A couple of weeks ago I decided that today was the day I’d leave Florida, come hell or high water. Well, we’ve had the high water in a sense thanks to hurricane Dennis, but hell never came so I’m still here. All weekend I toiled away in the muggy heat, but for the life of me I can’t remember what I actually did. I’m sure it was all terribly important but unfortunately the lure of the Voodoo Lounge on Sunday evening proved too strong to resist, and the refreshing waves of vodka washed away all my memories of boats.
Very small lizard
One thing that I do remember is making a new friend. As I was strolling across the boatyard towards Odyssey on Saturday I noticed something out of the corner of my eye which appeared to be hopping across the gravel. At first I thought it was a grasshopper but since there was no grass I thought again and looked closer, only to find the tiniest lizard I’ve ever seen in my life. I knelt down and said hello, and it soon came scampering up onto my hand and flicked it’s miniscule tongue at me. As you can see from the picture it was very small indeed, barely an inch long if that. Cute little fellow, and I managed not to run him over!
This morning I arrived at the boatyard to find a most pleasant surprise awaiting me – Odyssey now has two masts again. I danced a little jig and grinned inanely at Cap’n Lyle, whose only comment was that it was nice of me to join them this afternoon. Huh. I wasn’t that late, although admittedly it was closer to noon than I would have liked, but Monday mornings were never my thing.
I spent much of the afternoon peering up at the mast in admiration, imagining the billowing canvas that would soon be speeding me on my way across the Atlantic. Sadly reality soon hit home and I realised that there were lots of gizmos up there that needed connecting to the ship’s electrical system. The radar alone has 11 wires, and there are also lots of lights up there to connect, so I set to work. Once the yard boys left at 4pm I was able to turn up the stereo and dance around the cabin to some bouncy hardhouse.
I’ve found a spot right by the chart table where I can leap around with gay abandon while admiring my nifty dance moves (and healthy tan) in the mirror in the crew cabin. It also gives me the chance to practise for the Coliseum and Voodoo Lounge at the weekend, so it’s definitely not a waste of time. As I’ve said before, I’m on holiday, so I’m allowed to enjoy myself now and again 🙂