That's So Tassie

Little kids on boats - say what you will (and I've got a lot to say on the topic) - it's not a relaxing mix.  This scene below is just completely par for the course for us - our mob, plus another family with two little kids, plus another friend, all thrown into the saloon for a visit.  Totally enjoyable as long as you're not too worried about being able to finish your sentences. 

The genesis for this particular get-together was a great bit of happenstance.  When I was here back in 1998, I walked the South Coast Track and shared the trail for a day or two with three locals lads.  And it turns out that one of them - Doug, on the right below, knows our mate from the Falklands, Liev, and remembered meeting me way back then, fourteen years or so ago.  That's a pretty good coincidence, though a common enough sort of random connection to be unremarkable.  The fun extra is that Doug and his gal Libby recently bought a bright yellow German sailboat that Alisa and I came damn close to purchasing ourselves.  There are a lot of sailboats for sale in the world, and it was really fun to talk to the folks who ended up owning the boat that was once at the center of our attention.  When we've told other friends here about this double coincidence, they all say, "That's so Tassie."

So after coffee with this lot of adults and their attendant small-fry, we trucked down to Kettering, where we met up with our mates on Aratika and Triddar and had - what else, a get-together featuring six kids and two sailboats.