Frontier - 43. FR Chapter 43

“This is my 1^st mate and chief steward, Simon Adamson. We also have our chef – Sara Nichols, and we have two yacht stewards Toby and Finn, who are currently in transit from Australia, and will be arriving in a couple of hours” I said to the guests.

“Allow me to show you to your cabins, and we will bring your luggage momentarily,” Simon said to the guests and he lead the way onto the yacht. “This is what we call the aft deck lounge and outdoor dining area, and as we step inside, we have the saloon lounge, and beyond that is the formal lounge and dining room,” Simon said describing each area of the yacht, as they passed it.

“To the right or starboard are the stairs leading up to the fly deck, where there is a sun lounge area including a Jacuzzi, and an outdoor lounge. To the left or port, are the stairs down to the guest cabins. If you follow me down, I will show you your cabins,” Simon said to the guests, and they followed him down. I trailed behind with some of the guest luggage. Sara arrived and she went to retrieve the remainder of the luggage still on the jetty, and brought all of it on board, and helped bring it downstairs.

Once the guests and all their luggage were downstairs, we all retreated to the bridge for a moment. “How did you go with all the shopping? Is it all stowed away?” I asked Sara.

“No, only the refrigerated and frozen goods are away at the moment,” Sara replied.

“Ok, Simon go down and help Sara to get everything squared away, and I will start organising drinks for the guests. You did remember to get some more wines and champagne I hope,” I said to the crew.

“Yes skipper, but it is all warm. There are two bottles of champers in the bar fridge on the aft deck. I have already set out a tray of glasses on the counter,” Simon replied, as he followed Sara downstairs.

Pleased that Simon had everything organised, I went to the aft deck and checked the bar fridge, which had a selection of soft drinks, two bottles of champers and two of white wine and some fruit juice. Looking in the cupboard next to the fridge, I found one bottle of red wine, some whiskey, port, rum and cognac, so I was pleased that we had a small supply of alcohol for the guests, plus whatever Simon and Sara had purchased today.

As soon as the guests started to appear, I smiled to them. “If you care to make your way up to the fly deck, I will have some drinks for you momentarily,” I said to the guests, indicating the way to the stairs to go up. As they headed up the steps, I raced forward towards the main bridge, and nearly collided into Simon, who was coming around the corner with a tray of snacks. “Perfect, that’s just what I was coming to check on,” I said to Simon and I headed back outside, and retrieving a champers bottle, I opened it and poured out six glasses, before following Simon up the stairs.

“Here is to an exciting cruise. Cheers, everyone,” one of the guests said holding up his glass, and we retreated back downstairs to let the guests relax. As we arrived in the galley, Sara was very busy with dinner preparations, and she handed me the menu, that had two main courses for the guests to choose from, roast pork with steamed vegetables, pork crackling and apple sauce, or pumpkin and leek soup, with a side of steamed rice, roast vegetables and minted peas, and deserts was self-saucing chocolate pudding with vanilla custard or lemon cheesecake with fresh fruits.

Simon helped with the preparations while he could, and I went up to the bridge to get a weather report, and to check on the guests, who were now onto their 2^nd bottle of champers. “As soon as our two crew members have arrived, we will set off from Christchurch, for our first destination of Fiji. Here is a copy of tonight’s menu,” I said to the guests as I handed over the menu to one of the guests, before heading downstairs.

Finding the laminated sign that we had used for the open yacht tours at Portobello, I grabbed some tape and secured the sign to the outside of the bridge door, just to make the guest know that there was no entry for guests into the main bridge, and below to the crew areas. Simon arrived with another tray of snacks, which he took up to the fly deck for the guests, and he returned to the galley with the menu in hand.

“Four for roast pork and steam vegies, and two for soup and roasted vegies, 3 for pudding and 3 for cheesecake, and they have asked for a 1930 hour’s dinner,” Simon announced, as he placed the tray on the crew mess table, and sat down next to me.

“You better get ready to go to the airport. Its nearly 1600 hours now, and the taxi will be here soon,” I reminded Simon, who jumped up and dashed back up the stairs. I had already called for a taxi, which would be arriving shortly.

With Simon away, I chatted with Sara for a while before I headed upstairs to check on the guests. They were now happily chatting away, with their legs dangling in the warm bubbly water of the Jacuzzi. “What does the weather look like for our trip please, Skipper?” one of the guests asked me.

“I have just checked. The first three days look good, with good winds and mild seas, so we should make good time to our first destination,” I replied happily.

“Thanks, Skipper. Any idea when we will be setting off?” I was asked by another guest, and I looked at my watch.

“It’s 1635 at the moment so I estimate that we will be setting off in about an hour,” I replied.

“George mentioned that you are guardian to your half-brothers. I haven’t seen them around yet,” one of the guests stated, and I smiled and chuckled a little.

“You are correct with that, Sir, plus our chef has a son the same age as my youngest bro. They are keeping entertained in the crew lounge, that is part of the changes that have been made, to have extra living space for the crew,” I replied and I headed back downstairs, to see how the boys were going, and check on Sara’s progress with dinner. She grabbed me as I stepped into the crew mess area.

