What started out as a discussion between Paul and Nadja (about auctioning off the overflowing lost & found bin) hatched an idea which grew up to be bizarre. A Bizarre Bazaar that is!
You see, we keep a lost & found tote in the salon. People inevitably leave a book on the foc’sle head when they get distracted by a stunning sunset, or lose their clothes off the line on a particularly windy day, or leave their shoes on the deck when they go take a power shower. Or they just leave their stuff around because, well, we have no idea why. What Paul and Nadja found extraordinary was that despite months and months of announcements for the crew to claim their belongings, the tote still remained full. So, they decided that it would be fun to auction the contents. Surely this would be motivation enough. But if not – we can always use the additions in the rag bin!
As Nadja and Joh worked on a sign for the event, things began to evolve. Why not throw it on a Sunday? Why not have a few more attractions? Iced coffee in the heat would be a treat! What about fortune tellers? And a dunking booth? And haircuts? As they excitedly discussed and worked on signage, people started to come forward with ideas and the sign-up sheet they posted on the door to the salon quickly filled up with games, booths and activities.
We usually start Sunday events at around 4 pm, but on this particular Sunday we opted for a more leisurely day of fun in the sun. After lunch the grand opening of the Bizarre Bazaar was held on the quarterdeck. The 4-8 watch had prepared a hilarious skit for us – a typical day in the life of 4-8 – in fast forward. Hands down the highlight was Lorraine’s impersonation of the Captain making his rounds on the quarterdeck. I believe that the Captain found it equally as entertaining as we did!
Next up the crew were invited to ‘buckle up’ and ‘put their seats in an upright position’ – as Vicky, Georgie and I acted out as an sketch about ‘flying’ through ships work, written by Georgie and our very own Jimmy.
We all grabbed ourselves one of Clark’s famous waffles and a nice iced coffee from Ali and Vicky and walked around the deck, checking out our options for the afternoon…
Siri and David Brown ran an old-fashioned fish pond – you never knew what you were going to catch! Paul, dressed as a crocodile dundee type of character, sharpened and cleaned our jack-knives and rigs at his knife sharpening booth. Cheri wowed us with her magical potions and lotions and Brad tied one on with his knots and string booth. Logan donned spectacles and carried a pipe as he told stories on the well deck and Robert H charmed us all with his snake charming skills. Fred and Tammy operated a kissing booth, ooh la la. Tiina amazed with her palm reading ability and between Paulina’s angle cards and Joh and Georgie (the Siamese fortune tellers) we all got a good glimpse into our future. Shawn ran a barber shop and gave some close shaves, while Rebecca was in demand as a hairstylist. Taia gave a lot of us crazy braids and Alex painted our faces.
We danced into the afternoon with DJ Davey on the roof of the galley house and when we got hot we took turns at the bucket-drop booth. Are you smarter than a Mate? Well, you’re going to get wet either way. As Mike ‘Fred’ Weiss already wrote in his Captain’s Log, Movember Brovember, we had our first annual ‘stache off’ – as the men of Picton Castle showed off their impressively groomed facial hair. The competition was interrupted when we caught a fish, but in the end WT won the most applause with his massive mustache and walked away the winner. We ended the evening with a long power shower and a good meal by the Sunday galley crew. Another successful Sunday. Well done all!
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