Never walk alone- Walk on - 8. Chapter 8

Chapter 36
The soft chime of the doorbell roused them from the depths of sleep, followed by the sound of crockery crashing to the deck and a wail that could only be Elizabeth. Her dads flew out of bed, quick donned shorts and their dressing gowns and hurried to the door. Just as Andrew was reaching for the lock, they heard urgent whispers from the companionway on the other side of the door.

"It's okay, baby girl", they heard Christine say, obviously comforting an upset Elizabeth. "It was an accident. We'll just go make some more. Cam come with us, Elizabeth and I are just going to fix up the tray. We won't be long, I promise".
Ryan grinned at Andrew.

"I have a feeling our two munchkins want to surprise us". He reached out and unlocked the door. "I think we must get back into bed and wait for them to come back. And act surprised when they do!" A scratching sound at the door attracted their attention and, on opening the door, Rascal scampered into the room, running around them and his little body wriggling energetically. Ryan picked him up.
Andrew shook his head.

"You two are as bad as they are! I have four children not only two", he muttered, but nevertheless turned and pulled Ryan with him through the office area and back into the bedroom. They shrugged into t-shirts, quickly brushed their teeth and then got back onto the bed, pulling the comforter up to their waists, and waited. Rascal had barely found his preferred spot on the bed, when the door chime sounded again

"Come in, it's open!', Ryan called out.

They heard the door open and seconds later, Elizabeth appeared, carefully carrying a tray with two mugs on it, a small jug of milk and a sugar pot. Andrew had to stifle a grin, but at the same time his heart nearly broke as he saw the concentration on her tear streaked face. Cameron followed her with two wrapped parcels, blue eyes sparkling and a pleased smile on his little face. Behind them, Christine carried a second tray with two more mugs, a pot of coffee and hot water. Two big brown puppy eyes watched their approach with interest, his tail vibrating madly.

"Happy anniversary, guys. May you be blessed with many more", Christine said as she unclipped the legs of the tray and positioned it over Andrew's legs and then helped Elizabeth do the same with the tray shehad, placing it over Ryan's legs. The little girl clambered onto the bed and stood next to Andrew., while Cameron stood next to the bed where Ryan lay.

"Thanks Christine", they both replied.

"This looks lovely", Andrew added, noting that the trays also held a small plate with a warm croissant, butter, strawberry preserve and cream cheese. The two mugs on Andrew's tray contained hot chocolate and a third plate with two choc-chip muffins.
Christine grinned.
"Not my idea. All theirs!", she replied indicating the twins."They've been wanting to wake you for the past hour. I managed to convince them to give you a bit more sleep after your watch last night. Enjoy!" She turned and left the family to themselves.
Andrew turned his head looking at his adored children.

"Morning my angels. Thank you . This is lovely"

Cameron set one parcel down next to Ryan, moved around the bed and put the other down next to Andrew, then clambered up onto the bed as well. Andrew looked at Ryan questioningly, but he just shrugged.
Elizabeth put her arms around her daddys neck, kissed him and gave him a hug.

"Happy 'versary daddy". Andrew heard Cam wish Ryan as well. The twins gingerly swopped sides and wished their other dad as well, then settled down between them. Andrew reached out and rubbed his thumb over the streaks on Elizabeth's cheeks.
"Why has my baby girl been crying", he asked, cupping her face.
She sniffed.

"Cause I dropped the tray daddy. And the mug broke. I'm sorry daddy", she explained, snuggling against him.
Andrew grinned at Ryan over her head.

"It's okay, baby girl. It was an accident. You didn't cut yourself did you?", he asked her softly. He felt her head move against him.

"No daddy. Christine cleaned up the mess and helped me make up another tray. She also said it was a accident. She's nice. I like her".

"Good, as long as you didn't get hurt. Now, can we open our gifts?
She perked up instantaneously, nodding vigorously and Cameron sat up straighter.

"Yes. Open your presents! Aunty Marie helped us to buy them", he told them. They would have to thank Marie later and reimburse her.
The parcels were boxed and wrapped in copper hued paper. Each had a small card attached. Andrew's read, 'To Daddy. Lots of love, Cam and Lisbeth' while Ryan's was exactly the same except his was 'To Dad'. Both were written in childish scrawl.

