Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Prparing the Boat for the Repairs and EATING


Day 34:  Sunday March 29, 2015

Not much to report today.  We did have memorable meals today, however.  We ran out of sausage, but we still have some gravy mix left and, as a safety precaution, I brought along several jars of chipped beef. So for breakfast, we had chipped beef on Bahamian coconut toast (SOS Bahamian style!) It was my favorite breakfast when I was in the service.  For lunch, I was privileged to have Spam with Horsey Sauce on the last remnants of Bahamian coconut bread and for dinner we ate at the Clarian Motel restaurant.  What I ate there was not as important as the atmosphere in which we dined.  We were told that they had a good band starting at 6:30 so we decided to get to get there early to beat the potential crowd.  The dining room was located just off the lounge.  There were probably 10 tables set up but only three had table cloths and those were in the entrance to the lounge.  The lounge had a number of tables around a large dance floor.  At one end, a man and wife were setting up their electronic key boards and adjusting their volumes. The lights were dim and the mood was set by LED spot lights that changed colors and flashed in random patterns. 

We selected a table in the second row away from the dance floor but were told by a very skilled waitress that our selection was reserved, so we picked one of the tables in the dining room. The waitress took our order. 

As the hour of entertainment approached elderly couples began to file in.  And, as they arrived, they hugged and kissed every other elderly person there. Most of the men were dressed in Hawaiian shirts and the ladies wore fancy tops and slacks. One gal wore cowboy boots with stiletto heels.  These folks were all most animated and talkative.  One gal loudly discussed the fact that she had light eyebrows and had gotten tired of drawing them on everyday so she went to a tattoo artist and had eyebrows and eyeliner permanently inked into her face for $1,000.00.  But, in a number of months, they disappeared so she went back and the artist told her that she was “one of those” who sucked in the ink but that for $500.00 she would replace them.  Well that wouldn’t do because being “one of those,” they would just be sucked in again.  She then spent an inordinate amount of time talking about where the eyebrows had gone and that when they cut her up, who knew where they would find them.  She also talked about her sciatica and the fact that it made her legs hot so she was wearing slacks with mesh designs (holes) in them to keep her legs cool.

  The singer and the keyboarder were also of the older set and they obviously knew and were known by all of the crowd because they too were part of the hugging and kissing group. 

When the hour of kick off for the band arrived, the key board guy started playing a repetitious set of chords and the singer began the Tina Turner prolog for Proud Mary as the folks began to flow out onto the dance floor.  At one end, a group of about 7 or 8 ladies formed a circle and danced to the rhythm while at the other end several couples danced.  When the tempo changed you would see some of the ladies in the big circle go back and get their partners.  These animated ladies would lead their men out onto the floor. Most of the guys went through the motions as their partners strutted and gyrated. 

It was really fun watching this large group of friends (senior groupies) enjoying themselves.  A sign on the lounge door stated that, in order to keep the band, a minimum order of 2 drinks per person was required if you did not order a meal. Very few were eating. Need I say more?

And other than dining?  We cleaned out the storage area under the v-berth where the factory staff will be working.  The stuff in that area was put in the truck to be taken to the motel.  We took down the mast.  I disconnected all of the mast’s rigging to allow for the installation of the keel’s wiring.

The factory told us to plan for three days’ time for the repairs.  We will have the boat at the factory gate when they open at 7:30 tomorrow.  

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