Dancing To A Different Drum

We bought a new set of strings for the guitar, last summer, but they disappeared into the clutter and haven't resurfaced as yet! No matter, we haven't been anywhere that a barbecue was possible, of late - partly a case of inclement weather making outdoor eating impossible and partly one of inclement people putting us off even suggesting such a thing. 

Our guitar (a 1982 Fender Gemini II acoustic) is always a handy ice-breaker at barbecues - people tend to know a song or two and be happy enough to play after a few beers. Not that we have heard much live music of any description lately - we've been very busy and the people around us haven't included a great many bohemian types, unfortunately - the yachting world seems to be becoming populated by people who don't appear able to relax and enjoy themselves much and who perhaps should have bought a country cottage, not a boat, for their vacations and retirement homes...

Still, we do meet some musical souls along the way but, sometimes, things start badly and then go into a decline. Our meeting with a charming German gentleman aboard a catamaran called 'Jammin' was one of those occasions. 

Ralf was passing, in his dinghy, and we invited him aboard for a drink. Noticing the name of his boat painted on the lid of his outboard motor, the Skipper asked if Ralf was a musician. Astonished at what he mistook for some incredible psychic power, Ralf asked how the Skipper had guessed. 

"Ah!" he said, when the Skipper pointed out that his boat name was in evidence.
"Well, I do play music," Ralf told us, "but I bought the boat with that name already on it."

We're not the brightest stars in the firmament, so it sometimes takes us a while to catch on to the possibilities. Two nights earlier, three boats away from us, there had been an impromptu musical evening. A friend of ours had taken her violin along and started playing and someone unknown to us had turned up after a short while and joined in, with a banjo. 
Neither of us is a great fan of the instrument anyway and the renditions that night had been of styles of music particularly disliked by both of us. We had retired to the other side of the boat and watched a movie to escape the din. The Skipper, having no idea who had been the mystery banjo-basher and, as always, being subtle as a flying mallet, announced that, as long as Ralf didn't play the banjo, all would be fine. 

Luckily, Ralf did not perceive the remark as offensive and told us, enthusiastically, that the banjo is his main instrument. 

"Oh well", the Skipper said, cheerily, "it could have been worse. It might have been the accordion."

"Ah!" said Ralf, "the accordion is my second instrument!"

There's not much you can say to that, is there, really? Thank God for language barriers, perhaps?! You don't even want to hear what happened next...

Linnet Woods for MarineZine

Speaking of guitars, as we were, we can recommend a wander around Bruce Gowan's website - http://www.somdcomputerguy.com it returned us to a feelgood state from a fit of the blues and, speaking of blue, you HAVE to see the photo of a blue guitar-shaped cake... a clue... it's on page 7 of the Benefit Pics...