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Ace Diving Team

Monday morning and only a day into Pauline's visit and we asked her to do a little job. Just dive down under the boat and unwrap more plastic from our prop. She is a qualified swimming instructor and competition swimmer.....
That, however was over 30 years ago and these days you're more likely to find me embroidering, wearing a head torch and talking to my cat Hardy. It's important you know that so I'm now taking over to tell you what it's really like under Grace. First of all were they serious? They had mentioned it the night before but that was after several beers. But no, ten o' clock the next morning there they were standing waiting for me in the cockpit, offering me goggles and snorkel. Phil had constructed a spear made of a pole with a lethal looking knife on the end. Looked like I was expected to kill lunch while I was down there too! What was a girl to do?

Sara went in first. Cold! But she is actually Lara Croft in disguise. I followed (disguised as Hyacinth Bucket) and watched as Sara tried to clear the prop from the surface using the spear. No good. Big gulp of air, bottom up, hope for the best. The salt water makes a massive difference to your buoyancy so almost straight away I found I was jammed up against the bottom of the boat, a very strange feeling and not very pleasant. But the plastic round the prop was obvious. Having got some off, there was nowhere for it to go but down the cleavage... Phil came in to join me and between us we cleared the prop, holding up our trophy rags of plastic like ecstatic hunter gatherers. I regret there is a picture.

Phil got the biggest bit of plastic off (after I had loosened it for him). For all my fussing it was tremendous fun!

Other news...we're next in the queue for water, Phil is cobbling Sara's shoes and there is a stark naked German showering on the quayside. Finally a word about knots....if you're coming out, start learning them now. There will be a test.....

Pauline Bucket.

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