It’s been a while since I’ve witnessed the sort of behaviour that makes you proud to be a human being, but here on the Crouch this week I’ve been awash in the glow good spirit and generousity.
Firstly a couple I first met in St Kat’s eight months ago invited me onto their lovely Hallberg Rassy for dinner, helped organise my boat and gave me access to their tool collection, when my modest kit was lacking.
Then I met Simon Dunn, an engineer, who has gone out of his way to help me sort out a short pickup pipe on my fuel tank. You know those people who have absolute pride in their job, a real passion for what they do and therefore a derived talent and doing it well. Well, he’s one of those sorts of people, and a thoroughly nice chap as well.
To top it all off, along comes Jim, an inhabitant of one of the boaty forums I spend my time on. He came down to the boat yard, then offered me a lift in Burnham-On-Crouch so I could pick up my c-map charts from the chandlers at Rice & Cole’s boat yard (Andy, the proprietor, is yet another nice chap). He didn’t stop their though, I was still missing some bits for my fuel tank so he set to making a few phone calls and visits to various shops until we had found the part I needed, then took me to the super market to pick up some final supplies.
And so how did I come to lose my afternoon, you may ask?
Well, we didn’t go directly to the super market, we went via a pub, a hidden drinking hole in Burnham, who’s name I have sworn to secrecy :p. The trouble is, when I woke up this morning I neglected to have breakfast, and just as I was thinking about making and extra large lunch to compensate, Simon and Jim turned up and put an end to that plan, so I hadn’t eaten a bite since the evening before. Two pints of Adnams ale latter and I was feeling a bit boozy, we then stopped via Jim’s boat, in a marina on the way back, and I was plied with yet another beer. :)
I got back to Kudu and decided I needed a little sit down, which seems to have gone on for longer than expected because I have not long since woken up again with my afternoon lost to dreams and (probably) some snoring.
My most sincere thanks to all the people mentioned above. You have made my stay here truly memorable.