Two pairs of eyes watched with eager excitement as the wrapping was opened to reveal white boxes with clear lids. Neatly folded in the boxes were beautiful woollen jerseys, Ryan's in blue, Andrew's in caramel.. They were thick and warm and would be perfect for cold Cape winter days.

"The lady at the shop told us that each versary has a special gift", Elizabeth explained importantly

"And", Cameron added, "yours was copper or wool. But we couldn't find anything with copper. Aunty Marie had to tell us what copper was. So she said we must get you something with wool"

"And then she found the copper paper", Elizabeth finished, looking very pleased with herself.

"We'll have to thank Aunty Marie, won't we", Ryan said. "Thank you my angels, the jerseys are beautiful. Now dad and I can be nice and toasty warm when winter comes".

Andrew handed the twins their hot chocolate and they sat sipping the sweet beverage and eating their muffins, while their dads ate their croissants and had their tea and coffee. Andrew poured some tea into his saucer so that a Rascal could have some as well.

When everyone was done, Ryan turned on the TV for the twins to watch while he and Andrew showered and dressed. They quickly remade the bed, discreetly removing the towels they had put down the previous night, did a quick tidy up around the cabin, and then headed out for breakfast, each holding a child's hand and Rascal in Cameron's arms.

There was a chorus of 'happy anniversarys' when they appeared in the Sky Lounge. The others were already well into their breakfast so they selected their cold items and placed orders for their hot meals with Ashleigh. Champagne flutes magically appeared and Christine brought a bottle of champagne which she poured and then joined the other crew members at the end of the table.
While they waited for their hot food, Ryan stood up and went to chat with Michael who was in the bridge.

"Hi Michael. What's our position?", taking note that they were, in fact, hove to at the present moment.

"Morning boss. Congratulations! We're just approaching the bottom of the island and once we go round the bottom end we'll set a north easterly course up the east coast. There's not much down this end that I think Andrew would be interested in, but I did want you guys to see this location".
Andrew overheard Michael and stepped closer.

"Morning Andrew. Congratulations to you as well. I thought this looked quite interesting. It's a little exposed, being almost on the southern end of the island, but it's still on the west side. It called Anse des Cocos , Coconut Cove. I think it's quite pretty and might be a possibility".

"Morning Michael. Thank you. Okay, let's have a look shall we!", Andrew replied, reaching for the binoculars. He studied the beach for a few minutes then lowered the glasses, smiling.

"I like it. As you say, maybe a bit more exposed than the other two, but definitely prettier and quieter. Could we go shore and have a look around?

Michael grinned and nodded.
"I had a feeling that would be your reaction. Gary will take you to the beach after breakfast"

"Great, thank you. Let's hustle then. Any idea what the east coast looks like?

"It's only once we get further up that there are some potential anchorages. We need to find one to anchor in
tonight anyway, hopefully where we can set the proximity and radar alarms, so we don't have to stand formal watches. Gary, Brian and I can share the night and the watch keeper can use the couch on the bridge to be on hand if need be. I've had her idling along at five knots, but I'm going to push her to ten knots after you get back from the beach. I want to drop anchor no later than 14h00 or 15h00 at the latest, so we can get organised for tonight. The three of us have also drawn lots to see how we are going to join you for dinner, so that one person doesn't miss out".

"Great, thanks Michael. Andrew and I will haul out the binoculars after we get back and scan the coastline as we did yesterday. Are you going to stay down here or transfer command up to the Sky Deck?"

"I'll come up after breakfast, I think", Michael told him. Just then, Ashleigh came through to advise that their break-fasts were ready, as well as a plate for Michael. Ryan glanced through the door to the table on the Sky Deck and saw that Gary had finished his breakfast.

"Gary, would you mind relieving Michael at the helm while he has breakfast?, he asked the young deckhand.

