At Sea - 20. AS Chapter 20

“Sorry Amanda, I am just very worried about Brodie’s attitude, since we arrived back on the ship, and he should be fine, he prefers to be as independent as possible” I replied, as I stood up and stretched, before following Amanda out the door and downstairs. When we reached the galley, I helped Amanda with doing a stock-take of supplies, writing up a list of things that we will need to buy, in preparation for the next charter, and we also did a clean of the two guest lounge areas.

Shortly after 11am, Sam and Marcus appeared at the jetty, and it was Amanda who spotted them approaching, and she raced downstairs to greet them, with me following. “Hey guys, welcome back, did you have a good break?” I asked them, “Yes, it was great thanks, we went home and caught up with family mostly. By the way there is a guy in a wheelchair in town, who nearly run us over” Marcus said to us, “Yes, we know him, he is your new boss, my cousin Brodie” I announced.

Both lads stopped still when I said that, shocked and surprised. “Come inside, and Nav will explain, while we have a cuppa” Amanda said to the lads, and a few moments later, with their luggage dumped just inside their cabins, the lads sat down at the dining table with me.

“Only family knew this, so I know it is quite a surprise, when I was 4 years old…” I said beginning to explain the whole story to the lads and Amanda, who only knew bits of the story. “Brodie spoke to his parents on the phone yesterday, but he has been stewing over a comment Amanda made when we arrived at Smithton, which I think he has finally worked out what it meant.

“You mean about you being gay?” Marcus asked, and now it was me that was a little shocked, and both Marcus and Sam chuckled, “relax my friend, we are fine with it, and we will support and protect you against anyone that tries to harm you” Sam replied, causing me to start to tear. “Thanks guys, that means a lot to me, you three are the best friends, a guy could ever have” I replied.

We chatted some more about our separate short holidays, as we drank our tea, and this was interrupted by the arrival of Brodie, “I would like a cup of tea, and I will have it in the formal lounge, and who are these two bozos’” Brodie said to us, as I stood up and approached him. “Now that is not nice Brodie, this is Sam and Marcus, our other crew members” I responded.

“I wasn’t talking to you fag, now get out of my way before I run you over” Brodie snapped, and I jumped out of the way as he passed me, only to be stopped by Sam and Marcus, who stood in the way. “You do not talk to the ships navigator that way, it is not acceptable behaviour on this ship” Marcus snapped at Brodie, and a shouting match started between the lads and Brodie, with Amanda joining in.

Shocked at what was happening, I sat down and sobbed at what was happening, and suddenly a high-pitched whistle brought silence from everyone, and looking up we saw Jacq and Jay standing there, not looking to happy. “Now can someone please explain why Nav is crying, and you four are in a shouting match” Jay demanded, and the lads and Amanda turned and began talking at once.

Jay whistled again, which once again brought silence. “I have never seen such bad behaviour on this ship or my previous fishing boat, so maybe son, you had better explain, as it seems you are the cause of it” Jacq said to Brodie, looking straight at him. “I don’t want that queer anywhere near me ever again” Brodie snapped, and I stood up and headed up stairs to my cabin, locking the door behind me, and cried till I fell asleep.

When I woke to the sound of knocking on the door, I got up and unlocked it, and Amanda walked in closing the door behind her. I glanced at the clock and saw that I had been asleep for about two hours, “I have made a decision, I am going back to the apartment early, and I will stay there till everything is sorted or some decision is made” I announced.

“Well I can tell you now, the Skipper and Jacq are 100% behind you, even if it is very upsetting for Jacq, she is blaming the people who brought Brodie up for his attitude, and the skipper is furious” Amanda said.

“Well, I need time on my own, so I am heading back to Launceston tomorrow” I replied, as I stood up and retrieved my suitcase from the wardrobe, and began to pack, while Amanda headed out, leaving me on my own for a while. About half an hour later, Amada returned with a tray of food, “You missed lunch, so I thought I better bring you something” she said to me, placing the tray on the small corner table next to the chair.

Leaving my suitcase on the bed, I sat down and ate my meal, agreeing that I was quite hungry. “I have told the skipper that you are returning to Launceston a week early, and although he is not happy about you leaving, he understands, and he asked me to give you this” Amanda said to me, as she handed me the bulky envelope.

