lodges, Andrew?"
Andrew nodded, blushing faintly.

"Thank you! Yeah, we did. With lots of help", he replied with a grin. "The people at the boat builders were absolutely fantastic. We gave them all our ideas and our wishlist and between us we came up with what we have now. We think the brief was fulfilled exactly. I cannot think of one thing we would change".

Ryan led the way up the stairs to the Sky Deck where, after introducing the Majors and the Kinleys, they all got comfortable while the new guests were supplied with a drink and everyone else had their libations refreshed. A short time later, Ryan and Andrew took Michael for his tour of the boat, starting on the Sky Deck and working their way down to the hulls.

He showed them a small recording device and got their permission to run it during the tour so that he would have a record of the answers to all his questions and general comments.
He also took dozens of photographs and could not stop complimenting the boys on their yacht. He was gob-smacked when he viewed the master cabin, and was equally amazed at the guest cabins in the two hulls. They rejoined the others on the Sky Deck just over an hour later and sat chatting as darkness crept over the marina, until Christine announced dinner.

As they took the exterior stairs down to the main deck, the way was well lit by the lights strung over the length of 'Lady Janice' in addition to the overhead deck lights and the lights on the side of each riser. On the main deck, the screens had been dropped on the port side to give some additional privacy, leaving the starboard side open to allow the soft breeze to blow through, and afford a view of the marina and the last pink glow of the sunset on the horizon.

As expected, the crew had performed their magic and done their employers proud. Under dimmed overhead lights, the table glittered with the best crockery, cutlery and glassware that 'Lady Janice' had to offer. A patterned damask table cloth covered the table, hanging almost to the deck and a table runner in the Devlin-Major corporate colours ran down the centre of the table with a small crystal bowl with fresh carnations in the centre and two candle lamps on either side. When they were seated Michael surveyed the table, looked at Andrew and Ryan and said,

"Holy moley! You guys sure know how to live! This is stunning. But what amazes me even more is that you don't come across as being wealthy. I mean, don't get me wrong. Anyone who has anything to do with the industry and takes note of what is going on in the industry will know that the Devlin-Major Portfolio is doing very well for itself. The fact that it all started with a rather large inheritance is well known as well. I wrote about it when you you won the awards a few years ago. But you guys keep a very low profile in your personal lives. The only time I hear any titbits of news about you is when there is some sort of development in the industry. Like when you purchased the Drakensberg property or an announcement that you have taken over the management of another lodge"
To everyone's surprise, it was Joan who replied.

"And that's because they are who they are! Two very unassuming young men who, although fabulously wealthy prefer to keep their feet on the ground and not flaunt their wealth". She grinned wickedly and added, "Well maybe this boat is flaunting it just a little, but it is a business venture on the other hand. We have here two young, very level headed individuals who have used what was given to them for something even better. And they're paying it forward by giving their employees a hand up as well with their incentive scheme. Dan and I have got to know the staff at Blue Bay quite well over the past few years as we make it our base for all our trips out here. And let me tell you, I have never come across a group of people more motivated, or loyal, than those at Blue Bay, and I suspect the same could be said for all their employees, including those on this yacht. In fact, I would go so far as say Andrew and Ryan don't consider them as employees. They are extended family"

"Joan's quite right", Ryan said, then smiled at her, "and thank you for the kind words. Too many employers consider their personnel just employees. But the real reality is that they can make or break you. We've seen it many times in lodges we have taken over that were struggling. The owners don't always come round to our way of thinking, and I think by now both Drew and I both know who will make the changes necessary and who won't"

"Yeah", Andrew added, "All new management contract lodges are given an initial twelve month contract. The owners are told exactly how we plan to operate. Most are agreeable and I can confidently say, extremely happy with the progress their investment has made. A few, three that I can think of, refused to change their way of thinking and opt for our management style. And their lodges really had a hard time. In all cases they didn't renew the contract when it came up for renewal and they eventually closed down. So it hasn't all been plain sailing, their have been some disappointments. But, every lodge that has accepted our style of doing things has thrived. It's a case of the old adage 'You can take them to water, but You can't make them drink'. Why? Because they were too arrogant and too greedy. And they lost their investments because of it. In two cases, we considered buying them out, but the damage had been done. Mainly because the staff were so demotivated. To quote another adage 'Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves', our philosophy is 'Look after your staff and the pounds, or in our case, the Rands, will look after themselves'. Michael nodded.

