Wednesday 5 January 2011

Picton Castle alongside at Le Port, Île de La Réunion, France, Wednesday 5 January 2011 בס"ד

Woke up at the ship, and at 0800 went to the bar/restaurant across the street with Davey, Dave, Dapper, Pania, Taia, and Niko. Used the internet for two hours, then we went walking into town in search of a rental car. We had a hard time finding any place to begin with, and when we did find one, they were out of cars. A few hours had gone by, and we were hungry, so we stopped at a little buffet-style dive, which was still classy because it was French. The proprietor was very friendly, and it turns out he spoke fluent Spanish, so instantly I overcame the language barrier and we became good friends. We hung out there for a while, and he and I and this other guy who spoke English were talking about the Picton Castle and then we all worked together to find us a rental car. The English-speaker was making phone calls left and right, and finally he said he found us a vehicle in La Possession. So then he drove Davey, Niko, and I to the Hertz in La Possession, but the car was coming from St. Somewhere or another and we waited an hour plus til it arrived. Davey was the driver, because it was a manual (yeah, I haven't ever learned to drive stick. Life skills failure). We eventually located our friends, and went back to the ship. By then it was 1730, so I told them to leave me at the bar so I could use the internet instead of go somewhere and then come right back. So I did for a bit, then the Captain and the Mate and Bronwen called me to their table to join them, which I did. After a few drinks, the Captain and the Mate invited me for dinner in town, so we hitchhiked to the Boucaniers bar for a drink, then across the street for dinner. Others of us were there already. Had dinner and talked about a number of things, but most importantly, what I should do to further my career as a sailor. I've got lots of options, but they both thought I'd be a good candidate for Maine Maritime Academy's Small Vessel Operations program, which is where both the Mate and Bracken were taught. They also named a few ships I would do well to work for, like Niagara, or Pride of Baltimore II, etc, and others that I should avoid. The Captain told me that if I ever need work, he'd hook me up, and the whole conversation made me feel very good about the status of things and my progress. We joined our other crew there, mostly pro crew, talked a bit, then most left, but I stayed with Paula, Katelinn, Susie, and the Mate. In retrospect, I think it's probably the first time I ever really hung out with and socialized with Mike, since I've never been on his watch. Anyway, we were given a ride back by the proprietor, then I emailed quickly before returning to the ship just after midnight. Bed.