Wednesday 7 December Care for a dip?

All life seems to revolve around the launderette in a marina. A sweeping statement but it seems we run into everyone either at or close to the laundromat. Perhaps that's because it's between the café and the chandlers, two important places for every cruiser. This morning we bumped into, not literally, dear friends Mary and Peter of Asor Lare. We last saw them in Whangarei earlier this year but with so much catching up to cover one hot wash wasn't long enough so we arranged to meet at the yacht club for dinner.

Opua

It was another lovely early summer evening as we dinghied in from the anchorage to the dinghy dock. It had been club race night and the dinghy dock was chocker – no room for us to reach the dock and step off. We'd have to step across the floating pontoon of dinghies to reach the dock tonight. Thoughtfully David went first with the line to secure us. He stepped out of dinghy into a hard yellow plastic boat next to us. Careful of his safety I offered the observation that little yellow plastic boat didn't look very stable. Indeed it rocked precariously with his first foot fall and then perilously as he fought to find balance. Oh dear! Too late. The point of vanishing stability had been reached and he slipped gracefully under the lapping water. Oops! He thought oops too and thinking his phone was in his pocket emerged from the water onto the dock like an exocet missile, faster than a penguin jumping onto an iceberg. One moment he was in. A second later he was out.

Fortunately there wasn't much of an audience – most of the people on the yacht club balcony were looking the other way. I tried very hard to suppress a smile, a giggle, a guffaw for at least 30 seconds while I made sure nothing but his pride was hurt and then I couldn't help it. I admit I laughed. Luckily his phone was safe back on the boat.
Poor damp David! He's usually as sure footed as a goat on a mountain face but that little yellow boat tripped him up and tipped him in. While he went home to shower and get dry clothes I went up to the club still chuckling. Cruel I know but I couldn't help it.
Amazingly in three years of cruising and hopping between boats, jetties, dinghies, this is the first time one of us has been swimming. Shame I didn't have a video camera to capture the moment.