It's a Small World After All
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When you're in the middle of a big ocean on a small boat, the world seems pretty big. But whether you're on a boat tied up to the Elizabeth Street Pier in Hobart or anchored in some distant harbor, it's definitely a small world. You invariably meet someone you know ... or at least someone who knows someone you know.
When we sent out our holiday newsletter and advised folks we were in Hobart, we got all sorts of emails back letting us know that relatives, friends and acquaintances were in town and we should be on the look out for them. Pam e-mailed to say that Ted's son, Robert, owns Ready Lunch on the Elizabeth Street Mall and we should stop in for some great coffee which we did.
Jan whom we'd met in Gisborne, New Zealand a couple years ago, said her son, Jamie, and his family was arriving shortly on the yacht Wild Goose and we should watch for them. In fact, unbeknownst to me at the time, I had already met Lisa in the shower that very morning.
We met Richard in Dunedin, New Zealand two years ago and he e-mailed to say a good friend of his lived in Hobart. Sure enough, we made contact and Paccy stopped by one night for a beer. When we were told by TasPort Control that we needed to vacate the Elizabeth Street Pier within a day, it was Paccy who let us rent his slip in the marina until Boxing Day.
When we met Pauline and Denys from Adelaide on their vacation in Fiji a year or so ago, we never thought we'd see them again, but we stayed in touch. They were visiting their son and his family in Blackman's Bay while we were berthed in nearby Kettering and they stopped for lunch aboard one day. We now have some friends to visit when we stop in Adelaide in a couple weeks.
It was no surprise to see a boat anchored at Deal Island that we'd seen on our previous visit. Running into friends of friends anchored at Grassy Harbour in King Island didn't shock us either. Getting an email the other day from Dan on Jacana who'd shared a horrific night in Suva Bay when our yachts were almost run down by a dragging ship caught our attention though. He'd read our blog and realized we were on Australia's southern coast and invited us over.
The oceans may be big, but our world is still a pretty small place. And if you're humming that song “It's a Small World After All” … stop it!
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