Kevan and I went up to a local yacht club to do a day's course to get our boat licences. I started getting nervous about three days prior - worrying about being on a small boat and leaving the contents of my stomach all over the river - nice huh.
The weather was appalling - freezing driving rain and wind. We got to the place, started walking towards the 'school' and Kevan said a rude word. I looked where he was looking and I said the same rude word! It was only a flaming floating classroom!!! I immediately took some sickness pills and in we went, filled in some paper work and others arrived. Each time someone walked in, the whole thing moved about, not nice.
Anyway, we got down to a morning of videos, lectures and each time a boat went passed we moved up and down and left and right. I was doing ok as long as concentrated on the work and didn't look out of any windows. Lunch time came and we found food. Foul weather continued and after lunch we climbed into a boat and bobbed about a bit. Kwells work a treat. They never have before but this time all was good. We had to sail (motor) out to an open bit of river and take turns in doing figures of eight. Mine was not good. Without going into details, my bottom loop was sort of non existant and the others on the boat were, I think, getting a bit nervous!! I did hear Kevan mutter something about "you think this is bad, you should be in a car with her" but I chose to ignore him.
Once we'd all done that we had to go back to the marina and do rescuing a man overboard - we didn't actually sling anyone out, just pretended a buoy was a body. Then we had to pretend to park against a buoy and then reverse to another buoy. The final thing was to park next to a pontoon. That was dead easy - well I thought so but a couple who had done everything else brilliantly struggled - I think they were trying to show off whereas I had nothing to show off.
Back to the classroom and more videos and lectures and then the exam. The rain was pouring down by this point and the wind was strong so more shifting the room about.
The guy came to mark out papers - he was very cute. He marked Kevan's and said No 53 is wrong have another go. He then marked mine and strangely enough I had also got No 53 wrong but we hadn't cheated, we had got different wrong answers and the strange thing was, that question had to be one of the easiest on the exam and we both knew the right one. He came and marked again and we both came away with our licences. Well impressed. I was even more impressed that I was passed on the figure of eight bit but maybe I scared the instructor so much he didn't want me doing it more than twice.
So that's it. Wait for some nice weather and we'll be out doing the Captain Pugwash bit. How cool are we?
We were both totally amazed that I didn't throw up. I was more impressed by that than the fact I'd passed to be honest. Huge thing for me, no idea if I could ever go on the Grand Union Canal again though, that was horrendous but maybe if we ever get to New York again I would be able to try and get on the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty instead of not watching the others go without me.
No pictures of anything at the mo.
Oh one other thing, Abs was performing the two cheer routines again last Friday in a city competition (all Gold Coast schools, clubs etc) and they picked up a silver in their class. On Saturday they were performing again at the Gold Coast Show, two different stages, and introduced by the Channel Nine news reader. Did really well again. Tomorrow is the local springfest and yet again she is doing her stuff, cartwheels for about 2 kms in the parade and then the routines at the show. She is loving it.
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