"No problem, I'll be right there", Gary replied, picking up his coffee cup. Once Michael had handed over to him, he joined the rest of the group at the table. The children had eaten breakfast earlier and all wanted to use the tub on the Sky Deck but both Andrew and Marie told them to wait a while so they all went down to the main salon and watched a movie on the big TV there. The adults sat at the table and chatted for a while and when Michael rose to relieve Gary and transfer command to the upper deck, Gary went below to launch the tender. While Gary was doing that, Ryan joined Michael, and Andrew went to see if Ray was all organised.

As it turned out, he was doing just fine, having Ashleigh to assist him with the preparations for the evenings
celebration dinner, and Andrew was politely told to relax and leave everything to them. He felt a bit at a loss, but agreed to do so. He did, however track down Christine and requested her to set up the movie screen on the aft main deck railing. He collected two CD'S from the cabin and gave them to her to be loaded into the entertainment system. They were the original copies of the wedding from start to finish and Andrew wanted them to be run during the evening.

As he was leaving the galley, the children all crowded around, wanting to go to the beach as well. He consulted with Paul and Marie, who agreed to accompany them, as did the Majors and the Kentons.

"Okay, kids, go get your sun hats and the sun protection cream. Then we can get going".

There was a mad scramble as the children ran to the cabins and a few minutes later they met on the Main Deck aft where their parents were waiting with life vests for them to wear and bottles of water. Once everyone was wearing a life vest, Andrew and Ryan went down the stairs to the swimming platform, the children following behind them with Rascal and the rest of the adults bringing up the rear. Gary checked all the life vests and then stepped into the tender to assist them on board. When everyone was seated, he took up his position at the helm, Ryan released the mooring line and Gary carefully manoeuvred away from the yacht, before gunning the motor and heading for the beach. The sea was almost flat calm and there were only small waves breaking onto the beautiful white sand beach. The closer they got, the more convinced Andrew became that they had found the spot he was looking for.

The beach was located in a shallow curved cove with rocky outcrops on both ends and backed by a thick swathe of palm and coconut trees. The water was crystal clear and the sandy bottom was clearly visible.
Further up the coast, around the left hand outcrop was a small town, which they later discovered was called St Pierre and a handful of cottages were just visible between the trees. As far as Andrew was concerned, it was the quintessential piece of paradise.

Gary ran the tender right up onto the sand close to the left hand outcrop of rocks and, while they disembarked, he secured the bow anchor into the sand. Then it was time to explore.

The first thing they noticed was the intense, unmistakable heady aroma of frangipani blossoms.

The area below the rocks was perfect for snorkeling, although they were disappointed to realise that the water off the beach was not suitable for swimming as there was a noticeable strong current running. They followed the curve of the beach, walking just where the warm water swished onto the soft sand and reached the other rocky outcrop where they were stunned, and very pleased, to find a large rock pool. Of course, the children all wanted to swim, so they all went in. The pool was built just above sea level and they noticed that the bigger waves crashed over the rocks at the ocean end, feeding the pool and keeping the water fresh and where the water was several degrees cooler and deeper.

Janice and Marie strolled into the treeline and emerged a short while later with armfuls of frangipani.

After an hour on the beach, and with the sun getting hotter by the minute, they decided to return to 'Amira'. But, more importantly, they had found their stopover point. It wasn't perfect, the wind would be a problem when it was blowing out of the south or southeast, but it was quiet, secluded and accessible. 'Amira' would also be able to drop anchor quite close to the beach. One of the other two sites would have to be used should the wind be un-favourable.

On return to the yacht, much to the childrens delight, they all, Rascal included, used the showers on the swim-ming platform to wash off the sand and salt before going up onto the Main Deck, where Rascal vigorously shook himself, spraying water on anyone within range.

Ryan helped Gary retrieve and stow the tender in the garage and then watched as he closed the transom door and raised the swimming platform. Gary radioed Michael to advise that they were once again watertight, and they watched as the water boiled at the stern as the engines were engaged and they slowly swung away from the beach.

They all trooped up the exterior stairs to the Sky Deck where Ashley advised that lunch was almost ready. Christine had taken up position at the bar and began dispensing cold beverages. Rascal was given a bowl of cool water as well.

