Mireille Day

And when I first stepped on board OCAT, Jean was in a similar position.

This is the skipper, Jean Kay.

Jean Kay, the skipper of OCAT.

He wasn't as tall, dark and handsome, and there was none of that romantic frisson for me.

But he was this larger-than-life character.

A call to adventure was the first feeling that I had from him.

There was an elemental empathy between the two of us as well, which I've kind of thought about later.

The boat itself...

It reminded me of Adventures in Paradise too.

When you entered the cabin, it was like being in a laid-back casino.

There was blue toweling curtains on the windows.

There was a blue and red carpet.

The cushions had... The blue cushions had red Tahitian hibiscus on them.

It was so much like Adventures in Paradise.

I thought my dream had come true.

Books and music too?

Yes.

What a bonus that was because on the first boat...

There had been no books and no music that I recall.

I didn't see what the books were for a start, but I knew there were books there and they looked like novels.