“Good, you are here. You can start with peeling the vegetables. There is pumpkin, parsnips, onions and potatoes for roasting, plus snap peas, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots for steaming,” Sara said to me, catching me by surprise.

“Well get going, or we won’t be eating tonight,” Sara said to me with a serious look and a touch of a smile. So, I got to work peeling vegetables, just as Jedd came out of the crew lounge. He smiled when he saw me busily at work.

“So, you have gone from boss to slave have you?” Jedd said to me, and I chuckled a little.

“At the moment, it has come to that, till we have our extra crew members. Can you please go upstairs and check on the guests?” I replied.

A few minutes later, Jedd returned from upstairs. “They would like some more drinks and snacks please,” Jedd said to me, and I dropped what I was doing and went to the fridge, where I found a bottle of Ginger-beer, and a container of fruit punch drink.

“Sara, do we have any fresh mint, and canned pineapple?” I asked the chef, as I located a large drink jug, and poured the punch and soft drink into the jug. Once I found the can of fruit, I opened it and added it to the jug, and Sara handed me a sprig of mint, which I roughly chopped and added to the drink. Retrieving a serving tray, I placed the jug onto the tray, and Sara dropped a dozen ice cubes into the drink, while I retrieved 6 wine glasses. “Let the guests know that, some snacks will be coming shortly, and offer them this -Jedd’s special fruit punch,” I said to my brother, and my brother giggled at that, before picking up the tray and carefully heading upstairs.

Once Jedd was gone, I began to look around for some food to rustle up as snacks for the guests, and Sara helped me put together a small platter. When Jedd returned I asked him to take the platter up to the guests. When he returned moments later without the platter I wondered what had happened. Jedd had a big smile on his face. “It’s Ok, Anton, Toby took over just as I stepped out into the formal living area,” Jedd said to me, and he headed back to the crew lounge.

Simon arrived a few moments later. “Hey, Boss, how are things going with the guests?” he asked me as he sat down in the crew mess.

“They seem to enjoy lots of alcohol, so we will have to watch that carefully. I had Jedd take them a fruit punch, to keep them happy till dinner time,” I replied, and Simon chuckled.

“Yes, I heard, Jedd’s Special Fruit Punch,” Simon replied with a smile and we both laughed.

“Can you take over with galley duties, while I prepare to set sail, now that Toby and Finn have arrived,” I said to Simon, and I headed upstairs.

“Hey, Guys, it’s great to see you both again,” I said to Toby and Finn as I stepped into the formal lounge, and they both hugged me.

“We are happy to be here for you, Boss. Although Jasper isn’t very pleased,” Finn said to me and I chuckled.

“Yes, I will have to call him and apologise. Now, Guys, I have allocated you both to the twin guest cabin, next door to Sara. Her son Oscar, has the single crew cabin, opposite my brothers,” I announced.

“Ok, Boss, we will quickly freshen up and get straight to work” Toby said and they grabbed their bags and headed down stairs. A few minutes later Finn and Toby entered the bridge, where I was looking at a new weather report.

“Let’s get away thanks, Lads. Then once we are out of the harbour, can you get the dining table ready for the guests’ dinner? Sara will tell you what the menu is, as she is the main cook for this trip,” I said to the new crew members.

When I arrived on the fly deck, the guests were happily chatting away, as I started up the engines and looked over the side. Toby and Finn released the two mooring ropes and began to coil them up, then stow them away in the lockers. I carefully guided the yacht out of the yacht club, then headed towards the mouth of the harbour. I was pleased to see that Toby and Finn were in position, ready to raise the sail on my command.

“Ok, Lads,” I said to them clearly, and both boys began working together raising the mainsail, as I cut the engines, and turned the yacht slightly to allow the wind to fill the sails. We quickly increased speed as we left the harbour and entered the Pacific Ocean. Turning to the guests I smiled. “We will be sailing past Wellington tomorrow. Would you like us to stop there so you can have a look around the city?” I asked the guests.

“What will the arrival time be, Mr Hamilton?” one of the guests asked me.

“Just before breakfast, Sir. If you like we can stop there for most of the day,” I replied. The guests were pleased with this and accepted the offer. I picked up the radio mic and turned it to the correct channel. “Fly to galley,” I said into the mic.

“Shoo, fly! We don’t like flies in the galley,” came Simons reply, and I chuckled a little.

“This fly demands your appearance on the fly deck. Over,” I replied in a serious tone.

“Err, right away, Boss,” came Simons hurried reply, and moments later I could hear him coming up the stairs. He had a bit of a sorry and guilty look on his face as he appeared, and I smiled.

“It’s ok this time, Simon, but don’t make a habit of it,” I said to him quietly.

“Yes, Boss. Sorry, Boss,” Simon replied.

“We will be stopping at Wellington for most of tomorrow, so I need to catch up on some sleep. I will see you at 2100 hours,” I said to Simon.

