Epic Voyage

Was going to say that the day finally dawned, but it didn't. The evening arrived when we set off on our epic voyage aboard the "Black Pearl" on the uncharted waters of the Caribbean. Actually it was the "Jacobite Queen" on Loch Ness but just as exciting. The evening was hosted by no less a personage than Captain Jack Sparrow himself, heavily disguised as a mortal being. Many of the guests arrived dressed as pirates or maidens, some not quite sure which they were!

The aim was to have a great evening of fun frolics and friendship and raise as much money as possible for the new RNLI Lifeboat on Loch Ness.

The crew tried to part the guests from their money as painlessly as possible and I must say they did this with considerable success.

We set sail at 1930 hrs and as we sailed silently across the moonlit waters Captain Sparrow let the assembled guests know just what was in store for them. A glass of exotic rum punch followed by a sumptuous buffet laid out on the foredeck. Music and dance were then the order of the day, just enough to lower the resistance and allow the crew to prise fingers from purses and unweld wallets.

There was a raffle and later Captain Sparrow conducted an auction of many exotic goodies, reminding guests if they were too mean that the days of plank walking and keel hauling were not yet over. The highlight of the auction was when Tommy, our unsuspecting cabin boy, was sold as a "Domestic For a Day". This alone raised £62.50 which we all felt was far more than he was worth!

We were visited by the lifeboat during the evening. The crew conducted an exercise, coming alongside, putting a crewman aboard with an emergency pump. They then pulled away again and demonstrated a man overboard drill, throwing one of their own crew into the icy waters of Loch Ness and recovering him very quickly before he expired from the effects of hypothermia.

Back on our berth about 1030 hrs where we poured everyone ashore and the willing crew got the "Queen" ready once more for her usual task of sailing the waters of Loch Ness with our tourist passengers.

The evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all and the efforts of the crew raised a magnificent £2500 for the new Loch Ness Lifeboat.

Our sincere thanks go to all who contributed so willingly to the success of the evening which I am sure will not be forgotten for some time to come.