Page 180 - Microsoft Word - Guiding lights final version 0841 1007 big print.doc

stayed on board in the bowels of the ship which carries up to 48 passengers. A few incidents spring to mind...
‘The ship berthed in Tobermory overnight. The following morning after breakfast, two coaches and passengers and guides set off for Ffionaphort to take the ferry over to Iona, visit to the Abbey, lunch in hotel, ferry back around 15.00 and, on return to Tobermory, the ship would set sail. On one such occasion, as the coach was slowly negotiating the Main Street along the waterfront to the quayside, out of the corner of my eye, as I was relating the programme for the evening to my group in the coach, I spotted one of the passengers who had stayed in Tobermory for the day, going into one of the shops.
Knowing the ship would sail the moment everyone returned I alerted the Ship Manager and Captain and set off with my guiding colleague to find this passenger, a rather elderly lady. We were in and out of the shops, then I popped into the hairdressing salon (thinking she’s not going to be in here!) but indeed there she was, head in the basin, having her hair washed! When she recognised me this is how the conversation went: Me : Mrs Smith ...hello ....
Mrs Smith: Oh hello dear!
Me: The ship is ready to sail
Mrs Smith: Yes I’ll be there shortly after I’ve had my hair done
Me : No, it’s leaving now as soon as you and I are on board!
Mrs Smith: Now, that’s not possible! what about my hair?
Me: I will blow dry it for you when we get on board! Let’s go please!
‘I had to borrow a towel from the hairdresser, wrap Mrs Smith’s head in the towel and we both scurried back to the ship! No sooner was the gangplank lifted and we were off!!
Phew! Mrs Smith, bless her, was completely oblivious that she’d nearly been stranded in Tobermory as she had not signed out as she left the ship!
‘Another time leaving Iona with 24 passengers counted on the ferry, we arrived back at Ffionaphort and counting passengers on the coach, I found two ladies were missing. I checked the loos and the shop, they weren’t there. By the this time the ferry was returning again from Iona and here my two ladies stepped off the ferry...
“It was so beautiful Jean we went back on the ferry to have a last look!” Another incident at Ffionaphort ferry, I had a group, the Clan Kincaid. I knew the passengers as we had been travelling for 10 days together. I gave out the tickets as the passengers were boarding the ferry and there was one passenger missing.
‘I asked the ferry man to hold on a sec while I ran back up to check the loo, found the missing passenger as we hurried down to the ferry...there
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