Trip Report: Day 3, More of the same, or not

Wednesday morning I get up, pack up and check out of the hotel. Its a bit weird checking out when I've still got almost two days in Devonport.

Today should be a better day. Yesterday was a good day, but in the morning I was unsure about everything. Once I had some idea what I was doing, it was fun.

Most people would have gone through the ship on the weekend, especially as the regatta was on. That that didn't, have yesterday. So today is expected to be quiet. Except for the 80 school kids who are arriving at 10.30 am. After some discussion, it's decided that one of the guides will escort each of the 6 groups of kids around to tell them about the ship. Of course, this means changes to the rosters to cover where those guides should be.

My roster for the day is diagonal. I'm going to each of the 11 spots in the order they're on the sheet, so that is:

On-shore gangway
Exit gangway
Companionway
Lunch
Foredeck
Firehearth
Mess Deck (tables)
Mess Deck (hammocks)
Break
Midi-mates mess
Outside gentlemen's mess
Great cabin
Upper deck.
On-shore gangway
Companionway

Right. So at 10 am, I put squirrel into my pocket and go onshore. It's quiet, as expected.

The tent on the right is the gift shop and ticket booth. Then there's a series of information plaques (that look like little tables in the photo) before reaching the gangway. The first couple finally reach come up to me, I put her bag in the cloak bin and send them on.

After they've gone, I look in the cloak bin and see the box of information brochures that every visitors is supposed to get. Oops. I put the box out where I can see it.

I can't hear the bell from over here, but Hannah turns up to relieve me at 10.30 so I go to the other side. I've only been here a few minutes, when one of the crew, I forget his name but I did know it, I think it's Craig, comes up and asks me to take over the companionway instead. I take the radio and go a few steps down the deck. It's still quiet. No sign of the kids yet. A couple of visitors turn up, so I tell them to go around there and up onto the foredeck. I take a few squirrel photos, but it's a bit sunny.

At 11 am, this is where I'm supposed to be, so I stay there. Eventually the school kids turn up. Each of the 6 groups will come through about 15 mins apart. It'll take them about an hour to look after over the ship and they'll be all done by 12.30. Really.

The first guide goes over to talk to the group before they come on. The first group go up to the foredeck, as usual, the second group get sent aft, to the 'upper deck'. A couple of non-school visitors turn up so I suggest they go below first rather than around to the foredeck, to get ahead of the kids.

The first lots of kids come off the foredeck and over to me. We send one of the adults down first, in case the kids get into trouble going down, and then each kids. Turn around so you're facing the steps like a ladder and grab hold of the rope, that's it, slowly, now grab hold of those ropes on the side and, that's it, keep going. Right, who's next? Repeat for each kid. Then the remaining adults go down.

At 11.30 I'm supposed to be going for lunch but who wants lunch at 11.30? So I say I'm happy to stay there. Another group of kids. Send the guide with them down first. Then an adult. Turn around so you're facing the steps like a ladder and grab hold of the rope, that's it, slowly, now grab hold of those ropes on the side and, that's it, keep going. Right, who's next? Repeat for each kid.

The school kids are spaced quite a way apart, so I wander around during the quiet times and take some photos. A few more visitors. I tell them how go down, and are they sunglasses? You'll want to take them off because it's dark down there.

Another group of kids come through. They're mostly good at going down, once they get the first step or two out of the one. One girl was very nervous and I didn't think she'd get down. One boy insisted on going down face out. Turn around the face the steps. Turn around the face the steps. Turn around the face the steps. Fortunately he had small feet. One got into trouble partway down but his teacher sorted him out. Not a problem, just slow. And repetitive.

Another group of kids.

Another group of kids. Diana is the guide, I think. She doesn't want to go down first. I do tell her I've sent three groups of kids down with no problems by now.

Another group of kids. I've sent four groups of kids down with no problems, so don't worry.

It occurs to me I've been here for almost 2 hours and dealt with almost all of the school groups.

Make that all of the school groups. I've sent down 5 groups of kids by now, don't worry.

There's no one on the foredeck, as I'm supposed to be there next, I run up and dig the bell. Ding! The guy who comes up with me tells me it should be Ding Ding for one bell.

Now it's 12.30 and I'm supposed to be on the foredeck. I go and find Caroline, who is filling in for a missing guide, and tell her I'm going to lunch instead. She thinks this is a good idea. I have the rest of my Subway sandwich for lunch.

Half an hour later, and I'm back at the firehearth. I don't like the firehearth, I've decided. It's my least favourite place. There's a slow steam of visitors. One girl with an older boy asks me my name. That's not a normal question and I mess up my own name, "I thought so," she says. She's Kadey, and the boy's Shaun (and I probably spelt that wrong). Terry's kids, as she puts it. My father. Ah. Well. Now that's a good way to put someone off their spiel.

I'm on the table next. The guide before, on the fire hearth, likes to talk but he doesn't mention the part about each table having a bag that's taken up, with the number on it, which I think is the most interesting part. So I add that to my little talk. As I say to someone later, you could go around this ship twice and get a different story each time.

From here, I walk all the way over to the hammocks. I've decided I don't like any of the mess deck positions that much. There's lot of little things to mention but no connections between them. I'm talking to one couple when another turns up, so once the first lot have gone, I have to go over what I didn't say to the next lot, and in the middle of this, another visitors turns up. Bah.

After here, I have a break. I don't remember having it,but I remember saying it was break time.

Now, to the midi-mates mess. It was quiet in here, so I let Mr Squirrel have a look about. At 3.30 no one comes to replace me. It's one of the radio position so I stay there and end up being there for an hour. Lots of photos. Not too many though, because I'm in the great cabin next and I haven't had a chance to take photos in there yet. (I'm not all the sure I was even in there on the first day, because I didn't take any photos.) Four o'clock comes around and it looks like no one is going to come and relieve me. According to the roster, he should be on the hammocks so I duck out and look for him. He is. I give him the radio and duck up the great cabin.

I said yesterday why I don't like this spot, which people coming while others are there and it's hard to know when to talk. Usually when I start talking, people turn around or come close. Once there was no response from the newest arrivals so I stopped after a few words. Bleargh.

There's one man who'd been through there before but had come back with his father. The father thought it was all wonderful and talked to me for a while. He had a cheap film camera, that he'd put b&w film into, because it was appropriate for the ship. I took a couple of photos of the two of them. I wonder if they came out all right?

At 4.30 pm no one came to relieve me. I was getting a bit sick of this "no show" thing. Still, it had quietened down. A few visitors came into the gentlemen's mess, but they were slow coming all the way through. More time to take squirrel photos.

Five o'clock approaches and I check where I'm to go to next, and who is supposed to relieve (definitely) me. Then I notice, although I was rostered to the "Upper Deck" at 4.30 and that's highlighted, I was also down for "Great Cabin". So that's why no one turned up to relieve me.

I am relieved at 5, so I head up to the gangway. Not a lot to do now, obviously. There's still a few visitors below and we're just waiting for them to leave. I suck over to the giftshop for a look, and pick up one of their model ships.

At 5.30, I cross over the gangway and wait over there for the last of the visitors to leave. Just before 6 pm, they do go.

Then we head down to sign in the vests and it's all over for the day. Except I don't leave, because I'll be staying there overnight.