Friday, December 27, 2013 Santa should have included installation

Thursday, Boxing Day dawned as lovely as yesterday, and as the breeze is now settled, its time to remove the old, and very worn trampoline...and install the bright and shiny brand new one Santa gave us for Christmas. Being that Jim and I are fairly strong-minded people we both had very definite ideas on how best to make this work. Unfortunately, they did not exactly coincide....however, we managed to work thru our differences and 4 hours later we had the old trampoline off, and bundled on the deck, and the new one strung right and tight in it's place. We also managed not to shout at each other, not to drop anything (but one small piece of line) in the water, not to lose any tools nor crew overboard, and best of all...make it look like a totally professional job. WOW....what a difference! This required significant teamwork, with both of us hanging and balancing in very uncomfortable places and then trying to shimmy back and forth into position tugging and pulling lines, and tying knots all while avoiding the big hole in the middle of the boat. At one point I was perched way out on the starboard bow and Jim was lying prone on the cat walk. Glamorous and Elegant it wasn't! but it managed to work just fine. We are now very proud of our selves, and the beautiful new trampoline strung between our bows. But really, I would have appreciated installation included!

Again last night was lovely, and we managed to spot 4 satellites and 3 shooting stars. And the reflection of what Jim is sure was fireworks off in some distant place.

Today we are up and out and back to West End as we have chores to do for us and for OJ in the next few days. We arrived here at about 9:30 and picked up a can close to the port side of the harbor the better to watch the show for the immigration station. And what a show it was. Shortly after we arrived we counted 5 dayboats on the immigration dock, with another 8 circling and jockeying for position while they waited. Then, in comes another ferry which, instead of coming alongside the now full dock, simply backs into the tiny space left and loads its passengers from there.

Then the work boat comes in and has to blow its horn to tell one of day boats to 'Move it!' Oh, the excitement!