The children wanted to use the tub, but were told to wait until after lunch. Janice and Marie went down to the salon to put the frangipani into water and on their return everyone found a place at the table, and tucked into a light chicken salad lunch, enjoying the cool breeze that blew through the room, mainly due to their increased rate of knots, as the white wake that streamed out behind them attested to. Michael pushed 'Amira' almost to her top speed and they dropped anchor off the small town of St Benoit in the mid afternoon.
The sun and sea had finally caught up with the little ones and Rascal, and they were all having a nap, as had the late night and antics of the early morning, so Andrew and Ryan were in the master cabin, napping as well.
They had left Paul, Marie, David and Janice were all sprawled on the foredeck around the tub there, either sunbathing or, in David and Janice's case, sitting under the gazebo, reading.

Andrew and Ryan emerged from their cabin some time later, refreshed, bright-eyed and bushytailed. Andrew detoured into the galley while Ryan headed up to the bridge.
After spending a short time with Ray, Andrew joined Ryan and Michael at the front of the deck at the upper helm station.

"I missed you", he whispered pecking Ryan on the cheek. Ryan caressed his husbands face.

"And I you. Everything okay?"

"Yes, I think so. Ray seems to have everything under control and Ash is helping him. He doesn't seem to need, or want, my help, so I will leave him at it".
He picked up his binoculars. "See anything interesting?"
Ryan shook his head.

"I'm amazed that an island like this has so few suitable anchorages and marinas. It would be a challenge even for 'Belle Catherine', let alone for a yacht like 'Amira'. Which in my opinion is a shame. I would hazard a guess that many bigger yachts give Réunion a miss due to the lack of suitable berthing and anchorages"
Andrew gazed thoughtfully at the small town on the shore.

"Maybe it's something we should look at. Find or construct a small marina, maybe a dozen berths at the most, for larger vessels. Supply shore power and water, a refuse service and fuel dock. A store for supplies and gear. We could even include a small lodge as well overlooking the marina. I think there is definitely a need for it. If we do it properly, I think it would work. And with a bit of luck, the powers that be will give us a few concessions due to us, hopefully, bringing in additional of revenue onto the island".

"Not that it's any of my business", Michael commented, "But I think it's a brilliant idea"
Andrew turned to look at him.

"To a certain extent, it is your business. As long as 'Amira' is cruising in these waters, you are going to need somewhere to drop anchor. It would make life a great deal easier".

"True, but it won't be easy. And will more than likely, cost big bucks".
Ryan grinned at them.

"Since when have we ever done anything that was easy. It's definitely a project we can look at, my love. It also means we will be taking the company international"

"And", Andrew added wriggling his eyebrows, "We can spend some more time in the islands".
They chatted to Michael for a while until Andrew glanced that the clock and exclaimed,

"Good grief, is that the time already. We have to get ready for dinner, my love. I don't think Ray will be very impressed if we keep his dinner waiting"

They left Michael, telling him they would see him at dinner, stepped down into the bridge and took the interior stairs down to the Main Deck companion way where, having observed some activity on the aft deck, they turned right to the salon, and stopped instunned surprise.

The three remaining crew members, Christine, Gary and Brian, along with Janice, Marie, Donna and Craig, were putting the finishing touches to their dinner venue on the aft deck, having transformed it into a very passable replica of the original wedding venue on Mauritius.

The main dining room table and chairs had been moved onto the aft deck under the upper deck overhang and now sat, surrounded by grey chairs, resplendent with a floor-sweeping white tablecloth, topped with a soft, gold mesh-like overlay that draped halfway down the cloth. Starched white serviettes, folded into fans sat on 'Amiras' Royal Doulton crockery along with the Dartington crystal glassware and heavy Christoffle silverware.

The grey chairs were adorned with white and gold bows in which nestled small posies of frangipani blossoms. The centre of the table had a large flat crystal bowl containing white pebbles on beach sand, and water, on which floated seven small round candles and more frangipani flowers. Positioned halfway down the table on each side of the centrepiece were two fat gold candles on flat candlesticks, surrounded by frangipani.

Soft white fabric was attached to the sides of the overhang, blowing gently in the light breeze and Craig was busy draping more fabric in swathes along the aft edge of the overhang.
Andrew held onto Ryan as they approached the group who stood looking at them, grinning and very pleased with themselves, his hand covering his mouth and his eyes were bright with unshed tears.