Inside was a letter, and a lot of cash. “Our dearest nephew, how saddened we are that this has happened, at a time when we should be celebrating the return of our son, please find enclosed the $500 you spent buying the wheelchair for Brodie, and another $1500 for other expenses you had while in Perth, and returning to Tasmania.

We will miss you greatly, while you continue your studies, please keep in touch with us. The apartment was transferred into your name, and was supposed to be a surprise gift, with all our love, Uncle Jayden and Aunty Jacqueline”.

I had tears streaming down my cheeks after reading this, and I placed it on the bed while I finished eating, and Amanda took the tray back to the Galley. There was another knock on the door, and reluctantly I called out to enter, and Jacq walked in.

It looked like she had been crying just as much as I have, “We thought you might like to go earlier, so we have arranged a charter plane, to pick you up from Smithton, Amanda will drive you up there, leaving in about half an hour, the lads are not very happy either, and have chosen to go back to Launceston too, so they are going with you.

We are sorry that this has happened, and no matter what, we will always love you, and you are always part of this company and family. We will do our best to try and adjust Brodie’s attitude, and we hope that someday soon, you and he will be great friends again. Jacq said to me, before kissing me on the cheek and leaving.

As I was heading down the stairs with my two suitcases, with most of my belongings, I heard Jay speaking loudly to his son, as I passed the upper deck, and I paused there for a moment to listen. “I don’t care if you are my son, you will change your attitude. Because of you, I have lost my navigator and my two stewards, and will probably lose our chef as well.

Without them, this ship is dead in the water, we cannot do any charters, and we have been forced to shut down the business” I heard Jay say, as I continued down the stairs to the main deck, where Sam and Marcus were waiting for me. Two hours later, we were in the air and on our way back to Launceston. “What are you guys going to do now?” I asked Marcus and Sam.

“Well I will go home, and start looking for a new job, the skipper gave me a glowing reference, so I am hoping I can find something quickly” Sam said to me, “Same with me” Marcus added, Well I will be living at the family apartment, so don’t forget to come and visit me from time to time” I said to my friends. “No worries there, mate. We will be checking in on you regularly” Marcus replied, as we prepared to land at Launceston.

After saying farewell to my friends, I caught a taxi to the apartment, and unpacked my bags in my room, then sat down in the lounge and looked around the apartment, and immediately felt depressed at how things in life can change, so quickly. A little while later my mobile rang, and looking at the caller ID, I saw that it was my mum.

“Hello dear, I have been briefed on what has happened, are you ok?” Mum said to me as I answered the call, “Yes mum, I have just finished unpacking, back at the apartment, I have my first lecture on Tuesday next week, so once that starts, I will be keeping busy” I replied.

Over the next few days, I did very little, and also ate very little, spending most days just staring at whatever programme was on television. A knock on my door on Saturday morning, soon after I had dragged myself out of bed, redirected me to the front door, where a smiling Marcus and Sam were standing. “Mate, what on earth have you been doing, you look a mess, and your place smells and looks the same” Sam said to me as he walked in, with Marcus close behind.

“Go and grab a shower, and we will go out and do something for the day” Marcus said to me, and reluctantly I headed to my room and the bathroom. When I came out to the lounge, I saw that the living areas had been cleaned up, and the lads sitting in the lounge smiling, I gave a little laugh. “Thanks guys, I have had no energy to do anything around the apartment, I really appreciate your help” I said to them.

“Anytime my friend” Sam replied, and he and Marcus stood up, handed me my keys and wallet and pushed me out the front door. Sometime later, we arrived at Cataract Gorge, which was a stunning reserve, and we spent a good two hours wandering around, checking out all the sights, before heading to a café for some lunch.

In the afternoon, we checked out Tasmania Zoo, a private run zoo, located about 18 kilometres from the centre of Launceston, and we spent a good amount of time exploring and checking all the animals, before heading back to the city, to have an early dinner. “This has been a great day, thanks guys, I really needed this” I said as we began to eat our steak dinners.

I spent all of Sunday doing housekeeping, laundry washing, and I even went for a long walk along the riverbank, before stopping at a supermarket to do some food shopping. As I sat down to dinner in my apartment, I received a text message from Jay and Jacq.

