George Shillito – “By now John and I were firmly back on terra-firma having landed on our designated slipway. We watched on and laughed as Muzza fought hand over fist with a small fishing boat. If the current predicament was not enough, it was only made sweeter by the fact that the boys were exactly where we had agreed, hidden from sight and doing everything they could not to give the game away as they listened to Muzza’s groaning from somewhere just out of view.
What happened next, happened quickly. Muzza let out a roar of success as he freed himself from the line only to have it echoed by an incredible explosion of roars and cheers as the group jumped from their hiding place. The noise was a stark contrast to the sleepy setting off just moments before and as champagne and beer filled the air, Muzza’s face contorted to display more emotions than I ever knew possible on one face. Happy, overwhelmed, amazed, stunned… terrified!
As the drinks began to flow, we packed down the kit and headed to a small, tucked away campsite not far from the beach. With the light now fading and darkness creeping in, we lit a campfire and cajoled some disposable barbeques into life as stories from the day became more and more embellished as the beers began to flow, and flow… and flow.
The following morning the campsite was a sorry state of affairs with bodies, tents and vans littered everywhere. After a very slow start and full debrief of the antics from the night before, we began to consider the leg back to the van. Unlike our heads, the day was exceptionally clear, the sun was already high in the sky and the wind had swung 90 degrees and in doing so had built to a fresh 16 knot southeasterly.