bananas on board and I am quite sure the handicraft instructor will be able to repair the damage done to your lovely hat.’
Mrs Hardcastle dabbed her eyes with a violet handkerchief and Albert looked uncomfortable. By now other passengers were arriving and the boarding operation was swinging into action. The World Cruise was almost - not quite but almost - ready to go.
10
Considering all the things that might have gone wrong, the boarding itself went reasonably well. There was a nervous moment when the Belle responsible for checking the names of passengers and handing them their plastic identification card, got hopelessly muddled due to the fact that she had left her reading glasses at home and was operating with a mixture of guesswork and assistance from Radley Duvet and Enzo Bigatoni, both of whom confused the situation considerably. Enzo, who for practice had attempted to memorise names from the London Telephone Directory before the passenger-list was known, now found that the telephone-list was all that he could remember! Radley simply did not have a clue and eventually it fell to Harry to take over the operation and relieve a senior Scout from luggage duties to deal out the cards.
When passengers had walked well over a mile from the tent to the ship, a further complication occurred as the deckhand assigned to operate the onboard check-in system found that none of the cards would work. Apparently Radley had left his new iPad on top of the box of plastic, with the result that theyhad all been neutralised by the magnet in the computer. A fresh supply of cards would have to be ordered, and as that would take several hours, passengers boarded with no electronic identification. Names were scribbled on a writing pad by an Indian crew member whose command of English was limited. Throughout the voyage, therefore, some passengers were never properly identified.
Given that Mrs Alice Hardcastle had experienced such an upset on alighting from her carriage the Admiral, gallant to the last, secured a place for her and her husband on the little train that ran the length of the pier, and so the couple were able to ride in state to occupy their suite. This caused a slight disturbance among other passengers who were required to walk, and an occasional scuffle broke out as tired cruisers attempted to secure a seat on the crowded transport.
The arrival of Councillor Paddy Patterson and his life-partner, Bernie Bollinger, was treated with the respect that it certainly deserved. The Scouts and the Belles were lined up on the Promenade, and just inside the tent the senior staff members were assembled in their white dress uniforms. As Captain Sparda had not yet retrieved his trousers, he had to remain partially hidden behind a trestle table, but he was now well accustomed to this. Regrettably it meant that he could not be with the Admiral outside to be one of the first to welcome the distinguished visitors as the tennis shorts, whilst respectable, were notentirely in keeping with such an event.
The Admiral, with Lady Felicity by his side, took up his position, and waited. Eventually, some twenty minutes after the expected time of arrival, an ancient motor vehicle pulled up and from out of the rear seat emerged the civic partnership, accompanied by a reverend gentleman whom they identified as Justin Longparish their chaplain. Councillor Paddy had donned his pinstriped suit and best purple shirt for the occasion, and alongside the cleric might well have been mis-identified as a Bishop. In fact, he was referred to as ‘My Lord,’ by the Captain, when the introductions were taking place, which flattered him considerably. Bernie wore a bright pink shirt and a canary yellow bow-tie along with a rowing blazer of kaleidoscopic hue. The two made a delightful couple and greatly impressed the Belles.
Once the tent party had been introduced, the Admiral led the newcomers towards the train, where they were introduced to the driver. As the
Mrs Hardcastle dabbed her eyes with a violet handkerchief and Albert looked uncomfortable. By now other passengers were arriving and the boarding operation was swinging into action. The World Cruise was almost - not quite but almost - ready to go.
10
Considering all the things that might have gone wrong, the boarding itself went reasonably well. There was a nervous moment when the Belle responsible for checking the names of passengers and handing them their plastic identification card, got hopelessly muddled due to the fact that she had left her reading glasses at home and was operating with a mixture of guesswork and assistance from Radley Duvet and Enzo Bigatoni, both of whom confused the situation considerably. Enzo, who for practice had attempted to memorise names from the London Telephone Directory before the passenger-list was known, now found that the telephone-list was all that he could remember! Radley simply did not have a clue and eventually it fell to Harry to take over the operation and relieve a senior Scout from luggage duties to deal out the cards.
When passengers had walked well over a mile from the tent to the ship, a further complication occurred as the deckhand assigned to operate the onboard check-in system found that none of the cards would work. Apparently Radley had left his new iPad on top of the box of plastic, with the result that theyhad all been neutralised by the magnet in the computer. A fresh supply of cards would have to be ordered, and as that would take several hours, passengers boarded with no electronic identification. Names were scribbled on a writing pad by an Indian crew member whose command of English was limited. Throughout the voyage, therefore, some passengers were never properly identified.
Given that Mrs Alice Hardcastle had experienced such an upset on alighting from her carriage the Admiral, gallant to the last, secured a place for her and her husband on the little train that ran the length of the pier, and so the couple were able to ride in state to occupy their suite. This caused a slight disturbance among other passengers who were required to walk, and an occasional scuffle broke out as tired cruisers attempted to secure a seat on the crowded transport.
The arrival of Councillor Paddy Patterson and his life-partner, Bernie Bollinger, was treated with the respect that it certainly deserved. The Scouts and the Belles were lined up on the Promenade, and just inside the tent the senior staff members were assembled in their white dress uniforms. As Captain Sparda had not yet retrieved his trousers, he had to remain partially hidden behind a trestle table, but he was now well accustomed to this. Regrettably it meant that he could not be with the Admiral outside to be one of the first to welcome the distinguished visitors as the tennis shorts, whilst respectable, were notentirely in keeping with such an event.
The Admiral, with Lady Felicity by his side, took up his position, and waited. Eventually, some twenty minutes after the expected time of arrival, an ancient motor vehicle pulled up and from out of the rear seat emerged the civic partnership, accompanied by a reverend gentleman whom they identified as Justin Longparish their chaplain. Councillor Paddy had donned his pinstriped suit and best purple shirt for the occasion, and alongside the cleric might well have been mis-identified as a Bishop. In fact, he was referred to as ‘My Lord,’ by the Captain, when the introductions were taking place, which flattered him considerably. Bernie wore a bright pink shirt and a canary yellow bow-tie along with a rowing blazer of kaleidoscopic hue. The two made a delightful couple and greatly impressed the Belles.
Once the tent party had been introduced, the Admiral led the newcomers towards the train, where they were introduced to the driver. As the
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