Simon headed down to the main bridge, and once he had taken over the controls, I headed downstairs to the crew area. “Sara, I am going to bed for a couple hours, before I start the night shift at the helm, I will have my dinner just before 2100 hours,” I said as I passed the galley to check on the boys in the crew lounge. “Boys, I’m off to bed before starting night shift, so don’t be late to bed, and as of now, no going outdoors, as we are in the open ocean now,” I said to my brothers and Oscar.

“Yes, Boss,” the boys chorused, and I headed back upstairs, and over to my cabin.

When my alarm work me 3 ½ hours later, I felt refreshed from the sleep, and after a shower and change of uniform I headed over to the main deck, taking care as I went, as the weather was a little rough. The guests were in the saloon lounge enjoying a game of cards, and I greeted them as I passed by and headed to the main bridge. “Hey, Simon, how has the trip been so far?” I asked my 1^st mate as I entered.

“Not too bad thanks, Skipper. As you can see we are in a patch of rough weather at the moment, but it will only last a couple of hours,” Simon replied with a big smile, and I headed down to the galley to get some dinner, which was on the table waiting for my arrival.

“Thanks, Sara. This smells good,” I replied as I looked at my dinner.

“The boys went to bed about an hour ago, so they should be sound asleep by now. I’ve just finished some baking, so I am off to bed myself. I will see you in the morning,” Sara said to me.

“Sleep well, goodnight,” I replied and she headed upstairs. Once I had eaten, I cleaned up the mess and galley, before heading to the main bridge with a cup of tea in hand.

Once we had changed over, Simon stayed to chat a while, before he said goodnight and headed to his cabin. About half an hour later, Toby appeared. “The guests have all gone to bed for the night. I just have to clean up these glasses, then I’m off to bed too. Finn went to bed about an hour ago, as he will be up early to get you your morning cuppa and toast,” Toby, said to me then headed down stairs.

As Toby headed towards his cabin, I settled down for the long night ahead of me. Averaging a distance of about 20 kilometres out to sea, from the east coast of the South Island, I estimated that we would arrive at the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht club at about 0600 hours. The seas calmed down soon after I took over at the helm, as the winds changed direction to a south-westerly direction, which made it much smoother coming from across the New Zealand South Island.

This all changed when at a little after 0230 hours we entered the Cook Strait, and the winds were now coming from the west. So, I had to make adjustments to the sail to compensate. Putting the auto pilot on, I headed upstairs and fixed the sail, before returning to the main bridge to take control again. A swell started, making the yacht ride up the waves and come crashing down on the other side. Soon after, Finn appeared. He headed downstairs to get us both a cup of tea, which I was glad to have.

“Where are we now, Boss?” Finn asked me, as he stared out into the darkness.

“We just entered the Cook Strait between the two islands, so it will be a little rough for the next 2 ½ hours,” I replied as I pointed to the navigation panel in front of us, to show him the navigation map that showed the South Island just behind us, and the North Island approximately 60 kilometres ahead of us. “Once we enter Wellington Harbour it’s just 14 kms to the yacht club,” I said to Finn after a few minutes of silence.

“How long will be at Wellington for?” Finn asked me.

“Well, I said most of the day to the guests, so I guess we will leave at about 1500 hours. Depends on when the guests return. Here, take over for me while I go to the bathroom. Just stay on that heading of 5 degrees. I will be back in a moment,” I said to Finn, who was caught a little by surprise by my request to take over at the helm. I headed downstairs to use the staff lounge bathroom, and to get another cup of tea.

It was while I was waiting for the kettle to boil that I was caught by surprise. A large wave hit the yacht, and I went flying across the counter towards the crew mess. I blacked out after hitting my head on the edge of the mess bench seat. When I eventually came around, Finn, Toby and Sara were standing around me, and I was now lying on the crew mess bench seat. I tried to sit up, but Toby held me down.

“You are going nowhere, Boss. Simon is at the helm, you just lay there and relax,” Toby said to me with a smile. Sara placed a damp cloth on my forehead, and I groaned as I felt my head aching.

“How long have I been like this?” I eventually asked.

“Almost an hour. When you didn’t return to the bridge after 15 minutes, Finn began to panic. He didn’t know what to do. Then, seeing the two-way radio, he called for help. Simon had his two-way turned on, and he heard Finn, and came over straightaway to take the helm,” Toby explained.

“I was scared to death when I saw you lying there on the passage floor, so I went and got Toby to help me get you on the seat, then woke up Sara, and she has been looking after you,” Finn added.

“Thanks, Everyone, and sorry to scare you like that. Finn, what happened? Did we hit a big wave or something?” I responded with a slight smile.

“You bet it was a big wave. When I saw it about to hit us, I ducked under the wheel. Scared the living crap out of me,” Finn replied.

Feeling that it was still quite rough seas outside, I decided that a damage check could wait till daylight,

“Ok, Guys, back to bed with you both. I need you to be well rested to serve the guests. You too Sara. I will be fine. I will go lie down in the bridge lounge for the rest of the night. Simon can keep an eye on me from there,” I announced to everyone. Once I was assisted up the stairs and to the lounge, Toby and Finn and Sara headed to their cabins.