3rd July
Before I go on with this Blog, I have to say that due to my arm, notes were difficult to write and though Glynne the First Mate gave me some help, I am relying on memory. It was such a busy time that one day blurred into another so forgive me if I miss something out. I'll edit and update as soon as I can speak to Dutch and get his notes.
We slipped moorings at The Bridge at Napton after a busy breakfast, we were eight in number and everyone mucked in. It was sunshine all the way as we headed for The Admiral Nelson. Simon, Glynne and Josh ran the locks. Captain Dutch T Kirk was pretty heroic steering the 62ft Patricia Helen through a very busy waterway with no bow thrusters. A young couple in a cruiser were ahead of us and decided they would slow down to light what looked like a joint. There was nowhere to go! With such heavy traffic and the cruiser ahead, a collision was imminent. First mate Glynne was sent ahead and after a lot of hand signals and polite negotiations, we managed to avoid a 60 tonne crash. I was on form as I commented, "There's Klingon's off the Starboard bow Captain", which had everyone snorting with laughter.
We arrived at The Admiral Nelson and had to moor on a rough bank rather than the tow path so the plank came off the roof.and The Captain instructed us to 'WALK IT'! I learned to be very wary of the plank as it was quite a wobbly experience getting ashore. It was not the day to be wearing a skirt either...lets just say skirts and reeds don't mix! Josh and Eleanor happily buttered 850 pieces of bread for the crew and we had a big picnic lunch with beer and cider on the tow path. What a fantastic setting. I hate to spoil the illusion but we were short of water and full of Poo! We had to avail ourselves of the pubs facilities and stick to Navy showers!
Dutch set the Gig up outside and first on was Eleanor Davis. Considering she is only 15, I admire her guts for getting up and singing in front of very few people . She played a great set and Avital followed her. A guy came over from the audience and said he would like to play so could he borrow a guitar and Dan and his friend Barb, fiddle player extraordinaire gave us a lively set and got feet tapping. What a blast to have then turn up out of the blue and an added bonus was they were such talented musicians. More and more people arrived and to see them sat in the sunshine, listening to some great musicians and having a beer was terrific. I grabbed the bucket and wandered around to talk to people about Zoe's Place, the Baby Hospice we were raising money for. The response was phenomenal. People were putting in 5 pounds at a time. The interest and publicity it generated was worth more than any advertising campaign.
Wandering back to the Crew table I met husband and wife, Liz and Blair who had two little boys called Sid and Elvis. They went on stage and their energy was amazing. I really enjoyed meeting them and hope they will come and treat Cornwall to their music very soon. Eleanor went back on and WOW she rocked! Her set was unbelievable. The audience showed their appreciation and were astounded at her age. Her dad, Simon did another round with the bucket, during her set, and got a fab response, in coins and compliments! It was time to feed the Crew so we took a quick break before the evening set. . Neil, the landlord of The Admiral Nelson generously fed 12 of us and gave me a much needed break. Thank you so much for your hospitality Neil. We will be back to haunt you next year!
The car park filled up and all the tables were taken as we launched our evening set. Avital and Liz and Blair went back on to the delight of the crowds. It was a perfect summers evening with a baby dancing on one side of the stage and Amos doing his infamous 'Pouch Dance' on the other. I couldn't explain the pouch dance if I tried, its...its... just hilarious! As dusk was falling Kate and Andy of FOLA, a Celtic Folk band played a set that had us all dancing and thinking, life cannot get any better than this! Darkness fell and a cold wind blew across us. Kate bravely soldiered on and when they finished their set, the decision was made to move inside. Dutch and Glynne heroically moved the whole lot inside and Jimmy-Jimmy arrived. They were loud and proud and great musicians. I lost my voice, singing along that night. We also had a couple of mad French tourists who had drunk far too much of the wet stuff and were right up there with the band, doing a variety of mad jigs. All I can say is' it is just as well Jimmy- Jimmy are burly blokes! What a very special day we had, had. I felt as though I never wanted it to end.
A very weary Crew stumbled back to The Patricia Helen with buckets full of money that we could barely lift, and somehow negotiated the plank. It was just the six of us and we sat down to some rather awesome Cognac, provided by The Captain. It was our last night with Avital and Amos and we knew how badly we were going to miss them. The Git dived into his bunk as soon as we got back and we weren't far behind. I think Dutch fell asleep for two minutes before we roused him and we all tumbled into bed. What a Perfect Day......
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