A great memory

[Hasbeen]

I spent quite a few years sailing & working around the nearer to Oz Pacific islands. The little sailing & yacht clubs in the few real towns always welcomed & offered assistance to cruising yachties passing through. They all loved it when visitors would join in their races & activities.

I based myself in Rabaul for a few years, bought a fireball to race with their little fleet, & tried to make their major races & events each year. One of these was the Duke of York Islands Ball.

This was actually a 2 day bar-b-que beach party at a copra plantation on one of the islands about 25 miles out of Rabaul. It was a beautiful spot, with a fireplace built on the beach among the coconut palms. With over a hundred people booked, & only about 10 yachts, from about 26 to 50Ft in town at the time, we were all rather well loaded.

Three of those allocated to me for my first one were rather mature ladies, looking rather prim & proper, fully dressed for a real ball. Evening dresses, sequined hand bags, stockings & high heels weren’t all that suitable, but they still wanted to come. One of the girls on another yacht dug out 3 sarongs, & once changed they were ferried out to the yacht clubs rubber ducky.

The yachts nosed up to the beach, & passengers climbed off on some short ladders the yacht club provided. I was a bit doubtful of this with my ladies, but no problem. My old girls were having a ball, so much so that one of them won the Hula contest.

They had a ball, but I will never forget the 3 beautifully dresses, but rather bewildered looking ladies surrounded by a bunch in shorts & thongs, At the yacht club jetty.

[Diesel Bill]

Great story. I loved it. My wife wears a sarong sometimes and I pictured her climbing down the ladder to the beach. Iv'e seen her climb the pilot ladder 50 feet up to the decks to join me on the ships to transit Panama Canal. Aren't memories wonderful? Pretty soon that's all I'll have. Hopefully.

[Jim Cate]

Hmmm.... Sarongs...

When Ann and I finally married (after some 10 years together and some serious cruising) the venue was an old friend's vineyard in the Livermore valley... she wore a pareau that she'd bought in Tahiti, and I wore my usual shorts and shirt and flops. The text of the ceremony was the "Owl and Pussycat" with comments from the celebrant and raucous accompaniment from gathered friends and children. There was a large inflatable Stegosaurus watching over us all, and it was a grand day... and now 29 years later we're still together, perhaps bound by that pareau.

Funny what CF brings to our attention!

Jim