“Hello nephew, just wanted to update you on what is happening, Brodie refuses to change his attitude towards you, so he has been given the choice, to change or get off the ship and go back to Coral Bay. He chose the latter, and flew back to Perth this afternoon. It has been a very difficult time for your aunt and I, but you know that we love you, and that although he is our son, he has changed a lot, and we will not have him affecting our future business.

Can you let Sam and Marcus know that they can have their jobs back, and that we will pay for their transport to Strahan, where we will be relocating too! The property in Arthur River is on the market, and we have cleared out the cottage, and moved back onto the ship, we are setting off for Strahan first thing in the morning, Love Jay and Jacq”.

“Holy cow” I said to myself, before dialling Sam’s mobile number. “Hey buddy, what’s new?” Sam said as he answered the call. “Hey, I just got a message from Jacq and Jay, you and Marcus need to report for work as soon as you can get to Strahan. Brodie has returned to Coral Bay, and won’t be returning till his attitude changes” I informed Sam.

“Wow, now that is something I didn’t expect, ok I will call Marcus right away, and we will get packed and get down to Strahan, when will you be coming down?” Sam said to me, “I am back at Uni now, so weekends and holidays only, till the end of the semester, so for now it will be just the two bosses, Amanda and you two guys” I replied.

At the end of the call, I smiled at the sudden change of events, and I was glad that Jay and Jacq had taken some action, after attempting to get Brodie to understand the situation, and I sent a text back to my uncle and aunt. “Hi, sorry to hear that Brodie won’t change his views, and that you sent him back to Coral Bay.

I hope that someday he will change and return to join the family. I have called Sam, and he will call Marcus, they will meet you in Strahan, as soon as they are packed and on transport. I will come down in a few weekends time, for a two-day visit, once I have settled into Uni. Love Carlton”. A few minutes later I received a reply, “Ok dear, see you in a few weeks”.

The first five weeks back at university, I struggled a little, but I had calls from Amanda every two days, giving me encouragement to keep trying my best. As the Labour day long weekend was just over a week away, I sent a text to Uncle Jay and Aunty Jacq, “Hi, I am coming down to Strahan for the long weekend, I have one lecture in the morning on Friday, so I will catch the midday bus, so I will be there at 5.30pm. Love Carlton”.

A few minutes later I received a reply, “Looking forward to your return, we have a charter starting at 6pm Friday till 4 pm Monday, we will pick you up, Love Jacq”. I smiled after reading the message, and now I was feeling happier, that I was heading back to the catamaran, for a much-needed break from my studies.

On the Thursday morning, we were informed that the next day was a Lecturer conference day, so there would be no lectures the day before the long weekend, so right away, I called the bus service, and I was able to secure the last seat on the Friday morning service, so I would be getting there at 1.30 instead, which gave me time to help with preparations for the charter.

The five-hour long bus trip was very long and tedious, I sent a text message to Jay and Jacq to let them know that I was on the morning bus service, and they let me know that they would collect me from the terminal, and I was really happy, when I saw Amanda’s smiling face as I stepped off the bus. “they sent me to collect me, as they had some issues to sort out” Amanda explained as she wrapped me in a tight hug.

“Hi Amanda, I have missed you” I said and I returned the hug, before releasing her, and Amanda grabbed my small suitcase and lead the way to the vehicle, “So where is the Ship?” I asked as we climbed into the vehicle and headed east. “You will see, just be patient” Amanda replied with a huge smile on her face, as we turned south and began following the eastern banks of the Macquarie Harbour.

“The only thing down this way is Lowana and the King River” I commented, “Damn, can’t hide anything from you can we” Amanda said, and I laughed, and a short twenty minutes later we arrived at Lowana, on the banks of the King River, where the Trident was anchored in the middle of the river. “it is great to see the old girl again” I commented, as we climbed out and I grabbed my luggage.

Turning to face the ship again, I saw a dinghy heading our way, with both lads onboard, “Looks like I am getting the royal welcome” I said to Amanda, who just smiled, and moments later the dinghy arrived and I was caught in the middle of a three-way hug. “Ok guys, let me breath please” I croaked, and everyone laughed as they stepped back a little bit, then patted me on the back.

