Today, our eighth anniversary of moving in to our ‘new home’, in March – July, 2016 – we went on a riverboat ‘pleasure cruise’, ‘pon the river Ouse. Dad, Claire, Sam, Teresa and I.
I volunteered to ‘drive’ the boat. That lasted all of a few minutes. I couldn’t get the damned thing to go in anything other than circles! And with dad freaking out, I decided to bale out.
Sam took over, and did a great job. Eventually. But in the meantime dad just wouldn’t stop with the continual freak-out! We did, alas, wind up fouled in the reeds, and having to call out the marina cavalry.
They tutored Sam in the ways of nautical righteousness. And from there on in – well, with a small second dose of guidance – Sam steered us all the way to Ely and back. Well done, bro’!
Once arrived at Ely, we had to pass the waterfront by, turn around, head back, and then moor up. Dad was still incessantly stressing. But after a first attempt near-miss, Sam got us ‘parked’. He and I secured Bramble to the mooring posts.
There were several causes for our initial difficulties, in Bramble. First, we’re not seasoned or practiced boaties. Second, in a tiny light-weight boat, such as Bramble, strong winds continually blew us off course, very easily and swiftly. Third, dad was at the front on the way out. Again, the tiny-ness of the boat was unhelpful; on the way back, with dad at the rear, the engine sat lower in the water, giving more oomph.
Once moored up, Teresa and I had a picnic, on the park by the river, and decompressed from the appalling stress of the outward journey. Dad, Claire and Sam went to Teacock’s, for lunch. After a brief look around Waterside Antiques, we joined them, for tea n’ a choc’ brownie.
We ate and drank in the back garden of Peacock’s. Which Teresa and I had never been to before. Despite our many visits there.
Dad calmed down a great deal during this sojourn. But it took an awful lot of persuading to get him back on the boat, for the return journey. To his great credit he did finally capitulate. And so we headed back to the mooring.
We got back to the marina with time in hand. I think Claire wanted to go out again (and get our moneys’ worth, poss?). But the rest of us were for getting back to Terry Firmer!
I had allowed myself to get riled by dad’s continual carping on the way out. And I had told him, several times, to shut up. I felt awful about this afterwards. Even if such an admonition was justified.
But in the end, with Percy Verence, and patience and fortitude all round, we saw the cruise through, and even managed, eventually, to enjoy it. At least Teresa and I certainly did.