"Would you mind if I used some of this in the article. Although it will focus on 'Lady Janice', I would like to include more about the charter operation and Devlin-Major as a whole. I really think you guys are very forward thinking and people should hear about it". He looked at the salon door as Christine and Ashleigh appeared, bearing plates with their hors d'oeuvres.

"You don't have to give an answer immediately. Have a think about it, discuss it, and let me know your decision"

Christine and Ashleigh moved around the table, setting the plates down. Christine filled wine glasses with a choice of Sauvignon Blanc or Dry Rosè, while Ashleigh offered a pepper grinder for those who wanted it, before moving away to a discreet distance, but close enough to be on hand if anyone required anything. Michael noticed that the four children were all having the same hors d'oeuvre, albeit in a smaller portion, and watched as Andrew and Ryan gave them their full attention.

The hors d'oeuvre was Ray's take on a Salad Nicoise, substituting the usual tuna with meaty cubes of tea-smoked wild salmon. There was a short, appreciative silence as they all savoured their first bites before conversation started up again.

Once the table had been cleared, the dinner service continued with a tangy lemon sorbet, to clear their palates. The entrée was also Ray's interpretation of a classic dish, Surf & Turf.
Mignons of grilled beef fillet with half a crayfish tail was napped in a Newburg style sauce that was slightly more cognac heavy than usual, and had an addition of sautéed mushrooms. The balance of the plate he had kept fairly simple with roasted potato wedges, skin on, and a crunchy flash fried medley of vegetables. Rascal was also spoiled with a small bowl of fillet chunks. Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir was offered for those who wanted some-thing more robust to go with the beef.
As had come to be expected, the dish did not disappoint and the plates almost required no washing when cleared away.
Ray gave them fifteen minutes to relax and chat before dessert was served, once again going the classical route. Kirsch flamed cherries and ice cream served with strips of deep fried crepes dusted with icing sugar.
Coffee, cognac and liqueurs were going to be served on the Sky Deck, so while their guests moved back up to the top deck, Andrew and Ryan excused themselves to get the children sorted out and into bed, including Rascal.

They rejoined the adults a short while later and they sat chatting quite late into the night, including inviting Michael to join them on the overnight leg down to Hermanus or all the way back to Cape Town, if he had the time, which he accepted in a heartbeat. They also filled him in on the plans for the game lodge, before he and Steve disembarked the yacht just before midnight with plans for Michael to come aboard during the morning.

During breakfast the next morning, Ryan requested that one of the remaining cabins be readied for Michael and Andrew advised Ray that there would be one extra guest for the remainder of the cruise. They had planned to explore the town and the surrounding countryside, but by the time they had finished breakfast, the temperature was already soaring with only the merest of breezes fighting a losing battle to keep things comfortable. So a group decision was taken to remain on board and take advantage of the shade and the luxury of air-conditioning, particularly with the sun beating down and pushing all its solar power into the lithium ion battery banks.

Michael Gibson arrived back on board with his luggage in time for morning tea and was shown to his cabin to get unpacked and settled. It was not long before he rejoined his travelling companions on the Sky Deck where they all languished in the shade of the hardtop and what little cooling breeze there was, sipping on moisture dewed glasses of their preferred cold beverage. The children splashed noisily in the splash pool under an awning with one or two of the adults occasionally joining them to cool down as well.

As lunch approached the heat became oppressive and they all trooped down to the cool comfort of the main salon for the afternoon meal while Brian and Gary closed the windows and the aft sliding doors of the Sky Deck and turned the air-conditioning on to cool the room.

Lunch was a cold seafood medley consisting of half a crayfish tail, sliced into meaty chunks with a dill mayonnaise dressing, smoked salmon terrine and a smoked oyster patè on a bed of mixed greens with cherry tomatoes, scallions, cucumber, avocado and capers. It came with freshly baked, still slightly warm, seed bread. Dessert was vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries.

It turned out that everyone scattered after lunch. The Kinleys and the Masons retired to their respective cabins for a nap, especially after the late night. Ryan took Michael on a tour of the yachts engineering spaces, while Andrew lazed on a sunbed in the shade of the Sky Deck and kept an eye on the children and Rascal who were back in the splash pool.

It was during the tour of engineering that Ryan decided , on the advice of captain Michael that it would be cooler out at sea, to set sail early for Hermanus. It would mean standing watches for the drew, but that was made easier by Ryan offering to stand watch from 20h00 to midnight.
It would allow their captain and engineer, who would be the remaining watch keepers to get some decent rest as well.

And so 'Lady Janice' slipped quietly from her moorings just before 15h00 and headed out to sea, her bows pointed south west for home.