The Tribe Of 5

The news is leaking out so it’s time to tell…

 

What’s white and blue with yellow and red graphics, five and a half metres long and a good 10mph faster than a mako shark?

 

A boat, and to be exact, Lindsay’s boat. To celebrate her hard won position as the southeast’s general manager she couldn’t resist spoiling us all a little, well a lot actually and as always there’s a bit of a tale to go with it, in that we didn’t spend weeks and weeks scouring the small ads for a boat. Instead whilst on holiday with friends (and boats) at Jervis bay we happened upon a rare find and it’s not made of recycled beer cans.

 

“Make sure you take a trip into Nowra and check out the boat shop, there’s some lovely boats in there…” they told us.

 

So we did and that’s where it all started and soon after ended. At just over a year old with a mere eleven hours under its timing belt sat an all but brand new ‘07 Bayliner 185 and alongside it in competition a ’99 Haines Signature, both were Bowriders with the extra seating up front, both beautiful boats, both big enough for us all but from the start the Haines was trailing in the Bayliner’s wake. The Bayliner captured our hearts and was so new it outshone the 60 hours on the Haines by a country mile. Ultimately, Lindsay was the decision maker and once she had set her heart on it the token conversations over the next twenty four hours all centred around the Bayliner. I was consulted but did it really matter? Was I ever gonna stop her, really? C’mon now…

 

Some paperwork later and we had a boat. No boat licences but a beautiful, almost brand new, licenced for eight boat. Oh and nothing that could tow it right away as the poor old Tarago wouldn’t legally be up to the job even with its lionheart recent new motor. As a solution we towed it home with Garry and Leanne’s V8 Discovery, Lindsay’s Toyota Aurion, ‘ARNI’ was hooked up for service and Australia Day weekend was our maiden voyage.

 

I had been studying online for the NSW boat licence and am not what you would call new the world of boating; my Dad introduced me to the skills of powerboating when he came home one day with a 13 foot Owens speed boat. “Where d’you get that?” asked Mum.

 

“Saw an ad in the paper, thought it’d be fun…” was sort of how the reply went! And I’ve been on and off of, as well as driven plenty of boats small and large, power and sail ever since.

 

For me now though a few practice test questions were needed and a trip into our local NSW Maritime Office with a colleague from work keen to get a boat too meant we walked out as General Boat Licence holders. When I told him we’d already bought a boat the air turned pretty blue!

 

Boat ramp etiquette in Oz is pretty basic – if you’re not having a crap get off the pot! Messers, duffers, can’t doers and general faffing about is not usually tolerated and people’s patience gets thin very quickly. But we were fine, all the old trailer reversing skills came back to me and both my old mate Micky Kyte and I were smoothly relieved when the trailer went straight down the ramp and ‘Tribe of 5’ was slipped effortlessly into the water and pulled round to the beach while the trailer was parked. Unfortunately, the bubbly and brass band were all that was missing from this momentous occasion.

 

The blowers had been on long enough so it was time for ignition on. With a turn of the key the beeper beeped, one more turn and the starter spun the Chev’s six pistons and rods, she caught when the EFI spat unleaded in and the mechanical fuss hummed through the hull idling smooth as a spoon of honey with the exhaust bubbling away under the stern. God I was getting excited! With everybody on and a slight shove off we backed out of the beach. Trimming the Alpha leg was easy enough with the indicator gauge in the dash array but I wasn’t yet sure of how it would sit once we got going

 

We trolled off downstream amid markers and posts, red and green making sure the right colours were kept on the right sides, although there was a bit of panic and shouting from passengers when it looked like I might be making for the wrong side of a starboard mark! However, no disasters even came close until we were out of the 8 knot speed limit area and I decided it was time to wind her up a little and get onto the plane. I made sure everyone was holding on, I asked them all to go sit up front, which they ignored and I checked they were ready. Then all hell broke loose as I fed the power in smoothly and the big bow rose up to the sky like it was on a ramp. Before I could ease the trim, flatten her off and fool everyone into thinking we were doing fine the girls went hysterical. Ted, of course just wanted to go faster and was pretty disappointed when we dropped like a stone off a cliff back into the water. So was I, for it was to be much later before I could feel the surge of 220 horses from the Mercuiser’s 4.3 fuel injected Chevrolet V6.

 

It’s taken a couple of trips to calm Scarlett enough to convince her the boat isn’t going to flip over and Lottie still just puts a towel over her head when the going gets going but they’re not frightened any more. We haven’t had the chance to v-max her yet but have seen the fun side of 50mph. She’s a fabulous machine capable I’m sure of handling some very exciting conditions, capable of teaching all the children to ski and board, of teaching me and Lindsay some new driving skills and delivering bucket loads of fun all round. All in all she’s a perfect Tribe of 5.

 

 

Look At Me I’m Going to School

The end of the year concert performance put on by the staff and pupils at Sunshine Kids day care for 2008 was indeed a sensation. Scarlett had finished her year in the Starlight Room and was going off to school in January. The previous 2007 year’s show had both of our little girls overcome with stage fright, Lottie just burst into tears all dressed up as a Vegemite kid and Scarlett simply froze, staring out into space dumbstruck by it all waiting for it to end.

 

This time however it was all about one little girl who has risen to the very top of her peer class. Scarlett simply stole the show, well OK I know I’m slightly biased and there were probably a hundred and fifty kids stealing the show for somebody but she did, right.

 

Her renditions of ‘Crocodile Rock’ and ‘Mama Mia’ were stupendous and I can’t listen to either song ever again without seeing her strutting her stuff up there on stage, word perfect in every verse. Even now around the house, someone only has to pipe up with a few words from the songs and she’s off. The best part of it though was that she actually looked like she was enjoying every minute of it and although she knew the video camera was pointing at her, she never let it show. Lottie too had stepped up a grade from sobbing uncontrollably to medium stage fright, so it’s going in the right direction.

 

To wind the whole show up the day care staff arrange a graduation ceremony for those children who are leaving and going into school. All those going sang a little number entitled ‘Look at Me I’m Going to School’. We all know the words to that one now as well! There’s a “hat and back-pack, uniform and shiny shoes, look at me I’m going to school…”

 

Finally after they trotted off stage they were called back up the steps to receive a little diploma and a good luck hand shake in all their mortar board and black cape finery. Little Scarlett Heatley rather looked the part as she beamed her way along. And me? Well it shouldn’t be that difficult for you to imagine how hard it was not to explode! It was funny to see her dressed in the gown and mortar board hat but even stranger was to come later on when she first donned the uniform for school. What a change to see her after five years or so of baby clothes, nappies or nothing, T-shirts, shorts and swimmers to be now standing in a pristine blue and white checked school dress with white ankle socks and black shoes! Although she’s far more suited to the school shorts and polo shirt option is our Scarlett.

 

The first few days of school have been exciting in the main – a little daunting maybe but mostly exciting. There’s been a few teary episodes but they mainly happen when Mum or I are around. Left to it she’s fine, even becoming a little frustrated that she can’t read everything yet.

 

But Last Night she finally came home with something she’s been waiting weeks and weeks to be able to do…  homework! Moreover, judging by the way we’ve tackled it so far I don’t think there’ll be many complaints about reading and writing of an evening.