"Oh. My. God! Guys, this is absolutely amazing. How?", he stammered.
Christine grinned.

"We couldn't have done it without help. I watched part of your wedding video last night, and really wanted to do something similar. So I spoke to Janice and Marie this morning before you came to breakfast and we had a quick look at all bits and bobs we had in the store room. And this is what we came up with. Finding the frangipani was an absolute bonus. Do you like it?"

"Like it! It's stunning!", Andrew exclaimed. "Thank you. So much. All of you"

"Yeah, definitely", Ryan added, a bit choked up himself. "It's beautiful. You've thought of everything. We couldn't have it on the beach, so you brought the beach to us", indicating the flat bowl in the middle of the table.
Andrew leaned forward and looked at the table, then reached out and picked up one of the placename cards.

"Where did you get these? These are the exact same ones that were on the table on Mauritius".

"That's me I'm afraid", Janice smiled holding up her hand. "I took them all after dinner that night and kept them. Don't ask me why? I just like to keep momentos like that".
Ryan shook his head.

"Well, thank you mom. It just adds the finishing touch . Amazing!"

"Thank you to all of you. I'm stunned. Thank you"

"You're welcome", Marie said."Now you two go get dressed. Dinner is at 7.30pm. We don't want to see you until then".

"Okay, if you say so. Um, where are the children?", Andrew enquired.

"David and Paul have got them all below, getting them bathed and dressed", Janice replied

"Wow, you guys have got everything covered", Ryan answered. "Thank you. I guess we better go get dressed my love".

They turned back into the salon and, hand in hand, walked through it and down the companion way to the master cabin, both Janice and Marie watching with soft, delighted smiles.

They had a little less than an hour to dinner, so Andrew and Ryan took out the clothing they were going to wear and laid it all out on the bed. They heard the door open and three mini tornadoes came in, clamouring for attention. Both the children were ready for the evening, Cameron's hair slicked back with gel and Elizabeth's long hair tied in a ribbon, quite close to her skull and hanging loose down her back. Rascal had a gold and white ribbon tied around his neck, as well as his leash.Their dads scooped them up and twirled them around with Elizabeth admonishing Ryan.

"Careful dad! Don't mess my hair!"

Cameron just gurgled with laughter.
After both giving their children and puppy some TLC, they sat them in the chairs at the windows and started dressing. Once dressed, they both brought out the gifts they had got one another. By mutual agreement, they had both decided to get the modern 7th anniversary gifts, leather desk sets, so they both were aware of what they were getting. They, however, did not know the detail. Both had packed the flatish boxes in their luggage and they grinned when they realised they held very similar sized boxes.

"Just please don't tell me we got one another the exact same gift", Andrew said.
They sat on the couch opposite the twins and opened the boxes and grinned at one another. The desk sets were indeed exactly the same apart from the choice and colour of the leather. Ryan had opted for a burgundy cow hide for Andrew, while Ryan's was tan embossed crocodile leather. The sets consisted of a desk pad, letter tray, pen cup, business card holder, letter opener, memo pad and a magazine rack. They were going to look great on their desks. They took a few moments to say thank you, before two little hands tugged at the trousers.

"Can we go now, please? I'm hungry", Cameron complained.
They broke apart and Andrew grinned at his partner.

"Our son needs sustenance. We better go before he keels over", he commented, looking down at his little boy who glared at him.
"Very funny daddy! What does keel over mean?".

"It means you might fall over or faint", Ryan explained, kneeling down next to his son. "But the way you eat, I very much doubt that will happen. Let's go shall we!"

They left the cabin, the twins walking proudly in front of the dads and entered the salon to find the furniture had been rearranged so that the centre of the room was clear. Only the lamps on the side tables and dressers were burning, bathing the room in subdued light. The lights on the aft deck had been dimmed to a warm glow and the candles flickered in the table. Strings of fairy lights that they had not seen earlier, twinkled in the drapes around the deck.

