Friday 1st August Iluka

A rest day has been declared in light of the horses’ birthday.
To mark the occasion it was decided that we should lunch ashore at Sedger’s. After some discussion about the lack of hot water for showering we made a smart departure in the dinghy. Not our best times but ok for training. We were not alone in our quest for sustenance and joined Don, John, Liz and Noelene off Isis who had similar ideas about recreation in Iluka.
What was an otherwise pleasant interlude was marred by an argument between the Admiral and the sommelier. The Admiral had purchased one of their best bottles of Chardonnay and returned for a second bottle. The scoundrels had altered the price. A man of high principle the Admiral drew himself up to his full height, which according to the weights and measures department should exceed seventeen feet, and remonstrated with the staff. “I paid fourteen dollars fifty for the last bottle and that’s what it says on the wine list” he insisted.
“Well according to the till it’s eleven dollars fifty and that’s all I’m taking”, countered the hatchet faced help.
The argument ebbed and flowed but the establishment prevailed and a frustrated, crestfallen Admiral, visibly shorter, was about to concede defeat when he hit upon the solution! Smiling he handed over the eleven dollars fifty in exact change and then nonchalantly tossed another 3 dollars on the bar saying “Have a little something for yourself.”
At the new price of eleven dollars fifty even the ‘Disappointed Superannuants’ could afford to make merry and thus their split times suffered Vis a Vis dinghy handling.
At 11pm the breeze is building and the forecast is for gale force winds and dangerous surf. We laugh in the face of such adversity partly because tomorrow we intend to be as far inland as prudent navigation will allow. We’re going for another PB. (Harwood Hotel, Maclean Hotel and Laurence Hotel.) We’ll decide on which one to lunch at after we’ve sampled the hospitality of each.
The other thing we’re sort of looking forward to is closing the main highway between Sydney and Brisbane as we have the Harwood Bridge opened to accommodate our passage up river; if you’ll excuse the expression.