It’s great to have you back Nav, we have missed you on the ship” Marcus said to me, “I second that comment” Sam added, as he grabbed the bag out of my hand and carried it to the dinghy, and we all climbed onboard, and were soon heading for the ship. “So, what is the charter, and who are our guests?” I asked as we neared the ship’s aft swimming deck.

“The skipper will brief you on that, once you have settled in, everything is organised, so we are just waiting for their arrival” Amanda replied, as we arrived and climbed onboard, where I found two unexpected people standing in front of me. “Peter and Julia, what are you guys doing here?” I said shocked to see my two former fishing deckhands on the ship. “It was my idea, the skipper wanted two more stewards, so I recommended these two guys, since we have worked with them before on the original Trident” Amanda said to me.

“Welcome back Nav” they both chorused with big smiled, “thanks guys, it is good to be back” I responded. “The skipper is expecting you on the bridge” Amanda announced, so I headed forward, and headed up the stairs to the Bridge deck.

“Ah, here is a prodigal nephew back from university” Jacq said with a smile, when she saw me arrive, “Hello aunty Jacq and uncle Jay, it is good to be back” I replied, as I was wrapped in another tight hug, “Ooof, I need to breath guys” I croaked, and I was released with chuckles coming from my uncle and aunt.

“Ok, so what is the charter, and who are our guests?” I asked, as we all sat down, “Well you know one of them really well, the others you will know by reputation” Jay said to me with a big smile, “Ok, so I am guessing HRH Frederick is the one I know really well, who are the others?” I commented.

“It’s actually HRH Joachim that is coming, the others are HRH Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, HRH Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, HSH Prince George of Liechtenstein and HRH Prince Felix of Luxembourg” Jay announced to me.

“Holy Smokes, that’s nearly the whole of European Royalty” I commented in shock, and both Jay and Jacq laughed, “Actually, only one is in line for the throne of their country, the others are spares” Jacq said, “This is a holiday for all of them, so we spoil them rotten, and we reduce the risk of publicity of their stay to zero, while they are with us, so we are going to be staying in very remote locations.

They have asked for fishing, scuba diving around ship wrecks and exploring the forests, as their key activities, so we are stocked up with plenty of supplies, and each of the guest get a VIP cabin each, and we work our butts off to keep them happy” Jay said to me.

“Don’t worry, I will make sure of that, do the others know who we have coming” I replied, “Only the senior crew members, so just Amanda, Marcus and Sam, the other two will be told shortly by you” Jay replied, and I smiled and chuckled, as I stood up and walked over to the instrument panel and picked up the phone and pressed ships PA. “Attention all crew, this is Nav, all stewards to the formal dining room for a meeting right now, that is all” I said as I hung up the phone.

“I was about to turn and walk out off the bridge when the sat phone rang, so I picked it up, “MV Trident, Nav speaking” I said, “Hello Nav, it is good to hear your voice again, I believe you are expecting us this evening” the caller said who I recognised to be the Danish Prince, “Yes sir, that is correct, a party of five, are there any extras with you?” I responded.

“Yes Nav, there are five extras, one for each of us, we are a little early, and we will be at your location in just under an hour” the caller said to me, “Understood sir, looking forward to seeing you again, bye for now” I said and ended the call, and turned to face Jay and Jacq, “As predicted, they will be early, under an hour’s time, with five extras” I said to my uncle and aunt.

“Yes, we knew about them, they will be accommodated in the guest single cabins” Jay replied, and I nodded my head in understanding and headed downstairs to the formal dining room, where the four stewards were waiting for me, and Amanda was in the galley preparing dinner.

“Right, I will need you all to be showered and in dress uniforms in half an hour, as our guests are arriving early” I announced as I walked in, “Who are they Nav?” Julia asked, and I glanced over to Amanda in the background who began to chuckle, “Don’t panic, as we have had one of them onboard already once, and his brother twice, we are hosting European Royalty, specifically, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg” I announced.

Both Julia and Peter looked shocked, and the rest of us just chuckled, and I waited for them to recover a little before I continued, Sam and Marcus will be doing the majority of the Steward service to the 4 Princes and one Duke. Peter and Julia, you will be assisting Amanda a lot of the time in the galley, until you become comfortable with being around royalty, you will also be doing cabin servicing when their cabins are unoccupied” I announced.