As they stepped into the room, the music and entertainment system was turned on. Simultaneously, a picture appeared on the big screen on the aft rail, showing Andrew and Ryan walking down the red carpet on the beach seven years previously, and strains of 'This is the moment' played through the sound system.
A brief moment of surprised hesitation, and gentle encouragement from their dads, the twins moved down the aisle, followed by their slightly emotional parents. Everyone was gathered on either side and applauded as the family walked slowly through the salon and onto the aft deck. While the song continued to its conclusion, there were congratulatory hugs, kisses and hand shaking. Gary brought a tray of champagne and sparkling grape juice and everyone raised their glasses to the couple. Then, while Ray and Ashleigh returned to the galley, and Brian headed for the bridge, Christine and Gary got them all seated and took drinks orders, delivering them a short while later.

The menu, printed on card that bore the yachts logo, was the exact same one that was served at the wedding with Ray just adding a small tweak to each dish.

Instead of pouring the cognac and cream into the lobster bisque before serving, he had whipped the cream and the cognac and then folded the chopped lobster tail into the cream. A good dollop of the mixture was then care-fully placed on top of the hot soup and immediately served to the table, the cream slowly melting into the bisque for the guest to stir it all together.
The biltong salad had bright golden nuggets of fresh corn added to provide some crunch, and the terrine was small individual portions instead of a slice.

For the entrées, the carrot mash accompanying the beef, became a chunky blend of carrots and potato, each ingredient clearly identifiable.
The crisp duckling was made even crispier with the addition of a light dusting of toasted coconut and the mahi mahi was accompanied by a pea timbale instead of a puree.

The change for the desserts was exactly the same. Both desserts arrived, covered with a very delicate spun sugar dome.

Both Andrew and Ryan were delighted with the final result and as soon as coffee was served, Ryan requested Christine to call Ray and Ashleigh to the table. When they appeared at the glass doors from the salon, the couple stood up and began applauding, the others at the table following suit. Then Andrew held his hand up for quiet.

"Ryan and I would like to thank you all for the huge effort you put into making tonight a success. It was absolutely amazing. Christine, Gary and Brian, the decor was gorgeous. Thank you to mom, Marie, Donna and Craig as well. I was wondering what you were going to do with all the frangipani. Ray and Ashleigh, your dinner was superb. We both loved the small twists you added to make the dishes your own and it was as good, if not better, than the original. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. We appreciate you all, and your hard work tonight, some more than others. Ray, Ashleigh, we don't want to see you spending what remains of the evening in the galley. We are aware that the galley has to be put to rights, but you are to join us as soon as possible. We're going to turn up the volume on the sound system and have some fun on the dance floor".

The guys took to the dance floor and for a while they were aware of only themselves, their bodies pressed close and their arms around one another as they swayed to the music. The spell was eventually broken when they felt little hands tapping on their legs and they looked down to see Cam and Elizabeth gazing up at them

"We want to dance too daddy", Elizabeth told Andrew, who grinned at his husband and broke away from him to take Elizabeth's hand.

"Put your feet on mine and hold my hands, baby girl", he told her. She did as instructed and a happy smile bloomed on her little face as she and her dad shuffled to the music. Andrew glanced round and saw Ryan was doing the same with Cameron. He also noticed that all their crew members were missing.

"Where has everyone disappeared too", he asked looking at the family.
"They all went to help Ray and Ashleigh tidy the galley ", Paul replied.

"Oh wow. Fantastic. That was good of them", a very happy feeling settling in his chest.

It was shortly after that the crew began reappearing, and Ray and Ashleigh soon joined them, having showered and changed into casual clothes. The celebration continued into the early hours of the morning, even the residents of St.Benoit being aware of the faint beat of music emanating from the brightly lit yacht anchored offshore. The kids all called it quits shortly after midnight, falling asleep on the comfortable couches in the main salon and having to be carried to their beds when their parents eventually headed for bed as well. Ryan told the crew to leave the clean up for the morning and that they would all assist in getting everything shipshape again during the passage to Rodrigues.

He also suggested that they remain at anchor until after breakfast, when they would sail to St.Denis to process out of Reunion with immigration before setting course for Rodrigues.

