P.J. Sweeny's son with his new model boat - nj.
The Berth of a Dream
Surprises are all part and parcel of the magic of holidays, but, as a friend of mine found out just this summer, a fortnight on an Italian river can also provide for minor shocks, too. And they all have to do with the opposites of all that one knows!
Everything was perfect. The north Italian scenery was beautiful, and the houseboat that was to be home for the next 14 days was even better than expected. There was nothing that could possibly go wrong, that is to say, nothing except the actual getting about!
Boating, on the surface at least, is quite a simple affair. Everyone can do it, and, when it comes to being the captain, everyone is as good as each other, and everyone, of course, knows better than everyone else. That is, of course, until the going gets tough!
The first real surprise for my friend and his family came whilst trying to stop. My friend’s wife, who was on captain duty at the time, quickly discovered that stopping wasn’t as easy as she thought, in fact, it was really quite hard. The boat (unlike her car) had no brakes, and it wasn’t a question of simply turning off the engine! It was, as her twelve year old son quite easily explained, only a matter of putting the boat in reverse, and, if done in good time, the craft would gracefully come to an elegant standstill. But, the “if done in time” was much easier said than done!
Upon finding the perfect place to stop for the night, my friend, who had now been promoted to captain, was attempting to (as he says) park. His first mistake was to put the boat in reverse too early. The boat not only stopped too early, but it also started going back the way they had come in reverse! Things then became complicated.
In order to avoid colliding with the bank, some steering was necessary, but, because they were travelling in reverse, the steering no longer reacted as was expected. And so it was, that by steering to the right, the boat actually veered to the left and got stuck in the mud at the side of the river. And the cheers were embarrassing!
They had chosen to crash just 10 meters away from a very full terrace of very hungry people, and my friend, unknowingly had provided the perfect pre-dinner entertainment. But all’s well that ends well.
After some help from those more experienced, my friend and his family, with their boat safely moored, were soon enjoying a meal on the terrace. The entertainment that they had provided was quickly forgotten, everyone it seems, was once, too, a beginner!
So what about the rest of the holiday? It was perfect, and now that they know how to do it, they will, without any doubt at all, being trying something completely different next year. After all, what is a holiday for? Surprises of course!
Nj.
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