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Boating with the Girls |
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Ok, now retirement is all about finally
having the time to try new things, challenge yourself, take chances
and test your limits. Well, my latest adventure was probably my most
adventurous. Regis, always looking for interesting things to do,
found an advertisement in a 'tourist' magazine for a houseboat rental
on the Saint John River. Now some of her ideas don't go very far, but
this one proved popular and in no time she had nine girlfriends
willing to go with her.
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The Captain at work |
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I don't know what I was thinking, but I
suggested that I would go along to drive the boat so they could all
'party' without having to worry about a “Designated Driver”. If
it has an engine and a throttle I want to try to drive it, and since
I liked the narrow boat in England I thought this would be fun. I
should have realized when no one tried to talk me out of it that I
might be in trouble. After all I had been in the house during their
“serious” book clubs (I didn't know that much wine was involved
with reviewing novels), and I had heard about some of their
“get-a-ways” in Cape Breton. This wasn't one group, it was a
combination of three groups, a book club, a Monday coffee group and
some family & friends thrown in for good (or bad) measure.
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Line Dancing on the Boat |
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Now I have never piloted a boat. In
England I was designated “Engineer”, and Master Mariner
Brother-in-law handled the difficult piloting duties, but he did let
all interested parties a chance to man the tiller, and I only hit one
other boat during my turns, and Regis was assured by the company that
it wasn't difficult to pilot the boat, so I figured I could handle
it. It was in the wide part of the river above the dam, and it was
off season so I could learn to drive the boat without endangering
other mariners too much. I even went so far as to take my 'Pleasure
craft boating licence'. The interesting thing was that I worried
about getting the licence and didn't really think about actually
piloting the boat, but once I actually passed the test and had a
piece of paper in my hand that said I could actually legally drive
the boat, I started to think about all they things I didn't know.
Which side is starboard again, where do you get fuel, how big was the
holding tank going to have to be with nine girls wanting a shower
every morning, where were we supposed to tie up every night . . . . .
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Sharing the fun |
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No problem, the “Boat Rental Folk”
gave me a 10 minute course and when he asked if I knew about piloting
a boat , and I said I had only helped with a narrow boat in England,
but had driven RVs and trucks, he said “No Problem, you'll be
fine!”
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Walking the Plank |
Actually it is pretty easy, and the
boat is well suited to the river. It is an aluminium pontoon boat and
I was told to just run it gently ashore, tie it to two trees and all
would be good. It is no speed boat and you don't need worry about
fuel, oil or even water. Back out, point it where you want to go and
keep it steady until you get to the next night's mooring.
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Filling the Hot Tub |
And the “girls” genuinely
appreciated my sacrifice and I was waited on and thanked by everyone
for driving them. As I write this, we are safely tied up in a little
cove along the river. The boat is nosed into the shore just like I
was told to do it, and as I write this, the boat is rocking to line
dancing. Now it is only the first day . . . . . . .