That, however, was easier said than done. The boys put the twins to bed in the lower deck cabin with Jonathan and then went to the master cabin where both, although tired, were nevertheless very frisky and proceeded to show just how much they loved one another. That entailed having to get showered again before finally getting some much needed shut eye. Consequently, the two of them woke up at 10am with the realisation that they were moving. A glance out of the port window confirmed that they were sailing fairly close to the coast, heading in a north easterly direction. Ryan surmised that St.Denis would be their next anchorage to do immigration, and he was proved correct when the faint rattle of the anchor chain was heard while they were showering. Quickly finishing their ablutions and getting dressed, they left the cabin to find four pairs of human eyes and one canine pair sitting in the main salon watching the cabin door. Elizabeth was quickest to react and hurled herself at her dads, with Rascal so close behind her, he tripped her up, yelping as she caught him with her foot. Fortunately, Ryan was able to catch her as she stumbled.

"Elizabeth, slow down baby girl. What's the rush?", Ryan admonished her, more concerned than an angry.

"We've been waiting for you for ages", she pouted, her arms around his neck.

"Aunty Marie said we mustn't wake you up", Cameron added, standing between his dads looking up at them. Andrew was ruffling his hair. "She said we must just wait for you. We've even had breakfast already"

"We'll have to thank Aunty Marie then, won't we?", Andrew told her. "And thank you for listening to her. Okay, well we are up, so lets all go upstairs so that your dads can get something to eat. I hope their is still something for us. Morning Jonno, morning Mikey".

Marie made an appearance just then, coming down the staircase from the Sky Deck.

"Oh, hi guys. You're up. I wasn't sure how long I was still going to be able to keep those two away from your door. They didn't wake you, did they?"

"Thank you for your efforts Marie. And no,we woke up all by ourselves. Is there still some breakfast?", Andrew asked. She nodded.

"Yes, definitely. Your mom and dad are up there having breakfast. They also slept in a little. The rest of us had a fairly early breakfast. So Ray is just waiting for you"

"Oh hell, now I feel bad keeping him waiting. Especially after all his hard work last night", Andrew said. "And I notice everything has been cleared away already. Everyone's been very busy except us"

They all climbed the stairs to the bridge, greeting Michael who was at the helm, and moved up onto the Sky Deck.

"Morning everyone", Ryan called a general greeting. "Apologies for being so late. Ray, thank you for holding breakfast for us".

"Morning Ryan, morning Andrew. No problem at all. It's all ready anyway. The usual cold stuff and then flapjacks, bacon, link sausages, grilled tomato & mushrooms. So just help yourselves", Ray replied.

"Thanks chef, and thank you again for a superb dinner", Andrew said, smiling.

"Pleased you enjoyed it. It was a team effort", he answered.

"Well, it was amazing and much appreciated", Ryan added."I think we'll just take what's needed and you can clear away. It's late already and I know you still have lunch to think of".

Having gathered their breakfast, the boys sat down at the table where David, Janice and Paul were just having coffee and pastries. Christine brought a pot of tea for Andrew and coffee for Ryan. Marie requested a cup of coffee as well.
Michael popped his head out of the companionway hatch.

"I've sent Gary ashore to clear us out with immigration. As soon as he gets back, we'll point the bows at Rodrigues. I took the liberty of taking all your documents out of the safe. So he's got everything".

"Thanks Michael. That's great. What's our sailing time to Rodrigues", Ryan asked him.
"About 24 hours at an easy 10 knots. I might push her to get us there just after dawn. I'll see how it goes"
.
"Good. Thank you. I'm available to stand watches seeing as it's an overnight leg. Just let me know what time I'm on watch", Ryan told him.
Michael grinned.

"It's so nice to have an owner who wants to be involved. Thank you. I'll work out the watches and advise you".
He glanced toward the shore and lifted his binoculars.

"Wow, that was quick. Gary's on his way back". They all turned and watched the tender speeding across the calm water towards them, and a few minutes later Gary approached 'Amira' and slowly circled round to the stern. Michael radioed Brian that Gary was back and for him to assist in retrieving the tender and before their breakfast was finished, the anchor chain rattled once again as the anchor was raised, Michael transfered the helm control to the Sky Deck steering position and with a deep blast on her horn, which startled everyone, the bows swung east north east to point at Rodrigues and they got underway leaving Reunion astern.