“Very well Nav, we can do that, as Amanda has been training us for the past two weeks” Julia replied, “Ok, let’s get a move on, they will be arriving in 45 minutes” I said, and everyone sprang into action.

“Can you mind the galley, while I get showered and dressed please” Amanda asked me once the others had dashed off, “Yes but hurry, as I will need to do the same too” I replied. When Amanda returned, I dashed off upstairs to get ready, and stepped out of my cabin just as I heard the distant sound of two large helicopters, and I heard Jay make a PA announcement for all crew to prepare for the guest’s arrival, and together my uncle, aunt and I headed down to the main deck, where Sam and Marcus already had the dinghies in the water and racing back to the riverbank.

I watched from above the swim platform, as five men stepped out of each helicopter and one women, “Who is…” I began to ask, till I realised that it was Elizabeth, my mother, who was looking a little pale, “Oh no, poor mum” I commented, and both Jay and Jacq chuckled, “You didn’t tell her before-hand did you?” I asked, “No, or she wouldn’t have come” Jay replied.

Once the helicopters had left, Prince Joachim, and his body guard, and mum plus their luggage was loaded into Sam’s dinghy, and he brought them over to the ship, where I went to meet them. “Your Highness, it is good to see you again sir” I said to the Prince, as I gave a small bow, “Hello Nav, I believe you know my bodyguard from my previous visit” the prince said, as he shook my hand.

“Yes sir, hello Hans, how are you?” I said to the guard, who smiled and nodded his head, before I turned to face my mum, and I stepped forward and gave her a hug, “Relax mum, you will be fine. It is great to see you again, I wasn’t expecting you on this trip” I whispered, “Hello son, it’s lovely to see you again, now where is your uncle so I can strangle him” mum said out loud, which made me laugh.

“I am sorry sir, my mother is not yet comfortable with facing royalty, and she was not told that she would be travelling with you down to Strahan” I explained to the Prince, just as the second dinghy arrived, with two more Princes, and two guards and luggage, while Sam had arrived on the river bank for his second trip.

Once everyone was onboard, Prince Joachim made all the introductions of this fellow guests to myself, Jay, Jacq and the two lads, who were bringing the dinghies back onboard. With me leading the way, Jay in the middle of the group and Jacq behind them, we began showing the guests the facilities on the main deck level, before making our way up the stairs to the upper deck.

Once the guests had seen all of the facilities on both decks, and shown to their cabins, I headed to the galley to check on Amanda, who had Peter and Julia busy making preparations. Sam came rushing in from the guest lounge area, “Prince Joachim would like to speak to you and Jay” he said to me hurriedly, “ok, telephone Jay, I think his on the bridge, don’t use the PA, I will make my way in there now” I replied, and Sam dashed into the galley to use the internal phone.

“Sir you asked to speak to me? The skipper is being contacted as we speak” I said as I entered, where all four men were enjoying a drink and chatting, with the guards hovering in the distance, “Yes Nav I did, remembering the troubles we had with the media last time my brother and I were here, do you have any recommendations on where else we may be able to go, where we won’t be disturbed?” As I saw Jay enter, I smiled, “well sir, I do have one idea, it depends on how long you are intending to stay” I replied, and Prince Joachim looked at his fellow guests who nodded yes.

“We have agreed on a minimum of two weeks, if you can guarantee us a media free trip” Prince Joachim replied. “If you allow me to consult with the skipper for a short while on the bridge, we will come back with an answer in half an hour, in the meantime, we are going to set sail now, so as to avoid any possible media finding us, since we are so close to a major town” I replied, and Jay and I retreated out of the guest lounge area. “Ok Mr, what is this great idea you have?” Jay asked me as we walked through the formal dining room towards the stairs.

“Let’s get to the bridge first, so we can consult the navigation” I replied, and a few minutes later we arrived at the bridge, and Jay headed to the main console and picked up the Phone and pressed ships PA, “Attention all crew, prepare for immediate departure, senior crew prepare for ocean voyage, that is all” Jay said, then turned to me, after putting the phone down.